"My house has been eaten up by termites. They have destroyed most of the wooden structure inside. I'm always worried it can be carried away by strong winds or even rained on. This means most of the time I'm on the look out. It has affected my ability to sleep in peace. Even when my grandchildren come back from school, I'm worried about their safety. It's very expensive to build another house, and I'm old. Where will I get the money?"

"Together with my family of nine, we have been living on a piece of land I recently bought, along with a house that came with a three-room iron-sheet structure. The design and the iron sheets used for roofing are quite old, and I plan to improve it into a more modern home. I used $200 from my second GiveDirectly transfer to buy twenty modern iron sheets, and I am planning to begin renovations after receiving my final transfer. As a dedicated farmer, I am blessed with an acre of land, but due to financial constraints and relying on casual jobs and charcoal production to meet our other needs, I have only been able to farm half an acre. With my second transfer, I decided to fully utilize my entire acre, planting butternut squash. I spent $90 on land preparation and planting, $40 on pesticides, and $60 on labor. With the remaining $60, I bought two bags of maize to sustain us for a while. Casual jobs have not been reliable, as their availability is inconsistent, making it difficult to consistently put food on the table. I thank God because since we received money from GiveDirectly, we no longer have to rely on casual jobs. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"I am currently single, but I have always wished that I had a wife and started a family of my own. The woman I intend to marry is currently in college, and I am dedicated to preparing myself financially for our future together. Once she completes her studies, I plan to pay the bride price and marry her. To achieve this goal, I have been saving a portion of my transfers in our local savings group. Additionally, I intend to save even more from my transfers to ensure that I can afford the bride price. On top of that, I am looking to expand my shop business by using another portion of my transfers and reinvesting the profits from my sales. I am optimistic about the growth of my business. My goal is to create a stable financial foundation so that when I have my own family, I will be able to comfortably take care of them."

"Currently, we farm on a huge piece of family land, but the cost of preparing it is high. We often have to hire cows from others or even tractors, which can lead to delays because of the long queues that cause us to miss crucial planting days, especially when it rains, which is vital for our crops. To address this issue, I plan to acquire my own cows. Having my own bulls will not only eliminate delays but also reduce the costs associated with hiring other cows or even tractors, which is quite costly. To achieve this goal, I intend to continue saving a portion of my transfers with the aim of purchasing cows in the future. These bulls will not only assist in cultivating our land but will also help generate income through better harvests and by allowing me to hire them out to others for a fee. This additional income will be instrumental in meeting our family's financial needs."

"Currently, my health is my top priority, and I am committed to improving my life so that I can live healthily without setbacks that could hinder me from achieving my future goals. To manage my health, I attend monthly clinics and plan to continue using a portion of my transfers to obtain the necessary medication for a healthier life. In addition to my health needs, I also intend to allocate some of my transfers towards purchasing food, as nutritious meals are essential for me to effectively take my medicine. Furthermore, I have aspirations of owning a piece of land for farming. To achieve this, I plan to buy more goats with some of the transfers I receive, hoping they will multiply so that in the future, I can trade them for cows. These cows will also multiply, allowing me to eventually sell them to purchase the land I desire. Lastly, I am in the process of building a better house made of bricks. I am happy with the progress so far and hopeful that with the continued support from the transfers, I will be able to complete it by January next year. I am truly grateful for the opportunities that GiveDirectly has provided me to manage my health and improve my living conditions."

"I am a father of five children, working at construction sites to provide for my family. When I received my first transfer of $550, I knew exactly what I needed to do. Our house, which had stood for four years, was beginning to show signs of wear and tear, and the strong winds we often faced worried me. To secure my family's safety, I spent $270 on buying cement and building sand and paid for labor to plaster and reinforce the house. This decision brought me peace, knowing that my family would be better protected. At the same time, my son Kelvin was in his final year of secondary school, and he had an outstanding fee balance of $130. I used $100 from the transfer to pay off a large part of this balance, I felt relieved that I had taken a big step toward securing his education. Additionally, I knew the importance of hygiene and preventing diseases, so I spent $150 to construct a pit latrine for my family. This not only provided us with a cleaner environment but also ensured our health was safeguarded. With the remaining $30, I bought food, ensuring we had enough to eat. This transfer has significantly improved our lives, and I am grateful for the opportunities it has created for my family."

"Since I started receiving payments from GiveDirectly, the biggest difference in my life has been the comfort and security my family now enjoys. Before, we lived in a poor house with a leaking roof, and it pained me to see my family struggling in such conditions. With the transfers, I was able to renovate the roof, and now my family lives comfortably in a good, safe house. This change has brought us peace and relief. Additionally, I used part of the money to reduce the school fee balance for my children, which has lifted a heavy burden off my shoulders. Now, I can focus on other priorities, knowing my children’s education is progressing well and my family no longer has to worry about the house. These changes have brought us much-needed stability, something I couldn’t provide before."

"When insecurity broke out in Ng'aratuko, my family of eight relocated to Chebarisiat village for safety. The trauma was unbearable, especially after losing my husband to gunshots in 2022. Here in Chebarisiat, a kind-hearted person offered us space to set up a temporary tent. Life has been challenging, particularly when it comes to finances and putting food on the table. We depend on goat rearing and poultry farming to make a living, and I often sell some goats and chicken to buy food for the household. However, I am worried as their numbers are decreasing, and I fear I might soon struggle to provide for my family."

"I understand that GiveDirectly won't be around forever; we’ve been informed that the program lasts for five years, so we need to make wise decisions about how we spend our funds. I live in a house with crumbling walls, and during the rainy season, the situation worsens because we live in a swampy area. I don’t want to keep making costly repairs, so I’ve started saving part of my transfer in our merry-go-round group to enable me to buy bricks and build a durable three-room house. This is my goal for the coming year and beyond. Having a good home provides peace of mind and pride. However, when the rains come, we are filled with worry because our house is in such poor condition; at times, I fear it might collapse due to the weak walls. Additionally, I’ve begun buying goats, which I plan to sell for building materials once they multiply. This way, by the time the house is completed, I can still benefit from my investment in the goats as they continue to reproduce."

"I’m glad to have achieved my dream of building my house and also providing a home for my children. My house is a two-room structure, but as my children grow, they need privacy since they’ll soon be adults. That’s why I decided to build them their own house. I accomplished all of this with the help of GiveDirectly transfers, for which I am very grateful. I know we were given this support for a limited time, so I thought about starting a goat rearing project, which I plan to invest in for the coming year and beyond. I prefer goat rearing because I can afford to buy them, and they are not expensive to maintain. Additionally, goats thrive in our environment. Since I have school-going children, I want to make the most of my transfers by investing in goats. They will help me in the future with paying fees for my children. Rearing goats is also advantageous because they multiply quickly, and some even have twins, which increases their financial value."