"I have no stable source of income , I usually sell charcoal and just keep myself busy with house and farm chores . My husband who is the bread winner was the manager of an M.C.A but he lost he job after the M.C.A lost elections . When I received the second transfer we had no tap water , It had been disconnected because of bill arrears which had accrued upto $75 , so I paid it and got the water reconnected . I went to Kilifi town and bought a 3,000 litre water tank worth $188 and used $15 to transport it home . Before I could really suffer because of fetching water from far . So I spent $23 on 3 bags of cement and paid $42 labour for the water tank to be firmly installed . Right now that is a problem of the past , infact I now sell my water to the residents of my village . I used to keep goats for my sister and I really wanted to buy something that I would use to remember Give Directly , so I bought 2 does , each did cost $35 . As we speak , I'm already enjoying their milk since they both gave birth not so long ago . You see these are blessings ! My 3 primary school going children had school fees arrears which had accrued to $55 , I also cleared it . I then used $22 to buy 1 bale of maize flour and $10 to buy 10kgs of powder soap .I was left with about $30 so I saved it so that incase of an emergency , I'll have where to run to . I thank Give Directly for literally changing my life ."

"You know I'm laughing throughout our conversation because Give Directly has become my best friend . You helped people in this village and we are all happy . We have build good houses , paid school fees for our children , other people have even bought pieces of land while others have built shops and started businesses . Personally I had not bought myself a new dress for a long time , thanks to Give Directly , because I bought one . There is nothing to improve , you did everything correctly ."

"I have a young family of 1 child and a wife . I operate 'bodaboda' business and I recently started a business for my wife . I'm glad that we can now support each other to buy basic needs in the house . I spent $430 on 1 cow. I hope to start milking it soon and enjoy the milk with my family , ofcourse I'll sell the excess milk and be able to buy basic needs like food . I also bought 1 calf worth $100 and later sold it , that is the money I then used to start second hand clothes business for my wife . Currently , my wife is expectant so we have put the business on hold until after she delivers ."

"I could have set many goals for myself but I have no money and so I do not want to lie to you . But I really wish to buy a television and 3-seater sofa set as soon as the construction of my house is completed , probably by August . I just want my house to look like that of other people in my village , that way , they'll respect me . I do not know how much it will cost but that is my dream and I'm trusting God to see it come true ."

"I'm a primary school teacher , and a bread winner of my family since my wife died . I was so happy to be enrolled in this program because it has really supplemented my salary to be able to do great things . I used the $270 to pay college fees for my daughter who is studying at K.M.T.C . Before I would depend on my small salary and loans . When you send me the first transfer , I had started renovating my house but the floor was not yet done . So I bought 1 tractor of sand worth $60 , 1 tractor of murram at $20 ,1 tractor of sizeable stones worth $60 and 13 bags of cement worth $94 . I also spent $13 on 13 packets of water proof ,$4 on red oxide and $20 on 4 rolls of floor wire mesh . All these were for the purpose of cementing the floor of my house , since I'm a widower , I do the cleaning by myself and its easier while the floor is cemented ."

"Give Directly does everything well . You have created a direct link with residents . You always come directly to the ground to explain to us about your projects and good intentions , which clears any fears and doubts that we could be having about you . You have given us non refundable money which has helped us to do several developments in this village . Personally I have bought a mattress , a bed and a cow , these are things that I never knew I would buy . There is nothing to improve on , just continue helping people ."

"When my house crumbled last year, I was forced to move into my brother’s house, where I have been staying to date. Luckily, he works and lives in Mombasa with his family. It only becomes inconvenient when they visit the village and I have to look for another place to lay my head. To ensure this never happens, I plan on building a two-room house for myself. Gladly, I was able to obtain the main materials like iron sheets and building poles through previous cash transfers. I only need $150 for labor, which I will obtain by saving through my self-help group."

"My top priorities for this year are to buy livestock and upgrade the condition of my home. I put up with my house's rusty iron sheets being in bad shape the entire previous year. Every time it rained, my mother-in-law and I would spend the entire night shifting furniture around the house to keep it from being ruined by the rain water seeping in through the roof. This year, I intend to purchase two new iron sheets each month until I have enough to fix the roof completely. I'll feel better once the roof is fixed, and I can then concentrate on getting more livestock to add to the few I already have."

"I decided to start saving a portion of the money that I received over the last few months of last year. This was influenced by the fact that the house I live in at the moment is quite a disaster, especially the roof. During the rainy season, we normally have to put pots in the house so that it is not left flooded with water, and we end up staying up the whole night sometimes just because the roof is leaking from everywhere. This year, I plan to finally use the funds that I have been saving to build a proper house and install a new roof. This will be costly because I have a lot of material to buy, including timber and sand, and I also have to pay the laborers, but I am hopeful it will all turn out well."

"I make charcoal to supplement the monthly transfer from GiveDirectly.  I currently have two children in college, another one will soon begin secondary school, and the youngest is in primary school grade 8. Paying their school fees has been challenging, but I am grateful that the charcoal business has always provided me with extra income to help meet some of their obligations. Even though I am currently unproductive due to an eye ailment, I hope to recover in the coming year and double my efforts in charcoal burning to keep my children in school."