"I vividly recall the day when the transfers from GiveDirectly arrived. It was approximately 3 p.m. in the afternoon, and I was deep in thought about how I would get food to eat in the evening because we had not eaten anything since the previous night, and I was with my son, who is in Form 3, who had not reported back to school despite it being an opening day that day. When I read the Mpesa message, I jumped up from my seat and dashed to the local shopping center to buy food for the day while I waited for my husband to return home and tell him the wonderful news since he didn't have a phone with him."

"I was in the middle of the women's merry-go-round when I got the transfers. With my joy, everything came to a halt as I ran towards home, where my husband was, so I could tell him the wonderful news. We both got excited about it because we knew how difficult it had been for us to pay school fees for three children, one in secondary school and two in university, and the one thing that we all wanted to see done was to clear the debt we had in the schools where our children were enrolled in order to be debt-free."

"One of the best things that GiveDirectly has done is personalized the necessity of traveling to rural locations and helping the community solve their problems by giving them cash and allowing them to maximize their potential. In doing so, GiveDirectly has ensured that we receive all of the support that we require by being a part of this amazing journey of transformation; they never choose who benefits but simply subject everyone to their criteria, which is as fair as it can be; they have discouraged alcoholism and conflicts in our homes in every way possible through follow-ups and guidelines on how to handle the transfers as a household and not an individual, and this makes us very grateful. Looking closely, the dependency rate has decreased, thus showing the great impact of the transfers in the community. However, I suggest that each sublocation receive the transfers at the same time to avoid misunderstandings inside the community, where people borrow money from one another and then fail to pay since they know the money came from GiveDirectly."

"In the past, I used to run a chicken-rearing project. Unfortunately, I had to halt the project when pox diseases started spreading in our neighborhood. To mitigate the risks, I sold the entire flock, hoping to revive the project at a later time. However, financial constraints have consistently hindered my ability to allocate funds toward restarting the chicken-rearing venture. My priority has always been supporting my siblings' education and ensuring we have enough food on the table. Nevertheless, I aspire to rebuild the project in the near future, as it would be a significant accomplishment for me. I believe I still possess the necessary skills to nurture poultry, and I have gained additional knowledge on disease containment to ensure the health and well-being of a flock."

"I wish to construct a decent house for my family. The current house we shelter under is damaged, with one of its walls collapsing, leaving a hole in the house. However, the income generated from my work as a charcoal burner and my husband's occupation as a herdsman is insufficient to cover the expenses of constructing a house, especially considering the high costs involved. To build the new house, I have already acquired some iron sheets and plan to set aside a portion of future cash transfers to purchase additional building materials required to complete the structure."

"I would love to continue building on the progress I have made through the cash transfers. With the acquisition of three sheep, I am excited about the opportunity they present to generate emergency funds especially school fees for my children, when needed. Now, my focus shifts toward building a new house for my family. The current house is in a deteriorated state, with one side of the roof exposed and it allows water to leak inside when it rains, dampening the living space. Through future cash transfers, I aspire to construct an entirely new and improved dwelling. Once I have accomplished this goal, I intend to keep on acquiring more livestock as a means of growing our wealth and securing a stable source of income for my family."

"Lack of a stable sources of income has been the greatest challenge. I do casual jobs to earn a living and with lack of rainfall, it makes it difficult to get work at the farms. To add to that, the high cost of living makes it more difficult to get the basic needs such as food. On a good day I earn $2 which is only enough to purchase food and nothing else. Life has been harder lately but am hopeful that thing will change sooner."

"My new goal is to continue to use my transfer to pay school fees for my children. I am a widow, and I have to struggle to support my children. In addition, I am planning to buy more goats to add to the two I had I had previously bought. I value goats because they grow faster and have a ready market. They will be of help to my family in terms of raising money for emergency way after the program comes to an end."

"My house is not in good condition hence I have been desiring to improve it. At the end of this year, my new goal is to save my transfers to improve it. Its iron roof is old and in a pathetic condition. Unfortunately, when it rains, it leaks thus causing inconvenience to the family. Secondly, since it is mud-walled, one side of the wall fell, and I have temporarily made it. I desire to make it better than it is now. I believe I shall succeed in this."

"Life is hard and unbearable more so when it comes to food insecurity. We have had three failed rainy seasons in the passed that resulted in the situation we are in now. Essentially, we have to look for casual jobs to be able to put food on the table, the said jobs are erratic and hard to come by. Sometimes I have to trek long distance to the highlands of Mosop to look for it, sometimes I am lucky to get one but other times I am not and that means my children goes to bed hungry on such days. I am afraid it is going to be worse now that the cost of living has continued to shoot up in the recent past. The little we get from the casual jobs is hardly enough to meet the daily demands and that means we are left to survive on the little we get.It is bad."