"For quite a long time, crop farming has been a challenge in our area due to drought. Currently, I give glory to God for the rains we have this season. Since it is persisting, I aim to invest more in maize farming. By so doing I will have the opportunity to save the monthly GiveDirectly transfer for other investments after the harvesting season. As of now, I managed to plant a two-acre piece of land and the crops are flourishing."

"I have a strong passion for education. My main objective for this year and the future is to see my kids through school. I think that investing in my children's education will help them have an easier time achieving success in the future because I believe that education is the key to success. They should not experience suffering similar to what I did while growing up, in my opinion. My children becoming successful in their academic endeavors and career pursuits will be my greatest achievement. Through the business I operate plus the monthly transfers I receive from GiveDirectly, I will be able to see my dream coming to pass."

"It's been my desire to own more goats which to me are financial security for the family. Thus, my current goal is to buy two chickens every month so that I get a variety of choices to sell when the need arises. Bearing in mind that chickens have a shorter breeding time, I will have several chickens by the end of this year."

"At the moment, I am being accommodated by my young brother in his house. I feel embarrassed because I do not have freedom in the house as an elder brother. This triggered me to start saving small and commit the transfer to building my own house. I aim to buy at least one iron sheet every month to see my plan coming to pass. I project to have reached the needed number of 12 iron sheets by December this year so that I start concentrating on buying some building poles and rafters."

"Building my own house is my top priority. Since I currently have 14 iron sheets and the target was 16, I see myself in my own house by the end of this year. I feel privileged and content with the opportunity of being enrolled in this monthly transfer program because it has enabled me to project my life in a house where my privacy will never be tampered with nor will I be a hindrance to someone’s privacy."

"I have been working on a house for several years, but it is been stalled because the cost of educating my children is too much for me. I work as a watchman in a nearby dispensary, so I can not fully care for my children while also building the house. When I received my first transfer, I went ahead and purchased the remaining materials for the construction, which included iron sheets, timber, door frames and shutters, and nails. Aside from that, I am extremely grateful that my children are no longer being sent home due to unpaid fees. My four children are currently enrolled in various levels of education. One is in college, and the others are in high school and primary school. Raising fees for them would have been difficult given the nature of my job, which does not pay well, but thanks to the transfer, they are now enrolled in school. Finally, I bought some new furniture and furnished my home, as well as some groceries, with the money left over after fees and building materials."

"I was able to start a small shop in my village that I am now running. Being solely reliant on subsistence farming, which had been struggling until recently, was insufficient in the absence of another source of income. In addition, I have three high school students who rely on me for their tuition. Having a source of income, such as the shop, will allow me to meet some of my needs, such as fees, through the profits generated by the shop. This will make it easier for me to take care of my household needs, which makes it be the biggest difference in my daily life."

"We have not been able to harvest any corn for the past three years, yet we still rely on subsistence farming. This has forced us to purchase maize and other food items throughout the year. After getting my transfer, I spent KES 6500 buying a sack of maize, KES 8000 acquiring two goats, and KES 5000 paying my son's high school tuition fee. In order to stop worrying about what family would eat, I arrived at the decision to buy a sack of maize. Additionally, since I promised at school that I would pay a portion of the remaining fee using a portion of my second allocation and clear the remainder using the final transfer, paying for my son's school fees has enabled him to focus on his studies. In addition, I thought it prudent to invest the transfer from GiveDirectly by purchasing the two goats. When faced with an economic emergency in the future, I would rely on this."

"My phone was in the pocket and I was busy looking after my flock of goats when I heard a rumor that GiveDirectly had begun disbursing the promised funds to individuals. When I checked my phone, I saw an unread Mpesa message and when I opened it, I saw that I had received KES 18000 from an unidentified sender. I waited patiently for my helper to return home and when he told me that GiveDirectly had indeed sent the promised cash, my heart was overjoyed. Due to the ongoing drought in our area, I had lost hope that I would be able to fulfill some of my life ambitions. However, this money gave me new hope."

"I had gone to check on my sick sibling who was in the hospital, and on my way back, I received a message, and when I checked to confirm receipt, I was overjoyed because it was the message I had been waiting for. I had finally received my first transfer from GiveDirectly, as promised. I thanked them for keeping their promise and making a difference in our lives. I could now renovate my house, which had been in disrepair for several years."