"I have completed my dressmaking training and I am eager to finish my tailoring and dressmaking course in December. After completing the course, my goal is to launch my own tailoring business. I plan to use the savings from our merry-go-round group to purchase a sewing machine, which costs around $280. Once I have the sewing machine, I will invest my savings to grow and stabilize my business. My aim is to achieve financial stability by the end of this program so that I can support my family. I want to ensure that when the GiveDirectly program concludes, I will have accomplished something meaningful and have a lasting memory of the support it provided. Additionally, I am looking ahead to opening a tailoring shop in the next year as soon as I acquire my own machine. I am truly grateful for the financial support that has given me hope for a brighter future."

"This year, my primary goal is to complete the construction of my new house. My previous home was very small and on the verge of collapsing. With the support of the transfers from GiveDirectly, I have been gradually purchasing building materials, and I intend to use a portion of my future transfers to continue buying the remaining building materials needed to finish the house. I am very excited about the progress we are making, and I am very hopeful that soon enough we will move into our new house. Once we complete the house, my focus will shift to livestock farming. I intend to invest another portion of the transfers into buying goats, with the hope that they will multiply and increase in value over time. This will allow me to sell some of them in the future and provide for my family’s needs. With these livestock, I will have created a sustainable asset that I can rely on in the future, especially when this program comes to an end. I am genuinely grateful for the support that GiveDirectly has provided me and my family. Their assistance is helping me build a brighter future, and I am optimistic that my plans for both house and livestock farming will come to fruition. Each step I take brings me closer to achieving my dreams, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds."

"The arrival of GiveDirectly has significantly transformed our lives in ways we never expected. We were struggling to meet our basic needs, such as food and shelter. Overcoming these challenges would have been extremely difficult without the support from GiveDirectly. Thanks to their assistance, we have been able to improve our lives by building new shelters, purchasing food, and ensuring that our children can comfortably attend school. We can't think of anything that GiveDirectly didn't do well, as everything went smoothly. Additionally, we received valuable education on how to manage the support we received and make positive changes in our lives."

"The thing I appreciated most about this organization is the honesty of the officers from the beginning. They promised me two lump-sum payments, and that's exactly what I received. The fact that the support came in the form of cash made it easier for me to decide how to use the money, as I had many needs. The best part was that I got to choose what to buy. This allowed me to create my plan, which helped me achieve my goal of owning a home, something that would have taken much longer without this support. On the other hand, there's no need for them to change how they operate, as everything has been running smoothly so far"

"My plan for the coming year and beyond is to provide my children with the best education possible. By investing in their education, I am providing them an opportunity to have better lives in the future. With three of them currently in secondary school, the financial burden is quite heavy, but I am determined to see them through. This year, two of them will complete their final exams, which will ease the pressure of school fees and allow me to redirect the transfers toward livestock. I aspire to build a herd of livestock that will be a valuable asset in the future. To achieve this, I plan to invest a portion of the transfers in buying goats. My hope is that they will multiply, increasing in number so that I can sell some of them later. The proceeds from these sales will help me take care of my family and support the education of my younger children, as well as assist my older ones as they transition to college.I am truly grateful for the opportunity that GiveDirectly has provided us, and I remain hopeful that these ambitions will come to fruition."

"As a single person, I am focused on securing my future, knowing that I will settle down eventually. To achieve this, I aim to build a large herd of diverse livestock that will be a good asset in the future. To achieve this, I have been using a portion of my previous transfers that I have been receiving from GiveDirectly to buy goats, and I plan to continue allocating a portion of my future transfers for this purpose. My hope is that these goats will multiply, increasing both their numbers and their value so that in the future I may be able to trade some of them for female cows. I believe that these cows will also reproduce increasing in number and value and also provide milk for my family. My long-term plan is to sell some of the cows and goats to buy a piece of land and build a house for myself and my future family. I want to have my own place, something I can proudly call my own, rather than living in my family's home. I am optimistic that these dreams will come to fruition, all thanks to GiveDirectly."

"Upon receiving my recent transfers, I used $370 to complete the construction of my two-room house, which I had started building with the first transfer. I paid the mason and bought the remaining materials, such as the iron sheets. I am glad that the house is now complete, and I have moved in. Initially, I stayed at my brother's house, where I was not comfortable at all, as I had children and was a single parent. I was always worried about my future and wondered how I would secure a place that I could call my own. Luckily, with the help of GiveDirectly, I was able to buy the land and build a house. Now the stress is over, and I am sitting comfortably and happily with my four children, no longer worried about where they can call home as they grow. Additionally, I am a tailor by profession and have been operating this sewing business in the village. However, I was running low on materials since I was selling items like school uniforms and others. After receiving the funds, I boosted my business with $130 and bought more materials. I am now a happy entrepreneur, earning good profits, which has helped me provide for my family with ease. Finally, I used $50 to ensure that my two children were well-settled in school and paid their arrears. As of now, there are no more disturbances about being sent home."

"In my opinion, GiveDirectly is the best organization I have ever come across because of its uniqueness. One of the things that went well is that it is a voluntary program and did not force me to enroll at all. Also, the money that I was promised was sent directly into my Mpesa account, giving me the chance to choose what works well for me. Additionally, the officers came to my house for registration, so I did not have to queue anywhere to enroll, which made it easier for us. Therefore, I do not see anything that this organization did not do well, and they don't have to change anything."

"As I approach the completion of my secondary school education, my goal in the coming months is to use my transfers to clear any remaining school fee debt. This will ensure that I can sit for my end-of-year exams without the stress of having an outstanding balance. Once the results are out next year, I hope to continue my education and move closer to achieving my goal of becoming an engineer. I plan to use my subsequent transfers to pay the rest of my school fees, which will give me peace of mind and help me focus on my studies. I am very grateful for the financial support, as it has helped me pursue my dreams and continue striving toward my goals."

"I am a widow with five children, and I rely on farming and selling charcoal to provide for my family. The support from GiveDirectly came at the perfect time because I was just about to harvest my maize from the farm. I used part of the transfer, about $169, to buy maize bags and pay for labor, and cover the cost of using a tractor for the harvest. This made the whole process much easier and more manageable. With the remaining amount, I bought other food items like beans to keep us going. I am so happy because everything went exactly as I had planned, and the support helped me achieve what I needed. For that, I am forever grateful to GiveDirectly."