"My husband is a casual laborer. Together, we have six children. Every day he goes to different villages looking for any job, including farming, fetching water, assisting in any construction project, or any job that he can do with his hands. I am unemployed and my work revolves around our home, which is mainly cleaning, cooking, raising livestock, and taking care of the children. Finding a hands-on job is very hard and lately, it has been a struggle to make money from his earnings. When I received my funds, I used $25 to pay for my children’s school fees, and the rest $5 went to my medical treatment. I had an incident with one cow while I was on my normal routine of feeding the cows. I got hit by a bull and fell, breaking my arm. The funds came in at the right time because I had to be attended to immediately"

"I am a mother of three children with one of them already in his secondary level of education. Our second born is joining secondary level too next year while the last born is still at lower level of primary school. When we received the second transfer, we used $200 to pay school fees for our first born son. With this amount, we were able to pay ahead by two terms making the life of our child at school very comfortable. We also did this so as to get enough time to look for money and to save as much money as possible for our children considering that our second born is soon starting his secondary studies too. It was such a relief for us to have benefitted from the program. I then used another $210 to purchase a water tank. For a long time, I had desired to buy a high capacity water tank but due to the nature of work that I do and the little income that I get from it, I was not able to buy one. I feel so much happy that I now have one and that I will no longer have to travel for long distances in search of water even during times when there is heavy rainfall. My husband works as a mechanic while I do subsistence farming and sometimes engage in casual jobs just to make ends meet for us. We are eternally grateful to GiveDirectly for the support that we received from them and fir the change that it brought in our lives. The little amount that remained was used to buy clothes, food and other basic household needs for our family"

"In general, life has been difficult since many water sources dried up, and 20 liters of jerrican water costs $0.5. This is expensive for a vulnerable community with no single source of income. Since I received my transfer, there have been noticeable changes in our lives. Because of famine in our area, the transfer allowed us to purchase water, maize flour, and vegetables. On that day, we managed to obtain food after missing morning and afternoon meals."

"I spent part of my second transfer on buying a water tank which cost $56. I am so grateful that I can now harvest and store water for both domestic and commercial purposes. Initially, I had none and I have been using small jerricans which were not helpful enough especially during the dry seasons. To add to that, I bought a mattress for $45 for my children which will be a relief to them since they have been sleeping on the floor for years. As a parent, I am overjoyed and grateful because they no longer complain about the pains they have been undergoing. To add on that I cleared fees and bought stationeries for my two children in form one and three respectively. They will study peacefully without any disturbances for the remaining days of this academic year. With the remaining amount, I bought food for my seven family members which served us for almost a month."

"I provide the only income for my family (husband and two children). I support myself by selling palm wine (local brew from the coconut plant). Due to a lack of customers, the business is not doing well, and I only make a small amount of sales each day. My farm is the other option I have, but the drought that started three years ago is a big obstacle. I have trouble making ends meet for my family because of my low income. When it rains, water seeps into my house through the rusted, rotten, and sizable holes in the iron sheets that cover it. I spent $10 to purchase a single piece of iron sheet with the future intention of buying more with the money from my next transfer and mending the roof of the house. In addition, I paid my two children's primary school tuition arrears who had been expelled because of the debt. I struggle to provide for the family as the only sole breadwinner of the family. we skip meals because we can't afford to buy food. Therefore, I used half of the transfer money ($15) to buy food in bulk that would last us more than a week. This was the surest way to make sure my family wouldn't go hungry while I was saving money to buy more food."

"I used the entire $12 transfer to buy the right medication for my deteriorating health. I've been battling high and low blood pressure for the past three years. Due to my advanced age, my son and daughter-in-law are completely responsible for my financial needs. In Mombasa town, my son is a part-time casual worker selling bottled water out of a cart. I reside in the village with my daughter-in-law, who takes care of me. I go to the hospital every week for expensive medical checkups. The enormous responsibility of covering my medical expenses and providing for the needs of the family falls on my son. I occasionally have to skip the checkups because I don't have enough money. I'm grateful that the transfer allowed me to receive medical care when we didn't have the funds to do so."

"My aunt takes care of me because I have physical limitations. She sells charcoal to make a living. She lost her main source of income, farming, as a result of the drought that started three years ago. She harvested a large amount of food from the farm prior to the drought and sold the extra to generate some income. She currently faces financial difficulties because of a lack of adequate income to support the family. I feel powerless because I am unable to assist her in obtaining jobs so that she can pay off the mounting household bills. As a result, when I received my transfer, I spent a sizable portion ($25) on food. Due to recent increases in food prices, we can only afford to eat one meal per day to survive. With $25, we were able to purchase five packets of maize flour for $10 each, one kilogram each of sugar and beans, one litre each of cooking oil and detergent, and three cents worth of drinking water per 20-liter jerrican. We have enough food to last a week on this amount. I'm glad the money made sure that my family and I wouldn't go hungry from a lack of food. In addition, I spent $5 on a blanket to protect me from the chilly weather at night. I don't have a bed or a mattress, so I sleep on the bear floor covered by a thin sisal mat. My health has been negatively impacted by the frigid conditions on the flour. I appreciate that the blanket will keep me warm as I eagerly anticipate purchasing a mattress."

"Due to the prolonged drought in our area, I purchased a water tank that cost $220. I used to walk a long distance to collect clean water for domestic use and for drinking. This was so tedious and time consuming. I had always wished to purchase a tank but I did not have the money. I rely on small-scale farming and casual jobs. The amount of money that I get is for basic household needs, There was no extra money to buy a tank. I am so happy now in that I have clean water and I no longer have to walk for that long distance. I spent $200 on purchasing sofa set seats, tables and bedding. I spent part of the first transfer on completing the construction of the house but I had not purchased the seats. I am so grateful now in that I have the seats in place. The remaining amount of money I spent on food, clothes, and other basic household items. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards."

"I spent part of my second transfer on paying the pending bills for the freshwater installation in my homestead which coated almost $50. I am so glad that I will no longer have to trek to the dams to fetch water like before which was so tiring and time-consuming. Also, I bought building materials for a total of $400. I intended to build a new permanent house because the previous one was a temporary muddy hut. It was so annoying especially when it rains my properties would get damaged besides being small. All my five children have been sheltering at their grandmother's house which was quite far from our compound. I, therefore, felt there was a need to transform this miserable condition by constructing a permanent spacious house. I am so glad that in the next two months, my house will be complete and I trust that all the troubles shall come to an end. To add to that, I paid fees for the five children who are still in primary school. I am happy that I received the cash right on time because they would be sent home if it were not for this support. five children. With the remaining amount, I bought food for my eight family members and decent clothes for the children."

"In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in giving unconditional cash to every individual enrolled in the program. Through the transfer, I have found it easier to pay school fees for my son. Other community members have also witnessed a positive change in their lives since they can easily buy food and water as opposed to before. Some have also managed to take re-enroll their children in school. The community always talks well of GiveDirectly. There is nothing that does not do well. It should continue with the same work."