"I have set everything else aside to focus on saving enough money to recover my lost certificates. Although I am trained in Early Childhood Education, I cannot get a job without these documents, which is incredibly frustrating. Every month, I save part of my transfer to accumulate the necessary funds to process my certificate to enable me process my Teachers Service Commission number. The lack of these documents has caused me significant frustration, and I am determined to resolve this so I can work as a trained teacher. Initially, I considered starting a business, but due to the pressing need to secure a job, I decided to focus all my efforts on retrieving my certificate."

"I reside in an ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Land) area where I regularly confront severe weather challenges. Recently, my area experienced devastating floods that resulted in the loss of my seven chickens, two goats, and one-acre bean farm. To recover, I am now compelled to borrow loans from SACCOS (Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies) to reinvest in agriculture, which is my primary income source. The loss of my hard-earned labor to the floods has deeply saddened me, especially considering the significant progress I had made towards achieving self-sufficiency."

"Financial constraints continue to be my greatest challenge. Owning a cow has always been a dream of mine, yet it remains out of reach. I have fenced my compound and the grass has grown tall. It's difficult to see my neighbors' cows grazing there, because I wish it were my own providing milk for my children. Despite these challenges, I hold onto hope that one day my dreams will be fulfilled."

"I own 2 acres of idle land that I am unable to develop due to financial constraints preventing me from clearing the bushes and planting crops for commercial use. It is disheartening not to see the land prosper like my neighbors'. Given the opportunity to invest in commercial agriculture, I would be thrilled to finally realize its potential."

"It was around 4pm on my way back from the salon, having just finished getting my hair done, when I heard a message notification on my phone. Upon seeing it, I was very excited – it was the cash transfer from GiveDirectly. I rushed home to share the news with my mother, who was just as thrilled as I was. The first thing we thought about was how we could finally buy a piece of land of our own, as we currently live on family land with my grandmother. We decided to wait another four days before withdrawing the money, allowing ourselves time to plan on how we were going to spend the money."

"The first transfer was a lifeline for me and my family. It brought a huge transformation that I never imagined would happen in my life. For many years, I struggled with shelter because the house I lived in was a small, one-room house. It was not spacious, weak, and its roof was in disrepair due to the old iron sheets. I did not feel at peace living in this house, especially during heavy rains, which sometimes forced me to seek shelter elsewhere. I planned to build a new house and partly bought some building poles, but due to financial constraints, I could not progress with the construction. Consequently, I had to continue living in my old house with no hopes of upgrading to a better one. However, when I got enrolled in the program, my first priority was the house. I felt empowered and could now afford to buy the necessary building materials. So, I spent $430 on buying 25 iron sheets, building poles, timber, and nails, and built a spacious two-roomed house. I am now living in my new house without worries about rains. If it were not for the transfers, this goal would have taken years to achieve, and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for providing the financial assistance. I spent the remaining amount on buying four goats, which I also consider a good investment that I can rely on to generate some money. Since I do not have any source of income, I am breeding these goats to let them multiply and then sell them to meet my financial needs."

"Being a mother and a father at the same time is the biggest challenge am facing right now because I only depend on casual labour and charcoal burning to feed my family of 3 children, cloth them and to give them quality education."

"Am struggling to fend for my family basic needs because I lost my half acre piece of land due to flash floods . Am now depending on casual labour to feed my family which is very rare to get because it's far away from the village. My biggest challenge is lack of job and sickness and we don't have hospital in the village, accessing the nearest hospital is very hard because you need to have money."

"I have Three children in Secondary school and paying their school fees is overwhelming to our family because we lost our 1 acre piece of land on flush floods. I used to depend on it to cater for my family needs and also for my children education."

"I was busy untying my goats to take them to the grazing field in the evening when I received a message on my phone. Since I cannot read the messages, I always ask my children to read them for me. Luckily, at that moment, my son came home from school, and I asked him to check the message before I could leave to graze the livestock. I was overwhelmed with joy when he confirmed that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. This was the best news to end my day, especially since I had been reflecting on how I had suffered while sheltering in a grass-thatched hut that was in very bad shape. I could only smile as I took the goats to the grazing fields, looking forward to the next day when I could buy building materials and start constructing a decent iron-roofed house."