"My husband happens to be the breadwinner of our family and he works in a construction site where he is paid $8 when there is work at the site to do. At times he comes home empty handed and we are forced to go hungry some days. To avoid going for days without food and also come out of poverty, I want to join college where I will go learn about the saloon. I love making, plating and doing make up and I believe in beauty, you will never go wrong. I will first go and get free training from my neighbor who has a saloon near my place so that when I join college, it will be much easier. I had dropped out of school while I was in class eight because of my parents inability to pay my fees and I have no certificate. I really wanted to join college earlier but due to financial constraints I am forced to first complete my house construction project and later join when I am finally stable enough. I will also buy goats that I will be taking care of and when they grow I will be able to sell them at a profit and the best thing about goats is that they can withstand the prolonged drought."

"Givedirectly has done extremely well for us through her cash transfer. Some of us have us this opportunity to build for ourselves and send our children to school."

"In the upcoming years, I wish to have built a new house for my grade eight son, Baraka. As he grows, he needs his private space, which my house cannot provide. Meanwhile, he occupies his elder brother’s house, who stays in Mombasa with his family and could visit anytime, forcing Baraka to seek alternative shelter. I feel like my son is suffering and the only solution is to construct a new one-room house, made of mud walls and a tin roof. Other than the house, I plan on saving for his education for when he will be joining high school next year. "

"I want to be able to financially support the education of my five children, most of whom are still in elementary school. Right now, the eldest graduated from high school but has not been able to collect his academic certificates because of an underlying tuition debt of $350. Settling this debt would relieve me, as it would give me the peace of mind to commit to his sibling’s tuition. "

"The current structure that accommodates my two children is in a bad state as the roof has been letting in rainwater over the past week. This prompted them to move into my house, where they have been sharing space with my husband and me. I feel like this has deprived everyone of their private space, given the age differences between our children and us. Building a new house for them will be the best solution. I hope that I will be able to save to buy building poles and iron sheets to construct a one-room structure for them."

"I hope to complete my house project before this year ends"

"Givedirectly has done extremely well by helping alleviating poverty in my house."

"I hope to complete my house project before next year"

"Education is the key to success and every parent yearns for the best for his children. As a parent, I am glad to have achieved this after utilizing $2500 of the transfers on school fees for my children in grades 10 and 11. Although my family of 7 depends on farming for a living, I am saddened that my area has experienced periods of drought for the past 5 seasons and thus run into losses. Since life has to move on, I had to take risks. I used the transfers to cultivate the land and purchase maize seedlings in preparation for the rainy season. Furthermore, I purchased insecticides and food for the family. I was excited that my family is food secure."

"For a long time, because of financial instability, I have been sleeping on a tiny mattress that often affects my back. I am excited that Givedirectly came to my rescue for I used $80 of the transfers to purchase a mattress and now I sleep comfortably. Since my family of 3 depends on farming for a living, I am saddened that the farms have been unproductive for the past season and my family did not have any harvest hence resolving to purchase food using the money my husband earns from casual jobs such as farm cultivation. My PTA teaching job, on the other hand, is unpredictable since I can stay for months without pay as the school depends on the parents who are in the same situation as I am to pay for their children. As a result, I engaged in goat farming to earn extra income for the family through its sales once it breeds. I currently have 5 goats that are under the custody of a relative because I have not yet constructed a loafing shed for them. Therefore, I utilized $100 of the transfers on putting up a structure and now I hope to repossess them. For the rest of the transfers, I saved them as I await the rainy season to revert to maize, cowpeas and green gram farming."