"In January this year, I bought a hen for my first born daughter. This hen has been producing many chicks and to my disbelief, I was able to buy a goat from the sales of this chicks. Whenever a disease break out in this village, chicken of other people die but this one is so special to me. It survives against all odds. It has been a source of hope to me and my savings."

"Currently the main problem am facing is lack of money and food. For me to find money it means i have to sell one of my livestocks. I have goats and thats the only source of income i have. I had chickens too but they are all gone due to chitopa. Life is hard now because the goats i have now they are young and i cant sell them, am waiting for them to reach a certain stage."

"Receiving this money means better accommodation for my five children. I will build a two-roomed semi-permanent house which can accommodate my 5 children. Currently, the house we are in does not have enough space and it leaks during the rainy seasons. I rear poultry in my compound and sell them to the nearest shopping center. I will buy 20 chickens and their food to boost my business. With the remaining amount, I will clear school fees for my five children for this year."

"Six months ago, my wife got sick and was diagnosed with a condition that consumed almost all the assets that we had bought. Livestock was the last to be sold in our field, and since then we had been struggling to purchase milk from the neighborhood. I am glad that even though the hospital bills consumed all the resources we had, my wife got well and now working hard together to bring back what we lost over that period. After the enrollment into this program, we enlisted all that we needed with approximate cost allocated to each item. On top of the list was livestock that I bought in the second week after receiving the transfer. I spent KES37000 on obtaining a heifer calf and a cow that will soon provide enough milk for my family of four. I also constructed a chicken coop after obtaining construction materials at KES3500 and paid the labor cost of KES1000. Poultry rearing has been of great help to us as we have always depended on the eggs collection - the outcome has been useful in sorting household bills. I also added a sack of maize to our food basket and my wife used the remaining amount on buying clothing for our two children."

"I spent part of my first transfer on buying five goats and ten chickens at KES 18000 that I am currently rearing in my compound. This has been my desire to keep them but I couldnt afford them because they are too costly. I later bought some building materials such as buiding poles, timber, nails, and threads. I planned to construct a new house beasue the previous one was very small we couldnt even host a visitor. In addition, I bought a solar panel at KES 3000 which has been of help especially at night. Solar energy is much better than using candles because it is cost-effective. I also paid school fees for my children that are in primary schools. I also saved KES 10000 into my bank account in case of any emergency I will be able to settle it. With the remaining cash, I bought enough food for the family."

"I bought food for my family, two sacks of maize at a total cost of KES6400 because apart from maize meal being our easiest and staple food, it provides some food for both chickens and ducks which is why I preferred buying sacks of maize to maybe a box of maize flour or packets. This gives me peace of mind because we now do not have to worry about where we are going to get food from unlike before. I also intend to buy five goats when the current state of drought and famine improves because it is so risky to buy livestock right now since there are no grass and livestock are dying. Therefore, I have kept aside KES20000 for the five goats that when the climate and weather condition gets better, I will go for the goats because they are also an investment worth having for the future because when they multiply I will be able to sell one or two and address the challenge that I will be facing."

"With the great dependence on farming in our community, being able to till the land, buy certified seeds, plant them, and later harvest has been the greatest happiness we have always had. Even though the process may sound easy, carrying it out from the start to the end demands a lot of inputs. On my side, the greatest challenge had been the cost of cultivation as I have never had the means but always hire from the neighborhood. On receiving the first transfer, I had to obtain a bull at KES25000 that will be paired with the one I had been having to provide the much-needed force at the farm. Oxen to us will not only be beneficial in tilling our pieces of land, but also will be hired out to earn us an extra income. I also invested further in livestock as we had agreed with my spouse to put a larger portion of this money on the projects that will grow to benefit us in the future. I purchased three sheep - one being a ram at KES6500 and two awes both at KES10500. These will be useful in raising school fees for our children in the future, and we can also sell them out to purchase a cow. With the remaining amount, I obtained three chickens at KES1300 and also foodstuff and clothing for my children."

"Additional income to my household is what receiving this money means to me. I have 2 lactating cattle which produce 6 liters of milk for sale at KES 240 daily. I will therefore add one Friesian cow going for KES 40,000, hence an assured KES 150 top-up to my daily income. I will use KES 8,400 of my transfer to clear school fees for my two children in kindergarten. I also intend to initiate poultry keeping, whose income from selling poultry products such as eggs and meat will supplement my earnings from selling milk. I will therefore use KES 10000 to build a modern chicken coop, KES 7000 to fence my compound with wire mesh, and the remaining KES 35,000 to buy chicken."

"In the last six months, I was happy when my husband was able to bring some money home after his casual labours. We were able afford a proper meal of chicken with some nsima. This made me glad. I have also bought a goat that I hope to breed. This makes me feel like my life is improving."

"I received the cash at 9 am. I was tending to my chicken when I received the text message that I had received the money. I became very happy. I quickly told my mother the good news and we all celebrated by ululating. Everybody was happy with the good news."