"Extended period of drought and lack of a constant source of income has been the biggest hardship in my life. I have a good chunk of land but it cannot be of help to me because nothing grows to maturity and harvesting so at the end of the day I have to buy food which if not for the drought we would have produced ourselves."

"Food security is a big issue here .The land is unproductive and we rarely get any produce . This was worsened by the maize lethal necrosis disease that came about 5 years ago. It is a real struggle to put food on the table ."

"Since my husband passed away I have been living as a widower. It is not always easy to fend for the family by a single parent . I have been struggling to provide for my family and to pay for the school fees."

"The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is financial constraints. As a masonry person getting a job is hard since less people in my area do employ my services since even them lack enough resources. The little I earn every month goes to buying food and medication for both my family and my sick parents."

"Receiving this money means boosting my children who have failed to get their certificates after completing their secondary education. This has forced them to stay idle at home because they could not advance their studies. I plan to spend the first transfer to clear the school fee arrears for my 2 children who completed their secondary education in the year 2016. This will enable them to secure even temporary jobs as they wait to advance their studies. On the other hand, I will spend the remaining amount to buy 10 goats to have a long-term investment project that I can depend on in the future."

"Dropping out of school is the biggest hardship I have faced in life. I do casual jobs of transporting people's goods in the market ,this is due to lower education level because I am sure if I was able to complete my studies I could be in a better place. I have been struggling for four years now feeding my family because my mother is old. GiveDirectly transfers will be a relief to me."

"I have two cows but one of them is not mine. So when I get this money i would like to buy a dairy cow. A good dairy cow cost around 300 dollars. My husband works as a tutor in the nearby Polytechnic. His job is contract and can come to end at any time. He wants to study architecture so that he can start his own company. We expect to spend around 700-850 dollars to complete the course. This will enable us to get more income."

"I am a widow and my house is not in a good condition something that has worried me for a long time. This is because when it collapses, I will be rendered helpless since I may lack the support to construct another one. With the help from GiveDirectly, I am now happy to know that I will have the opportunity to renovate my house by reinforcing it with stones plus cement. I estimate to spend a big portion of my transfers ($500) to have my house repaired. A portion of the transfers will help me to buy 6 goats at $40 each to have a project that I will be relying on. The remaining amount will cater to my very basic needs like food and nice beddings."

"My husband is a water vendor at Mombasa, a job that earns him only $5 per day. This income is very low and it cannot fully cater to our basic needs something that has forced me to engage in very strenuous activities like charcoal burning to supplement his little income. Therefore, the lack of a reliable source of income becomes the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life."

"Receiving this money means a better livelihood to my household because I intend to ensure my 2 daughters who completed their secondary education secure their dream jobs. Despite my struggle to educate them, they have been jobless because it has never been possible to advance their studies in colleges. I have desired to spend my transfers to pay for their college fees once I receive them. One aspires to do driving and the second one intends to be a hairdresser and I estimated this to cost me utmost $500 of my transfers. Achieving this will mean a reliable sources of income to my household as well as making my children self-reliant. Also, I have suffered from pressure and ulcers but I have never received proper medication due to lack of money. I will, therefore, spend the remaining amount to seek medication from big hospitals to end my worries that have for a long time robbed my joy."