"The support extended by GiveDirectly has truly transformed our lives, granting us the invaluable gift of financial autonomy. GiveDirectly allowed us the liberty to allocate the transfer in a manner best suited to our individual circumstances. In my assessment, GiveDirectly's program has been flawlessly executed, leaving me with unwavering confidence in its efficacy. The transparent and efficient manner in which the assistance was provided instilled trust and assurance in me, eliminating any doubts or concerns that may have arisen. I am immensely grateful for the impact GiveDirectly has had on our lives, and I remain optimistic about the future it holds for our family and community."

"Upon receiving our second transfer, my wife and I immediately decided to allocate the funds towards expanding our business ventures, including our roasted meat and palm wine sales, as well as enhancing my wife's grocery store, therefore, we used the entire amount of $550. Recognizing the growing demand in the market, we saw this as a crucial opportunity to not only meet the needs of our customers but also to secure a more stable financial future for our family. Prior to this, our income was severely limited, barely reaching $50 a month from our small business. With four children to support, two of whom are currently enrolled in school, it was a constant struggle to make ends meet. Expanding our businesses became impossible as we grappled with the challenges of providing for our family's basic needs and covering our children's educational expenses. The lack of financial resources made it difficult to ensure a comfortable standard of living and invest in our children's future. However, with the additional funds from the transfer, we were able to not only improve our businesses but also alleviate some of the financial burden weighing on our shoulders. This opportunity has given us renewed hope and determination to break free from the constraints of poverty and create a better life for our family."

"Source of reliable income is the challenge I am currently facing in life. I am a single mother who does casual jobs and sometimes I can fail to access any job for almost two months. This makes me miss even washing soap for the baby. My clothes are dirty and I can not afford even buying milk for the baby."

"Lack of reliable source of income is the challenge I am currently facing in life. My husband and I do casual jobs making little income that caters for food only. This has caused my two children to drop out of school. I also lack the capacity to build a spacious house thus the family suffers during rain season due to the poor housing."

"Housing is the challenge that I am currently facing in life. I have a family of ten members and we all live in a two room house. The children are grown up and they should have their own house. Currently there is no privacy in the house sometime it is hard to dress up after taking bath in the house. Most of the time after bath my husband and I dress up in the bushes ."

"Food security has been a constant struggle for my family of five. We rely heavily on farming for our livelihood, but the harsh climatic conditions in our area make it challenging to cultivate our land year-round. With water scarcity being a significant issue, we can only depend on rainfall for farming, which often proves to be insufficient. As a result, I find it difficult to produce enough food to sustain my family. We are forced to turn to casual jobs like land clearing, charcoal burning, and weeding to earn $3 daily. Unfortunately, these jobs are unpredictable, and there are times when we go for up to two days a week without any earnings. On those days, hunger becomes a real challenge, especially for my young children. Living in such circumstances is incredibly tough, and it weighs heavily on me as a parent. I am constantly worried about providing enough food for my family, especially during the lean periods when jobs are scarce. I am actively seeking ways to improve our situation and ensure that my children have enough to eat, but it is not easy."

"Raising school fees for my children has been an ongoing challenge for our family of five. We rely on income from casual jobs like charcoal burning, tomato harvesting, and weeding, earning about $4 per day. Unfortunately, all of this income is allocated towards covering our daily food expenses and paying part of the school fees for our three children. Presently, we still owe $500 in school fees for my daughter, who completed grade 12 in 2023. Due to this outstanding balance, she has not been able to collect her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, and I fear that without it, she will not be able to pursue further education. This situation weighs heavily on our family, and we are hoping for a solution to ensure our daughter's educational journey can continue."

"I have always desired to purchase a water tank for harvesting and storing water. Water scarcity is a significant challenge in our area, often requiring us to travel long distances and wait in lengthy queues at the borehole, which serves a large community. Sometimes, I have to buy water, which is costly at $0.4 for a 20-liter jerrycan. Being dependent on my children for financial support due to my old age, this expense adds strain to our finances. However, I added $170 from the second transfer to my savings from the women's table banking group that I am in. This enabled me to buy a 3000-litre water tank. Having it on my compound brings immense relief as it eases the burden of fetching water, and I can now access water from a cheaper source; water bowser truck, reducing our expenses significantly. Additionally, I have fenced my half-acre land where I have planted mango fruits. Livestock encroachment has been a persistent threat, causing damage and reducing production. Using $150, I bought posts and two barbed wires, with plans to complete the fencing soon. This will safeguard my fruits and create an opportunity to cultivate vegetables for our domestic use. Furthermore, I used $80 in acquiring one Dorper sheep to add to the two I previously purchased. These sheep are low-maintenance and reproduce faster, providing a potential source of income through the sale of their offspring.I spent the remaining $50 to purchase food to ensure that my family of four does not go hungry."

"GiveDirectly made it easy for us to realise our goal in no time, this is because we were given the autonomy to use the cash according to our individual needs. Thus far, I haven't encountered any inefficiencies in the process."

"Now that I remarried, my next goal is to search for a more stable job that can support both of us. Previously, this wasn't feasible as I had no one to manage the household in my absence. I'm confident that by venturing beyond my village in search of employment opportunities, my life will take a significant turn for the better."