"The primary goal that has been on my mind for a while is to build a better house. The current one no longer accommodates my two wives, children, or myself. Additionally, it is on the verge of collapsing, and I live in fear that it might collapse and harm my family. Therefore, with my forthcoming transfers, I plan to procure additional iron sheets and building poles to start the construction process, which I expect to begin in January. Once this new house is complete, I will no longer have to worry about my family's safety, and we will be able to host visitors comfortably without the concerns we had before."

"Four months ago, I took a loan of $400 from a SACCO to buy tomato seedlings for my 2 acres of land. Unfortunately, flash floods hit my area and ruined the entire crop. This was our only source of income for my family of four and now, on top of losing the tomatoes, I am left with the burden of repaying a loan for a failed venture.It breaks my heart to see my family struggling. My husband Zirian, took up casual jobs to support the family. When he does not have work, we have to sell goats just to afford food. It is a tough situation, and I am not sure how to move forward."

"Lake Baringo has been extending over the last decade, and we lost our farm land. Due to this, we moved to higher ground which is less fertile. It's rocky and no access to river or lake water for irrigation. This has affected my ability to provide food for my family. The persistent drought means zero yields for us. We no longer farm. I depend on manual jobs such as planting, harvesting or weeding farms. Farming is costly due to the massive piping and huge pumps needed to pump lake water. Outsiders have come to the village and do farming giving us manual jobs. They pay $3.50 per day, and we hardly find these jobs. This has affected our ability to buy food. We hardly have two meals a day."

"I'm facing a lot of challenges currently including a lack of money to sustain my household and pay school fees for my four children. Nonetheless, the challenge that is most pressing is the flooding that recently hit our village. The flood water destroyed our farmland and crops which has affected our food supply and also money since we intended to sell the produce from the farm. We are now feeling the impact of the floods since we don't currently have hope of getting money to pay for our children's schools fees."

"Financial constraints are the greatest challenge that I am facing. I gave birth to my son six months ago, and I do not have any other support apart from the casual jobs that I do. The money I get is hardly enough to save for future use as all of it goes into food and my child's medication. Life is difficult without a stable source of income."

"Every father strives to work hard and provide the best life possible for their family. Unfortunately, this is not the case for me. I am currently struggling to put food on the table and buy my family other basic needs such as bedding and clothes. This is embarrassing and it is slowly killing my ambition as a father. I was optimistic about having a bumper harvest last season on my 0.5 acres of land. My crops were not spared by the April flash floods. I managed to harvest one bag of maize and this was the biggest loss that I had experienced."

"I was overjoyed to receive the second transfer of $450 from GiveDirectly. It was a lifeline for me because floods had just hit my village, and I was severely affected. I had been living on someone else's land, and the area had flooded. When I received the money, I knew I had to get a plot on higher ground where floods wouldn't affect us again. It was an easy decision because life here has been tough. My family, with five kids, has been battling diseases like pneumonia and common colds due to the harsh conditions. I allocated $400 as a deposit for the plot, and I plan to use the remaining transfers to pay off the balance. Owning land in a safer location feels like a dream come true. I never imagined this would be possible. I used $40 to meet our immediate food needs, a significant challenge. We could barely manage one meal a day, but since receiving the transfers, my family can comfortably eat three times a day. Our lives have greatly improved, and my kids are so happy now."

"My goal for the coming year and beyond is to purchase more livestock. I’ll soon receive my share of the money from the savings group, and I plan to use it to buy more goats. As the herd grows, I’ll have the opportunity to sell some for a good profit, which will allow me to take care of my personal needs without relying so heavily on my son. This investment provides a path to financial independence even after the five-year transfer period ends. I’m very grateful for the financial support, which is helping me improve my life and work towards a better future."

"I am an orphan. My parents when I was quite young and was forced to fend for myself at a young age. I took myself through primary school and I am now hoping to educate myself in secondary school. My goal is to raise enough cash to be able to also take myself through college. My small casual work earnings cannot facilitate this and that's why I have set aside my transfers to educate myself. Givedirectly has allowed me to live like a child with parents despite my misfortunes."

"My mother needs a house. Right now we feel the elements first hand, be it rain, wind or the sun. The house we live in has fallen on one side. I had wanted to build the house a while ago but due to the lack of finances from my charcoal business this project stalled until I started receiving my cash transfers. My brother, a taxi driver supports us on food so we can save the entirety of my transfers to ensure we get the house up and running. Givedirectly transfers will surely change the face of our home."