"The prolonged drought caused so many uncertainties including pausing my business of selling milk as my cattle lacked sufficient feeds and water to produce the milk. I could not actively contribute to the needs of my seven children until Give Directly started sending me monthly cash transfers. Ever since, I have been supporting my husband, to fulfill some of the household’s needs, which has brought him a huge relief. Recently, I used $12 to completely clear tuition fees for four of my children, who will gladly never have to miss a day of school till the term ends. Also, I spent $10 on food as the household was almost running out of the same. Am happy that this ensured we had regular meals until my husband was able to provide more through his charcoal-making practice. Lastly, since the remaining $12 was not enough to buy a mature goat, I used it to secure a kid instead. Am sure it will grow and reproduce in the future, which will give me an opportunity to sell it to cover my family’s needs. "

"We have two major projects which we have set aside for the transfers. The first project is to build a house. We plan to spend about 500 dollars on this. Our house is made of mud which gets ruined by termites and water and with the transfers we will be able to build a semi-permanent house. The second project is the fencing of our farm. Since the rains have come we will be able to grow maize and wheat. However, we get disturbed by livestock which destroys our crops. I plan to use 750 dollars of the transfers to make this a success. The transfers will surely assist us."

"GD has had such a good impact on the people of our area. You can see visible change all around in what the transfer has done. For me My January transfers I used to buy a goat. In February I used $15 to pay school fees as well as buy food for the family at $1. Our area is also affected by drought, we buy all the water we use so I bought some water for use at home. I use about $4 worth of water daily. I also bought vegetables and some airtime to allow me to communicate. In March I bought a metal box for storage at $10, I also paid $10 to school and bought a mattress worth $30 for my children. I added some money to allow me to buy it."

"Goat keeping does well in our area, it is our mainstay economic activity and a source of livelihood. To create wealth and have disposable income we intend to purchase some additional goats, at least 10 more, this will enable us to meet our needs from the sale of them in the future. The availability of enough vegetation and water makes it ideal and timely to engage in it, especially at this time. We used to have quite a number but we sold them when we were overwhelmed by the ever-unending needs that we have to satisfy. It is from the foregoing that we arrived at a decision to use $400 of the transfers for their purchase. We are so elated about GiveDirectly transfers, it is life-changing and an enabler of dreams . We will also use part of the transfers to purchase foodstuffs to last for sometime."

"Supporting the education of my two children is the greatest accomplishment I wish to have achieved in the following years. As they are still in primary school, I believe they have a long way to go until they graduate college. I hope that I will be able to fund their studies to the tertiary levels without having them miss classes. Apart from that, I plan to renovate my house, whose iron sheet roof has corroded over the years and leaks water when it rains. "

"My health has been deteriorating in recent months. This has rendered me unable to work, and I am now reliant on my sons working as casual laborers in Mombasa town on jobs such as house construction, charcoal sales, and water vending. Having to rely on my sons presents difficulties because they are not always able to obtain funds on time, forcing me to sleep hungry or buy food on credit. So, in order to reduce my reliance on my son, I decided to invest my monthly stipends in purchasing livestock. The livestock is for future investment in the sense that they will multiply quickly, increasing my initial investment. In the event of an emergency, I am at Liberty to sell a number of livestock and use the proceeds to meet my needs. So I spent $30 on a goat to add to my herd. Finally, I used the last $4 to buy two packets of maize flour. I am grateful that by investing in livestock, I will be able to become financially stable as I participate in their livestock selling business and no longer rely heavily on my son."

"Since I don't have a job, I must rely on my son for financial support. Prior to three years ago, I really relied on raising crops on my farm and selling the harvest at the market to make ends meet. Since we haven't had any rain for the past three years, this isn't the situation right now, and my son has been providing me with financial support to meet my needs. I therefore spent a sizable sum of $30 to purchase a goat after receiving my match transfers. Since I no longer work on the farm, I keep myself occupied by caring for animals and moving them to the field, watering them, and keeping them healthy. The goat is an investment for the future because it will multiply in a few months, increasing my initial investment. Finally, I used the last $4 to purchase two packets of maize flour. I hardly had any food left in the house, so buying the flour was a relief because otherwise, I would have had to go to bed without food because I lacked the funds to do so. I'm thankful for the monthly transfer because it has allowed me to escape the grip of extreme poverty and become financially independent."

"My happiness has come from two weeks ago. This joy has come as a result of the rains. We've not had such rains for the past two years and its coming has brought happiness not only to me but my entire household. At least we don't have to worry about water shortage. I'm very happy and thankful to God."

"For over forty years since I got married I was sleeping on a small traditional bed that was in a poor condition. Poverty did not allow me to buy a good bed since the family needed to be taken care of and I was just a casual laborer. Upon getting the second transfer, I saw it to buy a nice standard bed and a mattress. The bed cost me $70 while the mattress cost $60. After that, I bought some plumbing materials to complete a water project that I had started. I had a project of fixing a water tap at home because the waterpoint is at a distance. The plumbing materials and the plumber's charges cost $150. Thereafter I bought a goat for $35 and saved the remaining amount for the family's upkeep."

"I faced difficulties during the drought season due to the scarcity of clean water. Therefore, when I received my transfer, I decided to invest in a water tank for our home to address this issue. The purchase of the water tank, which cost $350, has made a significant difference by providing us with adequate water flow and alleviating the burden of constantly fetching water from outside. Additionally, I was able to pay off a debt that had accrued during the installation of the water base slab, which had previously been a financial strain. This is because my business was booming before COVID-19 struck. Unfortunately, it went down to a smaller one. I am married and blessed with two children. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I now have access to sufficient water and am even able to harvest rainwater."