"School fees have been my major burden in my life. I have always depended on a small income from a small foodstuff business which has not been doing quite well. This is because it has been my main source of income and the whole family needs rely on it. I have always failed to pay fees arrears and in most cases, my children are always being sent home for the same. When I received the transfers and cleared their balance, I felt proud as a mother because I know I have fulfilled that part well and it's because of the transfers I received from GD>"

"I am getting too old thus at times I find it difficult in taking care of the cattle and other house chores. When my children are in school, I find it very difficult to balance the two chores. I expect to employ a caretaker who will help me take care of the animals as well as daily house chores."

"It had always been my prayer to live a happy life where I have my privacy but this was not possible since I was always sleeping with my daughters. I could not be able to build a house for my family due to a lack of finances as the money I usually get after doing some menial jobs around the village was not even enough to feeds us. Whenever I had visitors, I used to request my neighbors to host them and this always lowered my self-esteem. Being able to build a spacious house for my family is so far the biggest achievement in my life which has made my daily life different from how it was before."

"I am hopeful that in the next six months, I will have finished my carpentry training and I will be practicing and even taking some jobs to earn an income the same."

"At the moment, I am at the mercy of my children who have to fend for me, which is after my cereals business collapsed when I fell sick. Having been independent for most of my life, I do not feel very comfortable depending on others for everything and I hope that this will not be the case in the next six months. I currently have plans of using the transfers to revive the cereals business which I can run within my compound because I am still recovering from my illness and may not be able to go to the market just yet. I hope that in six months, the business will be stable enough to take care of most of my needs so that I do not have to fully rely on my children for financial needs."

"I remember very well it was around 7 am when I had started doing my house chores, then I heard a message alert tone from my phone. Because I am illiterate I told my son to check what the message was all about. He told me it was from Give Directly. They had sent me my first transfer into my Mpesa account. I was very happy, I remember screaming and jumping with joy. I have never been that happy before. I always thank them for changing my life by bringing hope after I have given up completely"

"I am the eldest son in a family of 8 children. My parents died about 5 years ago. Whereas my mother succumbed to sickness, my father fell into a river and died of drowning. Unannounced, our lives reeked of darkness and hopelessness. We didn't know where to start. My uncles have family responsibilities to attend to so we were left to fend for ourselves. As the senior most child I had to step up and chart a course for my six siblings. By default, I assumed role of a father figure without a script. I was just seventeen, struggling to fill my parents big shoes. I dropped out of school to find what to do to bring food to the table, and life became a rollercoaster. It still is. It is a selfless calling. Because at most times I think of what's best for my siblings especially education, while under looking my own needs. This has been the biggest hardship I've faced in my life. "

"In the next six months l expect to continue saving money to achieve my dream of plastering my house. Once I manage to plaster the house I will be able to stay in a nice plastered house like my neighbors."

"In the next six months l expect to continue receiving money from give directly and spending to buy food and feed on a well balanced diet and live long."

"In the next six months l expect to have started livestock keeping as my future investment and I will be able to sell them incase of emergency."