"I have a young family with one child who is about a year and a half old. Washing a lot of clothes with the scarce water has been extremely difficult for my spouse, who spends a significant amount of time walking to and from the river with only a single pot of water. Connecting piped water to our doorstep was a priority during enrollment because it would reduce the cost of purchasing or transporting water daily from the river. I am glad that when we received the first transfer, we spent $100 on pipes and fittings and later paid a labor cost of $10 during installation and a county government registration fee of $15. Despite the fact that there has not been a consistent supply due to the severe drought, I am glad I also purchased some storage facilities that hold at least 1000 liters when full. I will pay $2 per month when the supply is consistent and negotiable if there is a period without a water supply. I also dug a pit latrine worth $70, which I am yet to finish, and used the remainder to repair a motorcycle that I had been using as a source of income for my family. When my bike is not working, I rely on subsistence farming to provide for my family, which includes selling fruits from my farm as well as eggs collected from my current brood of 30 chickens."

"Am grateful that the previous cash transfers allowed me to buy livestock like 2 chickens and a goat. Now the plan is to continue growing the herd and let them reproduce. I believe that I could generate enough funds to support the education of my four children through these animals. That is why, my priority is to have bought at least three more goats by the end of the year."

"From last September, I started saving money through a self-help group in my community. The aim is to accumulate enough funds to support my husband in building a new three-room house for our family. The current two-room structure that we use, is not only old and almost collapsing, but it is also too small for our family of five children. More so, it doubles as a cooking spot. Therefore, I saved $10 from the recent transfer towards that course. Next, I used $8 to clear a school fee debt for my youngest son who completed kindergarten last year. I also spent another $2 to enroll him in grade one. The remaining amount went towards food since my household had run out of maize flour the previous afternoon, that I had to borrow some flour from my neighbor to prepare supper for my children. Am glad that the food served us until my husband raised more money from his charcoal business. I spent December transfer to fund the festivities in terms of food and new clothing for my children to celebrate in. From the November transfer, I saved $10, bought a pair of khanga worth $6 for me and new clothes worth $4 for my one-year-old to replace our old attire that was torn and tattered. I also acquired a chicken using $4 for rearing and spent another $4 to replace my phones screen that had fallen and cracked. Finally I used the remaining $6 on food."

"Now that I am done paying dowry and we are living with a partner, I am content with the choice I made, which was made possible by the transfers. I had hoped to save enough money this year to finally enrol in a driving school, which would eventually aid in my employment. In order to obtain financial gain, I also hoped to invest a portion of the transfers in the purchase of a few goats and chickens. Last but not least, given that it can be difficult at times, I will most definitely look into nutrition."

"In the last 6 months, I have noticed a big difference in my livestock compared to the time when I was still living with my extended family. This has been contributed by the fact that I am currently having my land (2 acres) to keep my livestock including cows, chickens, and turkeys. At the moment, they have increased in number unlike back at home where they used to be stolen. Therefore, I consider this as what has brought joy to my life."

"The first installment we plan to renovate our house , we want to put on cement on the outside and clean on the inside and we also want to buy house materials like furnitures, beds , matress we will also buy clothes and food to eat. The second installment we plan to buy livestocks, we want to buy a cow for $300 , a pig for $40 and 5 chickens for $11 and the balance we plan to save it. Receiving this money will brings us Joy, it is a chance that we are getting to come out of poverty . We will be able to have a brighter future and we will live better than we are currently living."

"The funds will come in handy. I already have a plan in place. This is to continue with my poultry farming. Currently, I have 4 chicken and 8 chicks. I will build a chicken structure at a cost of $150. Additionally purchase chicken worth $100. That is about 30 chicken. The poultry farm will bring me income. I will sell eggs and some of the chicken. This means I will have money to support my family. We also intend to add some furniture in our house. By buying furniture worth $300. It will help improve my home by making it look good."

"As I had previously indicated, I have six school-age children, and I am hopeful that the money I get this year would allow me to cover their tuition. In addition, I had hoped to use this money for nutrition since, as I had previously indicated, it is continually difficult due to drought. By the end of the year, I would also prefer to have completed construction on the extra rooms. Last but not least, I want to purchase a few chickens for commercial purposes. Up to now, GiveDirectly's funding has allowed me to purchase twenty hens, which I intend to sell soon."

"To take care of my three sons, I sell dried sardines and sometimes burn charcoal for money. The little earnings I get from these hustles are never enough for all needs, particularly food and school fees. Although their father is actively involved especially in their education, his contribution is hardly enough to cover everything. There was a school fee debt that was outstanding from last year, and I used $20 from the most recent transfer to settle it. I spent $4 to buy new books for my youngest son since his father had ran out of cash after buying for the other two. $10 went towards food to boost the little there was on stock. I spent the entire December transfer, $34, on foodstuff for Christmas celebrations and my family enjoyed. From the transfer I received in November, $20 went towards four chickens for rearing purposes, so they can help me generate funds in the future when I sell them. I spent the remaining $14 to boost stock for my sardine-selling business. I am grateful I have started realizing more profits than before, which allows me to afford regular meals for my children.  "

"Last November, I started a project of rearing poultry, courtesy of the cash transfer I received that month. I was undergoing many challenges at that point, from lacking meals to having my children sent from school due to unpaid school fees. My husband’s hotel business drastically recorded a decline in profits at that time, which brought hardships as we could barely afford the essentials. Starting the poultry rearing project would provide financial security in the future in case things become tough. When I received the December transfer, my infant son and I was severely sick, which prompted me to spend $19 on our medication and hospital bills. I used the remaining $15 to buy new clothes for my children to wear on New Year’s day and celebrate together with their peers. From the most recent transfer, I spent $15 to buy chicken feeds and bought 10 more one-day-old chicks using $10 to increase the flock. I used the remaining amount to buy maize flour as the house hold had run out of food the previous night. "