"Apart from making sure my spouse and I have adequate food, I'm also working on building an effective shelter. In addition to allowing water to leak in when it rains, the withering grass thatches on my roof also harbor harmful insects. Moreover, the house's shaky mud walls might collapse due to severe winds or heavy rains. Sadly, constructing a new dwelling, especially one with a tin roof, is becoming increasingly expensive. At my advanced age, I am unable to work to generate sufficient funds for the project. With my wife's help, I plan on saving half of every monthly financial transfer to build a more secure structure."

"Ever since my house crumbled last year, I was compelled to move to my son's house, where I have resided to this day. Fortunately, he works and lives with his family in Mombasa. It only gets troublesome when they come to the village and I have to find another place to sleep. To prevent this from happening again, I intend to construct a one-room home for myself. Am glad that the cash transfers allow me to save money for construction materials and labor compensation."

"I've always desired to own livestock, but financial restraints have limited my ability to do so. Because of my physical vulnerability, I am unable to actively work for an income; thus, owning livestock is the greatest alternative for me. I'm particularly thankful for prior cash transfers, which enabled me to purchase three chickens and three goats. I hope that this herd will grow in the coming years so that I may sell them to support the education of my three younger siblings."

"I have always wanted to acquire more goats since I believe they provide the family with financial stability. My current objective is to purchase a goat every two months and keep it in my compound. I do not currently have a reliable source of income. After the goats multiply and become more numerous, I think I can easily sell them to meet my financial needs."

"I want to focus on cattle farming this year despite my family's needs. I presently have two goats, and if everything stays the same, I plan to buy another one every two months. By the end of the year, I'll be able to have at least five goats thanks to this plan. I decided on this strategy due to their available markets, and they are not only drought-resistant but also cheap to maintain and easily convertible to money."

"My current priority is the education of my children. I want to make certain that they receive a high-quality education that will prepare them for a prosperous future. If they are successful, I will be assured of being cared for in my old age. This will only be possible if they are self-sufficient, and education is the key to self-sufficiency."

"My only source of income is cash transfers. With my senior age and blindness, the only type of job I am capable of is dependency. There was nothing I could do except spend every last penny on food to prevent starvation due to the protracted drought that has made farming difficult. My current objective is to pay off a debt of almost $60 that I accrued during my spouse's farewell. Even though my kid is also making an effort to settle the same, I agreed to pay it in $10 monthly installments. By the end of the year, after this is resolved, I would like to have acquired at least 2 goats as an investment."

"In my area, goat keeping is very common. I believe this is due to the animal's ability to survive harsh climatic conditions better than any other type of livestock. Furthermore, owning goats is the safest way to invest money around here. As the animals reproduce and the herd grows, one's wealth grows and can be sold to generate money in times of need. Because I don't have a steady source of income, I'm concentrating my efforts on this venture. Fortunately, I already have two goats and five cows, and I hope to purchase more with the upcoming transfers, one goat every two or three months depending on hunger and other pressing family needs."

"I spent part of my first transfer on paying fees of $140 for my daughter, who recently joined high school. I was so stressed as the father since I had tried everything I could but in vain. I was so sure that my daughter would not be able to join her peers anytime soon. However, God heard my prayer and sent GiveDirectly into my life. I can't thank them enough because if it were not for them, my daughter would not have had the opportunity to be in school. Apart from that, I managed to clear fees for my son, who finished his secondary school education two years ago. He was denied his certificate simply because of the arrears. This pained me the most since he was unable to secure jobs. Additionally, the transfers empowered me to start a business that involves selling green leafy vegetables and fruits within my village. I have been jobless for so long and ailing, which brought me down. Therefore, for all that time, I have been relying on my elder son to cater for all the household's basic needs. For now, I feel relieved in such a way that I sometimes can't explain it. My spouse and I have now been running the business, which has borne fruit. I can now confidently take good care of my family without struggling or involving my son, who also had his responsibilities as a family man. With the remaining amount of money, I bought food for my seven family members, which took us a couple of days."

"With favourable climatic conditions, I am hopeful that my maize crops will flourish and we have a bumper harvest from my 1-acre land, within the next year. I will be glad that my family of 3 will be food secure as well as financially stable and will not have to purchase food or struggle to make ends meet. Hopefully, I will utilize the salary I earn from the shoe retail shop at Kapkwen to set up a poultry farm since it is profitable and marketable and one does not have to struggle."