"It was on a Friday at around 2.00 p.m. when I was on my way to fetch water when I received the message. I called my husband to come and check if the money was from GiveDirectly. He was at the center and immediately came home to help me ascertain if the money was from GiveDirectly. The good news of receiving my first transfer made me feel excited and happy because I did not expect it to be that soon."

"My second transfers which I received from GiveDirectly, I spent KES 10000 on buying a water tank for water storage in my compound since I had none. I then spent KES 20000 on buying heifer for rearing for milk production once it matures. The remaining amount, I spent on completing a house which was under construction. I am happy that we now live in a better house."

"My new goal is to purchase a water tank. When I received my first and second transfer, I used part of it to build a new house that is roofed of iron sheets. Right now I am in a position to collect clean drinking water but I do not have a water tank that would help me collect the water. It is for this reason that I look forward to buying a water tank but the amount of money that I get from casual jobs that I do may not be enough to do this. I am a mother of 8 children and my husband too is a casual labourer."

"Even though I never had a plan to spend the second transfer on the completion of the rental rooms, I could not resist the urge knowing that they were part of the income-generating projects I had started. I had to postpone the purchase of a cow, hoping to buy the dairy cow once I get the tenants. I spent KES 32000 buying a 5000 liters plastic water reservoir that will collect the rainwater to be used within the plots. In addition, I spent the remaining amount on clearing the cost of the labor that worked on the finishing of the construction. I am glad that the transfer was enough to make all the necessary fittings in the rooms and are now ready to be rented out."

"I used KES 36000 to buy a dairy cow and used another KES 6000 to buy furniture for my house. and used the remaining amount to install piped water in my compound. We made a decision to buy a dairy cow since we did not own one before and I had really felt the heat of having to buy milk all that while. It was so costly buying milk but we did not have an option since we could not raise enough money to buy one. My husband works as a casual worker and the little amount of income that he received would just be enough to make ends meet and pay school fees. I just graduated from school and I could do very little to help my husband."

"I purchased poultry with my whole transfer. I bought two ducks and two chickens. I am dissatisfied as a farmer that we haven't had any rain for over three years. As a result, I have chosen another source of income because it is now difficult for us to work on our farms. Presently, I sell charcoal, and the money I make is sufficient to cover my food expenses. Three months ago, my spouse died after enduring a prolonged illness. My three daughters-in-law and I support each other as we work through the difficulties we encounter each day. Our closest water sources have dried up due to the drought, making it hard to get to the rivers and wetlands to get water. The water table has significantly dropped, and the wells are now completely dry. I'm delighted I invested in poultry with the money from the transfer since it will grow in value."

"I built a new kitchen using the transfer received from GiveDirectly. My initial kitchen was old and the iron sheets used to roof it were old and rusty thus allowing in rain water whenever it rained. I also built a bigger sheep pen for my sheep. I used the rest of the transfer to purchase furniture for my house and some clothes and food for my family."

"I used Kes 21000 to buy a water tank and used the remaining amount to complete construction of a house we were building. I made a decision to buy a water tank because of the perennial water shortage problems that we had and because we were often forced to travel for very long distances in search of water. I had not been able to buy the water tank before since the casual work that I relied on could give me just enough money to feed my family."

"I used KES 25000 to buy a water tank, KES 20000 to improve my house by erecting ceiling boards and installing electricity in it. The little amount that remained after spending the money was used to buy food and clothes for my family. I made a decision to purchase a water tank since we have been having problems of accessing clean drinking water for the longest time that we have lived here. We would be forced to travel for long distances to fetch water in streams and the same water were not even safe for drinking. This consumed a lot of our time and we would only hope that we get some money that would see us buy a water tank. I am particularly very happy to have bought this water tank and brought to an end the endless lack of clean drinking water. We had been unable to do this because getting enough money from our farming practices was nearly impossible. It is for this reason that we are very grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling us realize our dream of access to clean drinking water."

"I spent the most recent transfer to construct a better shelter for the family. The one we were living in earlier was old and had shown signs of collapsing due to the decomposing building poles that were used to build it. I used the transfer to purchase the necessary building materials like cement, blasts and stones for erecting strong pillars around it. With the remaining amount, a significant part of it to purchase small household utensils such as basins, water barrels, cooking pots and plates Previously, I did not have enough utensils for storing water and cooking items."