"My three children have been struggling to find a place to live. Our house was too small to accommodate them, and their own house collapsed because its roof was made of palm leaves, which leaked and weakened the entire structure. As a result, they had to find shelter elsewhere in the neighborhood. I was worried that this situation would negatively impact their performance in school, especially since they were in high school. When I received my transfer, I spent $210 on iron sheets and nails to build a new house for them. I also paid their school fees, which amounted to $120, ensuring that their education wouldn't be interrupted due to unpaid fees. Additionally, I spent $140 on buying a new bed and mattress to replace the old traditional bed and worn-out mats I was using. They were no longer comfortable to sleep on. I am happy with my new sleeping arrangement, and it has improved my sleep. Furthermore, I acquired two goats for $80, which I plan to breed and grow into a herd. I see them as a potential source of income for my future financial needs."

"My three children have been struggling to find a place to live. Our house was too small to accommodate them, and their own house collapsed because its roof was made of palm leaves, which leaked and weakened the entire structure. As a result, they had to find shelter elsewhere in the neighborhood. I was worried that this situation would negatively impact their performance in school, especially since they were in high school. When I received my transfer, I spent $210 on iron sheets and nails to build a new house for them. I also paid their school fees, which amounted to $120, ensuring that their education wouldn't be interrupted due to unpaid fees. Additionally, I spent $140 on buying a new bed and mattress to replace the old traditional bed and worn-out mats I was using. They were no longer comfortable to sleep on. I am happy with my new sleeping arrangement, and it has improved my sleep. Furthermore, I acquired two goats for $80, which I plan to breed and grow into a herd. I see them as a potential source of income for my future financial needs."

"Before enrolling in the program, my five children had accumulated fee arrears of $560, which I was unable to clear on time. As a result, they were on the verge of being discontinued due to the unpaid arrears. To make matters worse, I do not have a stable source of income to depend on for my children's fees. Living in the village, my only source of livelihood is charcoal burning and selling, which does not generate enough income to cover all our needs. Most of the income goes towards food, and we relied on government bursaries for my children's education. Receiving the transfer was a huge relief, as I was able to reduce the fee arrears by paying $350. This ensured that my children could remain in school without the risk of being discontinued, which has given me peace of mind. In addition to the fees, I also purchased a new mattress for $90 and replaced the old bedding that we had been using for years. The old bedding was no longer comfortable due to being worn out. Lastly, I spent the remaining amount on buying food supplies for my family, such as maize flour, which can last us for up to a month. I am grateful that my family now has enough food to eat, even when I fail to sell the charcoal, ensuring that we do not go hungry."

"I returned home from my farm in the afternoon to prepare lunch for my children. I had brought cassava for our meal, and as I sat down to start peeling and preparing it, I received a message on my phone. It popped up on my screen and displayed an Mpesa notification. Curious to find out who had sent me money, I read further and was thrilled to discover that it was my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy to receive this assistance, which meant I could now pay my children's fees. I had been in a tight spot and my children were almost sent home to collect fees, so this help came at the right time."

"I am a small-scale farmer, and the income from farming is quite insufficient. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial assistance as it has made it much easier for me to provide food for my children. Before receiving support from GiveDirectly, my children were frequently sent home from school due to unpaid fees. However, this is no longer the case. I can now pay school fees on time and also meet my children's basic needs. I am aware that the financial assistance will come to an end as we were promised support for five years, and time is passing quickly. To ensure that I am not in a difficult situation once the transfers end, I have decided to invest in a livestock business. Specifically, I used part of the transfer to purchase two goats. I intend to take good care of the goats so that they multiply quickly. Once I have a substantial number of goats, I plan to sell some of them in order to buy a dairy cow. The dairy cow will provide us with milk for both domestic use and commercial purposes. I will sell some of the milk to generate income to support my children's education and other basic needs. Therefore, to achieve this goal, I aim to continue purchasing more goats using part of my monthly transfers in order to realize my ultimate objective."

"We live in an arid region where finding casual jobs is challenging, and the harsh climate hampers crop production. This situation makes life increasingly difficult for us. Unfortunately, we lack a reliable source of income to support our family. We have to sell our goats cheaply in order to provide for my family of eight and meet our basic needs. This financial struggle forces us to skip meals and often share the little food we have among ourselves. I am happy that my firstborn, Purity Chepchieng, has been enrolled at Masinde Muliro University to pursue a degree in Education Arts. This came with a fair share of challenges to my family, we are struggling to pay school for our daughter."

"I am finding it really tough managing everything since my daughters gave birth and I stepped in to take care of their children. The responsible parties have stepped back, and it has been a real challenge. I rely on charcoal burning and my retail shop to support our family of nine, and finances are tight. Sometimes, when the kids get sick at the same time, I have to set aside other chores just to attend to them, which adds to the stress. Being in a polygamous marriage makes it even harder, as I cannot always depend on my husband due to his own burdens with both families. I often feel overwhelmed, and I am constantly trying to figure out how to keep everything running smoothly with limited resources."

"Financial instability is the greatest challenge am currently facing.The economic activity we depended on has deteriorated due to changes in environmental and the climatical conditions. My family's life took a u turn from the month of February 2024 when we fled our home due to tribal clashes, we lost more than 20 goats to the pokots and 17 more died in this area due to drought.Our life has therefore been a struggle for the past 7 months because goat rearing which is our main source of livelihood has been affected by both drought and insecurity.Currently my family cannot afford to meet the basic needs such as food , clothing,good shelter and school fees which we would initially afford comfortably at our homeland Kosile."

"I don't have a good kitchen area. We cook outside with my family, this means we cook before nightfall. While cooking outside, you can be disturbed by insects. During rainy seasons it's a problem, we must wait until the rain stops. My main house is small and cooking inside leads to a lot of smoke inside the house. It's unhealthy and can cause respiratory problems."

"The challenge I'm facing currently is the distbance from Baboons. Baboons have been eating my goats and in the past week I have lost two. This is a challenge because I depend on my livestock to provide for my family."