"In the coming years, I hope to accomplish a dream that has been close to my heart for a long time. I want to build a spacious house that will comfortably accommodate me and my grandchildren. At the moment, we are all crammed into my small, one-room mud-wall house, and it's a struggle to find space for everyone. I’ve been diligently saving, and so far, I have managed to put away $70. With the help from GiveDirectly, I plan to continue saving $10 every month. This might seem like a small amount, but each dollar brings us closer to our new home. My vision is to see my grandchildren playing freely in a bigger house where they can have their own space, do their homework in peace, and sleep comfortably."

"Receiving support from GiveDirectly has filled me with hope and determination for the future. My main goal is to establish an income-generating activity by starting a small shop business. With subsistence farming becoming increasingly unreliable due to unpredictable rains, a shop will provide an income to support my family. I plan to save diligently over the next three months, aiming to gather at least $100 as start-up capital. With this shop, I can ensure my family has enough to eat, access to education, and a brighter future."

"Even as my older sons help with paying school fees for my two children, my goal is to assist where possible. I want to continue supporting my children by paying their school fees until they all complete their education. Ensuring they receive a proper education will provide them with a good future, which is my primary aim. In addition to paying school fees, I plan to invest in livestock, such as goats, and poultry, like hens. This will provide a sustainable source of income even after the financial aid ends. I am very appreciative of the financial support I have received so far, which has significantly improved my quality of life."

"The challenge i face in the household is lack of funds to meet expenses. I do not have the money to buy food for my family of 8 and cannot afford School fees for my 2 children in secondary school. This is because i fully depend on casual jobs that are hard to come by, and when they are available they pay as low as KES 300 which is insufficient to cover all the needs. I have a piece of land that i am not able to cultivate due to the high cost of inputs (Tilling, Installing pipes and purchasing a generator) before the land can be productive and generate income."

"One month ago, my village Murda, was struck by severe flash floods that greatly affected my family of eight. Our primary source of income has been farming, but the floods destroyed the tomatoes I had planted on 0.5 acres of land and the maize on my 1-acre plot. This farming venture was our sole source of income, and with the crops destroyed, I now have to rely on casual jobs, such as weeding and charcoal burning, to support my family.I had invested $300 in the tomato crops and took a loan from Kenya Seed Company to plant the maize. Now, without any produce to sell, I am at a loss on how to repay the loan later this year. The destruction of our crops has left me in a difficult financial situation, and I am uncertain how to recover and meet my financial obligations."

"My biggest challenge currently is that I lack the capital to venture into farming, which has been the main source of income for my family. I lost all my onions on a half acre farm and tomato crops on a acre farm recently due to floods. As a result, I cannot afford to pay fees for my four children in school. I am worried that they will be sent home because I cannot afford to pay their fees."

"I am planning to build a house since my spouse and I do not have one.Currently I am staying at my mother-in-law's house. I feel grateful for my spouse's support of my idea, and we have both agreed to support each other in this endeavor. I am committed to saving half of my monthly transfer in our chama to purchase building materials and eventually construct our own house. My spouse has also agreed to save a portion of his income from casual jobs. This new house will provide us with the comfort and privacy we desire."

"From the beginning of the year, my life was a constant battle. I was sick and hypertensive, and the stress of not having enough money to pay for my children's school fees or even buy food only made things worse. The anxiety was overwhelming, and it felt like there was no way out of the cycle of poverty and poor health. But then, everything changed when I started receiving transfers from GiveDirectly. With the money, I was able to pay off all my children's school fees, which lifted a huge burden off my shoulders. I even managed to start a grocery business that I now operate daily. Additionally, I sell food to schoolchildren at a neighboring school to generate extra income for our family's upkeep. This has brought a lot of happiness to our household, and the best part is that my health has dramatically improved. I haven't been sick since then, and for the first time in a long while, I don't have to constantly worry about where the next meal will come from or how to pay for necessities. This stability and peace of mind have truly transformed our lives.""

"After receiving the GiveDirectly transfers, my life has changed in ways I couldn't have imagined before. For years, whenever it rained, it was an inconvenience because the part of my house that was roofed with reeds used to leak. I had to scramble to move items to a different room to protect them from the rain. The stress was even worse when I wasn't home, knowing that there was no one else to move the seats, and they would end up getting soaked. But now, thanks to the GiveDirectly transfers, those worries are a thing of the past. I used the money to replace the reed roof with an iron roof. Now, my wife and my grandchildren can sleep well, knowing there are no more leaking roofs to disturb us. I am very grateful for the peace of mind this has brought into our lives. We no longer fear the rains; in fact, we even wish for more rain, as it no longer means dealing with leaks but rather brings a sense of happiness and contentment."

"In the upcoming year and beyond, my main focus is on fulfilling a heartfelt dream: building a decent house for my mother. The current state of her dwelling isn't satisfactory, and I strongly believe it's time for a change, one that reflects my love and gratitude for her sacrifices. I envision this new home not just as a shelter but as a symbol of my appreciation and respect for her. Utilizing the earnings from my teaching job and the monthly cash transfers, I am meticulously planning and saving to materialize this project. Knowing that this endeavor will bring immense joy to my mother and make her proud of me fills me with determination and purpose. The thought of seeing her living in a comfortable and safe environment, one that I helped create, is a source of great motivation. When the project is complete, the sense of accomplishment and fulfillment will be unmatched, knowing I've made a significant difference in my mother's life."