"My health has failed me for some time now. I suffer from high blood pressure and I am under medication. I normally go to be attended at Tenwek Hospital. The cost of treatment is expensive and sometimes I am unable to raise the required amount and which means I am forced to skip the medicine which subsequently affects me since without the drugs I feel sick and indisposed. High blood pressure puts one to be under drugs throughout and so to sustain the cost without a cover is a tall order."

"We are living in poverty because of no stable source of income. My husband goes to casual work but that isn't enough because he makes little money when the need is more than he makes. We have no Food, clothes, utensils and even fail to get medical assistance because of money for transport and medicine."

"My primary source of income is farming. Chickens for eggs and cereals for the family, is what I ply in. The funds from GiveDirectly allowed me to build a bigger and better house for my 7 layers and 1 cockerel. Now, hopefully, I can see their numbers rise, making me a small brood that I can use to ensure the family has a steady income. My husband is a retired teacher, while I volunteer as a midwife at Pentagon Community Volunteer. Seeing as our only immediate dependent of our 5 kids are the youngest in form 4 at Vitengeni Baptist Secondary and another in Kilifi Technical, studying medicine, we were also able to funnel some funds to getting food for the family. The remainder went towards paying for KES. 40,000 for the child doing medicine and KES. 19,000 per term for the other in high school. Lucky for us the eldest is an electrician in Mombasa, my second daughter is married and my third born is on attachment in Mombasa, so thankfully, none of them were on need of our immediate attention, leaving enough to cater for our needs. GiveDirectly has been the blessing we had been waiting for and I pray they continue to impact lives as they have ours."

"I developed chicken pox a week before getting my transfers. Initially, I was able to control my health condition by using a natural remedy that is easily obtained from nearby trees. Later, when things got worse, It became extremely uncomfortable and developed a mucous fever, which rendered me bedridden. Fortunately, I got my transfers, and I spent $8 on medicine after going to the hospital. In the wake of that, I bought 12 packets of 2 kilograms of maize flour. My only son, on whom I relied, was experiencing financial instability at the time, so he was unable to assist with the purchase of food or the payment of the medical bills while I was sick for more than a month and unable to work. We no longer harvest food from the farms due to the severe effects of the drought, so the food was crucial in ensuring we had enough to eat. In the end, I decided to invest in two hens. This presents a good opportunity to cash in by selling the hens whenever I run into financial difficulties in the near future because there are many unknowns regarding how I could make a living."

"I am a farmer. I cultivate crops such as maize, pigweed, and spinach. But with current drought we are facing, I can no longer farm due to shortage of water. I ventured into other business selling timber which gives me a profit of $20 a week. This money is spent on food for my family. I have seven children, all attending school. My husband sells traditional medicine and the income he gets from his business is spent on paying school fees. The money we generate is not enough to take care of all our needs, and sometimes, we accumulate a lot of debt from school fees to food. With this transfer, I was able to pay all the debts which were $170, bought clothes for myself and the children that cost $30, and bought food with the rest of the money."

"I have epilepsy, which makes my health situation very bad. I need prescription medications to keep my condition under control because without them, I would experience a series of convulsions. The biggest barrier to me working and making money is my health, so I am completely dependent on my parents for financial support. My father, who is the family's main provider of income, makes a living doing a variety of odd jobs like selling charcoal, building houses, and hawking snacks along the highway. I was overjoyed to receive my transfer so I spent $5 on medicine to manage my condition. I also spent an additional $11 on three hens and animal feed. This will allow me to engage in poultry farming, which will also serve as a revenue stream once I start selling the hens and eggs. Finally, I used the remaining $18 to purchase food. Due to his inability to secure a job for the entire week, my father was in a financial bind and struggled to feed the family. The financial assistance ensured that my family never went to bed hungry."

"I have 19 goats, what makes me happy is their growth. Last month I lost 3 goats due to disease outbreak. I visited a veterinarian and gave me medicine to treat them. The outbreak stopped and that made me really happy."

"Since receiving a high blood pressure diagnosis two years ago, my health has drastically declined. Due to my advanced age, I completely rely on my son and daughter-in-law to take care of my basic needs, such as covering my medical expenses. Their meager earnings from their part-time jobs hawking and selling charcoal make it difficult for them to support me. As a result, when I got my transfer, I spent $12 on medications to improve my health, which was at its worst. I used the remaining money to buy food in addition to the medicine. I prioritized purchasing fruits and vegetables to help my body fight off secondary illnesses and to strengthen my immunity. My good health has allowed me to smile more often, so I'm grateful for that."

"As a widow, I am the immediate person on whom my family relies to provide for their needs. To cover these necessities, my primary source of income is charcoal burning. Since many people in my region over-rely on the practice for survival, there aren't many trees left to cut down. Only tree stumps are accessible, which are difficult to dig and split to make charcoal. Because of the physical demands of the activity, producing the end product might take up to three weeks. Even after waiting so long, the most I can make is $5, which is barely enough to feed my family of eight for two days (my daughter, sister-in-law, and her 5 children). As a result, hunger is a huge concern in the household. We had starved for two days before the transfer, and I spent $6 on food and $1 on clean water. I spent $25 on a goat, and I'm delighted I now have three goats as a result of the transfer. I desire to let them multiply and grow the herd so that when I sell them, they can cover my needs in the future. Finally, I paid $2 for medicine because I had been sick with Malaria for the entire week. Though I am not fully recovered, my condition is improving thanks to the transfer."

"I would like to start a secondhand business and employ someone while I continue with my teaching job. If I can save $200 in 2023, I would start the business and this would help out whenever I need to buy my monthly medicine."