"It was around 6 am when my phone vibrated. I quickly woke my son up to help me read what the message was all about. After checking, he told me it was from GiveDirectly they had sent my first transfer as they had promised during our community meeting. I was very happy because I knew the money would completely change my life."

"Currently this transfer that I got in my family has brought peace. Together with my husband, we now sit and plan together as compared to before when I asked for any sharing we would and up at logger heads. This was majorly because we did not have money."

"This financial help has changed my life greatly because it has enabled me to acquire land that I will relocate to and start an independent life. I have been staying in the same home as my brother given that I am a single mother (three children) that never got married and it has always been difficult to stay in the same place. This is because there is no proper place to cultivate and one has to always bare a lot of insults."

"My life has changed in that I am now a happy and a stress free person given that I am living postively. This is because the financial help that I got has enabled me to see to it that my child's tution is catered for. Prior to getting this transfer, I really had no proper way except for selling off the rice I had farmed to partially pay her tution or when it totally failed, she would come back home and wait until I managed to raise money to take her back to school."

"My life is different now in that I have managed to acquire my personal belongings such as a bed, mattress, bed sheets that have made me have a descent bed to sleep on. Prior to getting this transfer, I used to sleep on tattered pieces of mattress that at times I had to sew together but still later would part again. In addition to this, my life has changed because I am building and soon will move out of the grass thatched house and relieve myself from the burden of looking for grass."

"It was around 6 am when I heard my phone my vibrating. I was a bit shocked because I was not expecting a message at such an hour. Upon checking, I realized it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. They had sent me the first transfers as they had promised us during our first community meeting. I was very happy. I still remember this day as if it was yesterday"

"Through this financial support I have been in position to continue with the construction of our commercial house that had stopped due to limited funds. I have already acquired the needed iron sheets for roofing, I believe next year the house will be complete because I would have got some money for finishing when I sell the bricks that I am making now. Secondly, I was able to settle the debts I had incurred for building. Once the house is complete, I expect to operate a business on my side and sleep on the other side which will relieve me from the burden of renovating my current hut."

"Prior to receiving these transfers, I didn't have cows of my own but when I got money from GiveDirectly, I managed to purchase 2 cow that will produce milk which is going to boost my children's immunity and the cows will help me with my children's education in future. In addition, I have got 2 pieces of land which Iam going to cultivate untillmy money is paid back. These pieces of land will increase my hearvest unlike before when I suffered from food shortage because cultivated on one piece of land."

"I expect to have built the house at the end of six months. We will not be walking around homesteads asking for a place for visitors to sleep in anymore. At the end of it all, they will have a comfortable place for themselves whenever they come visiting."

"I expect to generate returns from the investment I put on the farming project. This returns will help me buy a dairy cow which we can rely on to produce milk for sale and consumption. That means I also expect to buy the cow at the end of the six months."