"My family of ten depends on cassava, banana, and maize farming to earn a living. However, the harsh climatic conditions cut short the maize harvests from two bags to almost nothing at the moment, so we opted to switch to vegetable farming. I constructed a green house in which I grow vegetables under irrigation and sell them to the businesswomen at the market for $3.5 profit a day. All this profit goes toward food and education for my children, leaving no surplus to run other family errands. When I received the transfers, I spent $300 on constructing a 3-room, timber-walled house in addition to the 2-room house so as to accommodate my eight children. The two-room house is congested, and our privacy as parents is compromised since we have teenagers in our midst. Consequently, I bought 3 goats for $60 as a future financial security when the family finances are low and spent an additional $55 on school fees and uniforms for my 4 children in primary school."

"Being a stay-at-home mother is stressful and demeaning because you have to always ask for help, even though you have the energy to fend for yourself. As a family of six, we often depend on my husband, who is a soldier, for support. Since I want to make some changes in my life and be independent, I enrolled in a tailoring course, which I will hopefully complete in December 2023. For practice, I bought a sewing machine for $125, and I am hopeful that I will sharpen my skills before graduation. In addition to this, I contributed $50 towards medication for my 2 sisters, who are ailing from high blood pressure, and $40 for a reading table for my children to use while attending to their homework. For the rest of the transfers, I bought food for the household. I am now grateful that the family has food security."

"In every aspect of life, family comes first, and to make them happy, all their needs should be met. I am glad to have provided most of their needs except shelter. To make this a success, I plan on constructing a spacious two-room house to accommodate my family of nine. At the moment, we live in a one-room makuti-roofed house that often leaks during rainy seasons, and I am now worried that my family's health might be affected. I have already manufactured enough bricks to initiate this project, and I am hopeful that all will be well and my family will have a decent shelter."

"For the coming year and beyond, I intend to increase my efforts at work with the aim of securing a promotion, which would result in higher pay and allow me to maintain the quality of education that I have been providing for my children. To achieve this, I plan on seeking advice from my manager on how to go about this process as a higher job rank would mean a higher salary."

"I spent $440 of the transfer to purchase a dairy cow that I had been longing for, as I did not own one previously. I used to buy milk from the village, which was both expensive and often adulterated with dilution or added powder, rendering it unsuitable for consumption. Currently, my family of seven is able to enjoy the two liters of milk provided by the cow daily, which we can consume comfortably with the assurance of its safety. With the remaining funds, I paid off an outstanding debt that I had taken out earlier to cover my son's diploma education fees. I am relieved to no longer receive frequent reminders from the lender, and feel a sense of peace now that the debt has been cleared."

"My primary goal is to help my brother. He is in form three now, and I desire to see him complete his O'level. Because our parents cannot raise his school fee, I will always raise his fees from my monthly transfers. When he completes form four, I hope to be free to devote more time to my young family. Afterward, I plan to keep goats as an alternative venture for my family. I contemplate this because I hope it will be beneficial to us in future. Even after the transfers, I will be able to gain from that venture."

"Though I work as a PTA teacher, I aspire to join college and pursue an automotive engineering course. I hope to accomplish this goal courtesy of GiveDirectly's transfers. My wages are low, and I cannot rely on that to build my savings toward raising college fees. I am optimistic that if I succeed in upgrading my skills, I shall be able to get a job. As a result, I will easily support my family which is always affected by poverty. I hope to break the vicious circle of poverty our family has been a victim of."

"I built a larger house with three rooms and a balcony after receiving the second transfer. I started out in a one-room house with my three children and husband. Living in such a house felt very uneasy because the children were growing up and we needed our own space. This situation bothered us excessively. We were so relieved to know that our main problem had been solved after receiving the transfer from GiveDirectly. For $42.5, I purchased all of the materials required to complete the construction. On the other hand, I was fortunate to have my husband do the construction work himself because he had the skills up until the point of installing the roof, when I had to hire someone and pay $6. The house is now finished, and we are enjoying our stay there. It feels great, and I'm grateful to GiveDirectly for making it possible. I also paid the third-grade school fees for one of my children. It had always been her custom to be sent home on a regular basis to collect school fee arrears. This time, I was able to pay her school fees for the entire term, allowing her to catch up with the other children who are always in school full-time."

"GiveDirectly, in my opinion, has been very effective in providing financial assistance to those who are most in need. It gave every one of us the confidence we needed to accomplish our long-term objectives. Additionally, I was given the go-ahead to choose my purchases based on my requirements and wants. I don't see anything that requires changing based on how the organization functions."

"I built a two-room house, and even though it is not finished, I am glad I started this project. I used to live in a one-room apartment that was so small and cramped that I couldn't even have a friend or a relative over. I immediately assembled everything needed to build the house after receiving the transfer. I paid $2 for all building materials and another $2 for labor. It feels great to have one room finished while the other is still being worked on. This is one of my favorite projects, and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for allowing me to complete it much sooner than I had planned on my own. I spent $3 of the transfers on kitchen utensils. In our house, I had only countable utensils for the family and nothing presentable for when a visitor arrived. Furthermore, with the current state of the economy and the daily casual jobs, it was difficult for us as a family to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal. We were accustomed to purchasing food to be consumed at that specific time, and we occasionally skipped meals. As a result, I spent $5 on a large quantity of food. Even if we don't get jobs for the day, we need to eat so that we don't have to worry about tomorrow. Finally, I couldn't leave out my son, who is enrolled in the preparatory school program, from the budget."