"Irrigation is our main source of livelihood, but due to the long droughts, water shortage has been rampant over the last one year. There's a permanent river about 2 kilometers away from my home, we don't own pipes to pump water. It means we cannot irrigate our farm to plant crops. We can only wait for neighbors to share with us their water. This inhibits our ability to grow a large piece of land, hence we normally have low productivity. This has affected our family income and also food security."

"I have so many good plans for the cash transfers which I believe will transform my life a lot. For the first cash transfers I intend to spend $180 of the transfers to renovate and improve my house. Since I have 14 family members, I intend to renovate an extra room and purchase beddings. For the second cash transfers, I intend to purchase a generator and a gas cylinder. I intend to use about $450 of the transfers on this. This will enable me to do irrigation farming in our farms since we depend mostly on irrigation due to instances of drought in our village. For the third transfers I intend to purchase a water tank which would cost me about $350 of the transfers. This will ensure that we have water in our home and we won't have to purchase water or use unclean water. With this transfers, I believe my life will be transformed positively."

"Due to the long drought and inconsistent rains. We depend on irrigation at the nearby river. I plan to hire an acre of land to plant maize. It will cost me approximately $250. This should give us enough maize for domestic use and sale. I will also save some money for future farming. Education is very important for the future. I plan to educate my 2 children. Will set aside the second transfer for this investment. I hope they will join colleges to learn skills and get employed and also support me. Since I love goats, I must own them. Will spend about $500 to buy 10 goats. They do well here and breed faster. It will give me an extra source of income from their sales, and more milk for domestic use."

"In the coming year and beyond, my goal is to elevate my business, thereby enhancing my farming endeavors with the generated income. The plan is to use the proceeds from the business to invest in certified seeds and acquire essential inputs, such as irrigation equipment. This strategic approach aims to bolster our farming practices, ensuring productivity even during the dry seasons. I am enthusiastic about this vision as it aligns with a comprehensive strategy to improve both my business and agricultural activities for sustained growth and success."

"My happiness in the past 6 months came majorly in April after I managed to harvest over 20 bags of maize from an irrigation farm I leased. This delighted me so much since before this, I used to get between 5 to 8 sacks of maize."

"A lack of employment and a constant source of money has been my biggest challenge now and even in the past. This has forced us to depend on farming which is sometimes unpredictable because of droughts and lack of water for irrigation. This has led us to do casual work to cater to our needs which is very challenging. This has made life very difficult for us since we sometimes don't have money to purchase basic needs such as food."

"Since we've had challenges with farm irrigation, receiving these transfers will assist us greatly. We plan to purchase 2, 100 meter pipes which we shall use to fetch water from the nearby river Molo. This will cost us about $450 of the transfers. We also intend to fence our compound with barbed wire since we've had challenges with dogs and other wild animals killing our livestock. This will cost us about $150 for the transfers. Finally, we intend to use the remaining amount for farming. We plan to plant either green grams or maize when the season comes. We expect to use about $400 of the transfers on this. With all these plans we believe that our lives will improve greatly and we thank God for GiveDirectly and their consideration to come to our village."

"My happiness over the past 6 months came in August. We managed to sell maize from our irrigation farm which gave us about $400. This has enabled us to cater to some of our family needs and has brought a lot of joy and delight to me."

"Our biggest challenge as a family is inability to access water for irrigation via the available canals. There are irrigation channels within the village but don't reach our land. This means we depend on water pumping using a generator and must have pipes. The generator is adequate but the pipes are few and also borrow from neighbors. This is risk to our crops since sometimes everyone maybe using theirs. This had led to farm losses and less productivity."

"Business do well around here, the shops are few and residents are many. It's an opportunity will look to tap in. A good shop need enough stock. We'll spend $600 to build a small structure outside our home. This amount will be enough for the stock also. The profits will help sustain our family for a longer period when we manage it well. Due to the favourable farming environment around here. We plan to spend about $500 to grow water melons under irrigation, on our quarter an acre piece of land. It's very profitable and marketable. If we're lucky we can make upto $800. This is when the market prices are good. We hope to make good money and improve our family fortunes."