"In this area, we solely depend on farming for our livelihood. With unpredictable weather patterns, this venture can be very discouraging. We sometimes go for up to 4 months without rain. There are times we witness floods that are equally destructive. Last year, I got only one sack of maize from my 1-acre piece of land. This is not enough to sustain my family until the next harvesting season. I have to look for other avenues of supplementing this. I am always forced to go and work on other people's farms for an extra coin. This is a tedious job because you work from morning to evening for just 200 shillings a day."

"In the year 2018, my wife delivered twins and this was the happiest point in my life. Both were boys and they were very healthy at birth. One month later, one child developed complications and I took him to the nearest referral hospital. He was diagnosed with Meningitis, treated and later discharged a week later. After 2 weeks at home, my child was not getting any better and I decided to seek treatment elsewhere. I went to Kijabe hospital where I met the shock of my life. I was told that my son had a tumor in his brain and needs to be operated on as a matter of urgency. This left me devasted with little options at hand. I could not raise the deposit that was required for an operation to start. I had to come back home to look for well-wishers to help me raise more than 300000 shillings but I lost my son in the process."

"It has been hard for me and my family to find food everyday"

"My 4 children are all in high school currently and I am paying school fees for all of them. Annually, I am required to pay USD. 250 which is way beyond my ability. I have previously been selling some trees in my small farm to pay but as at now I have sold all of them and I am afraid my children might drop out of school. This would therefore mean a worst future for them. This money will help me clear their school fees and even some part of their college fees."

"I have been making and trading on cooking pots within my vicinity and nearby open-air markets. As such, receiving this money means that I shall expand my business by making more pots and venturing into larger markets. Eventually, I shall enjoy a higher standard of living owing to an anticipated increase in my household income. As a single lady without any other source of income or people to depend on, I will greatly thank GiveDirectly for empowering me."

"In 2014 we discovered that my daughter had a tumor in her heart. In efforts to seek treatment for her we had to sell everything that we had and even seek for more from well wishers in order to sponsor her treatment in India. To date,I have not recovered financially making it the biggest hardship I have ever faced in my life."

"We have been aspiring of building another house because the one we have now is not spacious to accommodate a family of eight. Also, there is no privacy for my grown-up children whenever they need to change clothes. We spent all our savings to purchase a 2.5-acre piece of land. In case we receive this transfer it will assist us to fulfill our desire by purchasing the building materials. We will be happy parents because now our children will get atleast a room to use in the study without any distractions."

"As a farmer,I will buy two oxen for ploughing land when I receive this money. This will cost me 300 USD. The oxen will not only help me plough my land but also earn income when I plough other people's farms. I will also use the money for buying basic needs such as food and clothes which has been a challenge for a long time."

"The biggest hardship I have faced is a change of climate. For more than 5 years, we have been unable to harvest sufficient maize, yet we entirely depend on to sustain our family. This made me focus on growing vegetables for sales which is still a challenge since the land under cultivation is less than 0.25 of an acre."

"Receiving this money will help me own more livestock. I have two sheep but with this money I can own 6 goats and from the 6 goats I will be able to buy a cow. My livestock budget is 200 USD. I will also aside some money for my 2 years 9 months old son who needs medication .He is asthmatic.I will then buy a bed and a mattress so that I can be sleeping comfortably. Currently I sleep on the floor with an old mattress."