"In the evening, I was at home with my son, who helps me out frequently due to my old age. He was using my phone most of the time. Filled with joy, my son came to me and shared the wonderful news: I had received $180 from GiveDirectly. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness, as I had never received such a significant amount of money before. It felt like a prayer answered. My first thought was to use this money to buy construction materials and build a new house since the floods had destroyed my old one."

"After completing my tailoring studies at Mtawapa Polytechnic, I faced the challenge of not having a sewing machine or a suitable location to start my tailoring business. As a result, I decided to start a vegetable-selling business instead. This new venture has helped me support my family and afford my needs without relying on financial support from anyone. Looking ahead, my goal is to save significantly from this business and my monthly earnings so that I can realize my dream of opening a tailoring shop within the next year. I am optimistic about excelling in tailoring since I now possess the necessary skills for this work. I am very hopeful that I will soon be able to purchase a machine and open a tailoring shop. Once established, my shop will showcase a wide variety of dresses and other garments, demonstrating my skills across different materials and designs. This transition will not only empower me but also boost my confidence in my ability to succeed in life."

"I am a widow with school-going children. Life was very tough before GiveDirectly since I had to find ways to support my children all on my own after my husband passed away. I have always valued my children's education, which is why I used a major part of my transfer to pay their school fees. I don't want them to be sent home for fee balances. Time is moving fast, and because of this, I have been thinking of a project that will provide me with income in the future. I want to focus on goat keeping in the coming years. My ultimate goal is to invest in cattle rearing mainly for land cultivation, which is why I am starting small with rearing goats. Once I have a good number of goats, I will sell them and use the money to buy a cow. While taking care of my school-going children, I plan to hire out these cows for land cultivation to earn income to support my family. I am very optimistic about achieving this goal, as I have already started saving in our merry-go-round group for this project."

"Initially, I had plans to start a vegetable business that would provide me with a daily income to support my family's needs. However, I realized I needed to think more broadly and look further ahead. Over the past few seasons, cultivating my farm has become quite costly, and I have always wanted to find ways to reduce these expenses. A solution, I decided to invest in goats. My plan is to continue using a portion of my transfers to purchase more goats, with the hope that they will multiply and increase in number. In the future, I aim to trade some of them for cows while also selling a few to help fund my children's education. The cows will be specifically for plowing my farm, which will significantly cut down on the costs of hiring tractors or hiring cows from others. Once I achieve this, I plan to save a portion of my future transfers to build enough capital to finally start my vegetable business. This venture will enable me to provide for my children and secure a better future for our family. The livestock will also act as a valuable asset that I can rely on in the future whenever need arises to support my family and children's education."

"I was finally able to access a loan of $300 and purchased a motorcycle that I am now using to support my family through ferrying people. Right now, my immediate plan is to gradually clear the debt using a portion of the transfers I will be receiving from GiveDirectly and money i will be making from my hustles. Once I'm done with the loan, I intend to take another loan to buy a sewing machine for my wife, who is now in college doing tailoring, so that she too can start her own business once she is through with her college. Upon the stability of her business and she is able to help me support our family, I too intend to take a different direction with my life. I studied mechanical engineering and I plan to join a garage to sharpen my skills. In the near future, I aim to use my skills to get employment, earn a living, and support my family. With my wife's income and my income, we will both be able to provide a better life for our family. This plan gives me hope and motivation every day, knowing that our combined efforts will lead to a more stable and prosperous future for our family. My determination is unwavering because I know the positive impact this will have on our lives."

"With three children in school and no reliable source of income, paying their school fees is essential for me. My primary goal right now is to ensure that my children continue their education. To achieve this, I plan to use a portion of the monthly transfers I will be receiving from GiveDirectly for the remaining years to cover their school fees. Additionally, I intend to strategically save another portion of these transfers to acquire more goats and add on to the ones that I already have. I am hopeful that these goats will multiply, increasing in both number and value, so that in the future I may be able to sell them and support my family. This way, when the program comes to an end, I will have a reliable source of income that will be sustainable for us and also allow me to continue educating my children. I am optimistic that all of these plans will work out perfectly, leading to a better future for my children."

"As a single parent residing with my parents and solely responsible for the welfare and needs of my two children, I recognize the importance of finding a reliable source of income to support my family. While my current mandazi business provides some income, it is insufficient to fully meet our needs. Therefore, in the coming year, I aim to venture into the clothing business, which I believe has the potential to generate the necessary income to support my children and family. To achieve this goal, I plan to continue saving a portion of the monthly transfers I receive from GiveDirectly and have enough capital that is required. Once the clothing business has kicked off and is in a stable position, I intend to join a tailoring college to gain valuable skills that I can incorporate into my business. To cover the tuition fees for this college, I will use a portion of the transfers I will be receiving in the future. By acquiring tailoring skills, I will be able to expand my cloth-selling business by making more clothes using my own machine that I also intend to buy in the future after completing my tailoring course using a portion of my transfers and some profit from the business. This will not only increase the variety of clothing items available but also boost the overall profitability of the business. I am hopeful that all these plans will come to fruition, as they will serve as a reliable source of income that will enable me to take care of my family comfortably."

"For the coming year and beyond, my goal is to continue investing in livestock, particularly goats, using a portion of the transfers I will be receiving. Goats serve as a safety net for me, especially during financial challenges on my homestead. I have learned that goats thrive in my environment and provide significant support in various ways. Their ability to adapt to different conditions and their resilience give me confidence that they will be beneficial in the long run. I believe that these goats will multiply, increasing both in number and value. This way, when the program eventually comes to an end, I will have a reliable source of support to help care for my family and ensure my children can continue their education as they transition to higher levels in school."

"When I received the cash transfer, the first thing I did was purchase two sheep for $136. Sheep are calm creatures and well-suited for my small farm. We were running low on food, so I used $35 to buy a bag of maize. Maize is versatile; we can grind it into flour or cook it whole, which has sustained us for a month and a half. Knowing that I needed to prepare for the next planting season, I spent $13 to plow 0.4 acres of land and set ridges on it, planting vegetables and beans that would soon provide us with fresh produce. Watering the crops was essential, so I allocated $10 for generator fuel to pump water from the river to my farm. This ensured that my crops would thrive even in dry conditions. Finally, with the remaining money, I bought clothes for my children. They had been going without proper clothing because most of the money I earned from casual jobs went to buying food. This cash transfer has not only met our immediate needs but also given us hope for a more stable future."

"I was at my neighbor's house for a fundraising day to support their child going to school when, around 3 pm, I overheard some villagers excitedly talking about receiving money from GiveDirectly. I couldn’t check mine immediately because I had left my phone at home charging. But when I finally got back and switched it on, there it was—the money had arrived! I was overwhelmed with happiness, and when my husband came home that evening, I shared the good news with him. We knew right then that our plans to buy watermelon seeds would finally come to pass."