"My mother needs a house. Right now we feel the elements first hand, be it rain, wind or the sun. The house we live in has fallen on one side. I had wanted to build the house a while ago but due to the lack of finances from my charcoal business this project stalled until I started receiving my cash transfers. My brother, a taxi driver supports us on food so we can save the entirety of my transfers to ensure we get the house up and running. Givedirectly transfers will surely change the face of our home."

"I believe in the ability of education in transforming the life of people and I would want the life of my family to be transformed. I want all my 5 children, one of whom is in college and 4 in primary school to complete school. This will allow them access work that I or my husband could not access. My husband is a casual driver and makes between $2 to $5 which varies as he sometimes goes days without work, if we fully depend on his finances to get the children through school we may be forced to pull them out of school. With the transfers we can avoid this and ensure they all are able to go to school until the program closes."

"My goal the last time we spoke was for me to start school and I am now attending school. I have paid $190 so far of the required $480 to complete the carpentry course. I believe this is a very versatile course, that is once I am done with school I can immediately self employ and serve my community while making some money. I would like to complete school so my transfers can go into feeding my small family of my wife and child. I am able to dream and see a future because of the transfers being received from Givedirectly."

"I depend on fishing for a living. When we experienced flush floods 2 months ago, Lake Baringo has been marred with too much siltation thus affecting the water levels and quality of the lake water. Both of these shortcomings are not good for the fisherman and also affect the fish's breeding grounds. Consequently, the number of times I go out to fish has been reduced to twice a month thus affecting my income. The $15 I make cannot sustain my family of 6 with quality food, clothing and school fees for my children."

"In the coming year and beyond, my goal is to save enough money to purchase a bull. This bull will alleviate the struggles I've faced during the planting season and allow me to earn additional income by offering plowing services to others in the village. Owning a bull will help me achieve financial independence even after the financial support ends. After purchasing the bull, I also plan to buy a modern jembe to further improve my plowing efforts. I'm happy with the financial support I've received, which has already helped me build a house."

"In the coming year and beyond, my primary goal is to finance the education of my five children. I deeply regret not having received the best education during my time, largely because education was not prioritized then. I am determined to change this narrative for my children and ensure they receive the best education possible. I plan to use my future transfers to cover their school fees. Additionally, I aim to invest in livestock, which will multiply and increase my initial investment, making it a valuable asset for the future. This will provide a source of income even after the financial aid period ends. I am truly happy and grateful for the financial support that is helping me work toward these goals."

"The primary challenge I’m facing is the high cost of living. Due to financial constraints, I’m unable to fully provide for my family’s basic needs. I’m also struggling to afford the tuition fees for my five children who are in college."

"For the last three years, it hasn't rained, and when there is no rain, life becomes very hard. The prices of commodities become very high, making the cost of living unbearable. This is all due to the lack of sufficient rain, which we rely on to plant our crops. Without rain, we face shortages or even a complete lack of food.My husband and I used to depend on casual jobs, where we could earn $2 per day, which is very little to cover even our daily needs. With six children and significant expenses, it was difficult to make ends meet.Upon receiving my last transfer, I used all of the $450 to invest in planting tomatoes. Growing tomatoes requires a lot of capital, and I used the money for various purposes: fencing the farm, purchasing seeds, pesticides, hiring laborers, and buying fuel for the generator to pump water to my farm. The main reason I chose to plant tomatoes is that I know they will yield a high income, which will help me cover many expenses at home and fund other important projects, like building a good home. I can say that life has become much easier since we received the cash, and I am very appreciative."

"I'm facing many challenges currently. However the floods that hit our village recently is the biggest challenge I'm struggling with. I had grown vegetables with the hope of getting some money from it but when the floods came I lost everything. This has really affected me and my family financially."

"I was at home that afternoon, having lunch with my family when I received a transfer notification on my phone. Since I could not read messages, I asked my helper to check for me. I suspected it might be the transfer from GiveDirectly, as we were supposed to receive the money that week, and I was vigilant about any messages I received on my phone. My suspicions were confirmed when my helper checked and found that I had indeed received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I was incredibly overjoyed and couldn't wait to withdraw the money to build a decent iron-roofed house, as my current home was in bad shape."