"It was unbelievable at first when I heard what GiveDirectly was proposing. An organisation offering to assist and asking for nothing in return was truly an unheard concept to me. GiveDirectly changes lives in ways many of the recipients would never have imagined and for that both myself and other beneficiaries will eternally be grateful."

"The transfers from GiveDirectly allowed me to build a 2 bedroom house, to replace my previously thatched house. I also included a verandah, which added to the appeal of the new home. We are three kids, all living together and of whom, two work ,while the third is in school. I am employed at a kibanda where I charge phones for $ 0.2 per phone and get $1 a day for lunch. Between the money I make and the little my brother makes at Ndarako, we were hard pressed as to how exactly we would manage to pay the $200 tuition fee for our youngest brother who is in Midoina Secondary School. That being said, the funds from GiveDirectly were used to pay his fee as well. Both my parents are still alive and till their 1 acre farm to grow maize and beans, for personal consumption as well as for sale if and when there is surplus. With no wife or kids, my immediate family were the only external beneficiaries of the transfers , which I also used to buy our food. GiveDirectly has been a blessing to me and my family in ways we will never be able to explain. Thank you."

"Food insecurity is a major challenge that we are facing at the moment. We are peasant subsistence farmers but maize farming has not been doing well. we were hopeful of a good harvest but there was a prolonged dry season that affected our maize crops, they are in a poor state and we are not expecting a good harvest this season. The burden of purchasing the commodity from the market has and remains to be an uphill task. A 2kg of maize retails at $1.80 up from $0.70 which is hard to afford. We are people of little means who depend on casual jobs to fend for our families. The sad reality is that the cost of living has gone up and so the meager income we get is hardly enough to cater for our needs."

"My health has failed me for some time now. I suffer from high blood pressure and I am under medication. I normally go to be attended at Tenwek Hospital. The cost of treatment is expensive and sometimes I am unable to raise the required amount and which means I am forced to skip the medicine which subsequently affects me since without the drugs I feel sick and indisposed. High blood pressure puts one to be under drugs throughout and so to sustain the cost without a cover is a tall order."

"In October, my husband passed on after a long illness of 6 years. He had battled a kidney failure disease and he had been undergoing dialysis in a Kisii hospital. The dialysis was very expensive costing $100 per week and he was undergoing it twice a month. We depleted a lot of resources to cater to his medication, 2 of my children who were in college were forced to drop out of school because of a lack of school fees. My husband suffered a lot, I watched him gradually get wasted by the disease, he underwent pain and suffering and, on his sunset days, he could not even move. We used to assist him to even eat. I am still mourning my husband, I have not gotten over it, sometimes I stare at his photo and wish I could bring him back to life. Death is so cruel!"

"Among many challenges affording school fees for my 5 children and two grandchildren. It's challenging because I depend on substance and causal work. They are all enrolled but lower grade."

"Floods run through. Homes here"

"Currently , I just have one main goal which is to become a prominent business woman . I want to expand my current shop and add a boutique by next year . I don't want people to just refer to me as a shop owner but a respectable business woman . Shop and boutique businesses are very profitable and I'm sure the profits will go a long way in educating my children .I need approximately $500 , I'm already saving some money that I get from the shop . After I clear paying for my piece of land , I also intend to venture in livestock keeping . I will start with a few goats and poultry then have them reproduce . I know if I do this , it will help me later to educate my children ."

"Am always worried about water that comes from up uphill, the water can be very fast and destroys our crops. We are always living in fear especially when it's the rainy season around August September even in March. The desire to move away from these areas forced me Andy wife to to go to Kenya and start working there so that we can be able to get money to enable us to move to other safer areas."

"Poverty is the major challange which has led to hunger because of lack of food, lack of school fees, heavy rains that has caused flash floods which has destroyed gardens hence shortage of food."