"At the beginning of this year, I was able to save some money and I hired an irrigation farm at $10 dollars. I have planted maize on this farm which I expect to use for food and also sell. This has greatly delighted me because I know that we shall have food and money for basic needs and also school fees. I wake up every morning to go and irrigate the plants which brings me joy."

"In the coming year, I hope to connect tap water to our house. This will ensure that we have readily available water for the family use as well as for sale to earn extra income. Currently, we are forced to travel for 2 kilometres daily in searching for clean water. Being old, this is a very tiresome task for me. Similarly, I was lucky to receive 10000 litres water tank from our county government where I intend to store enough water. In addition, I am planning to start a small farm where I would be doing irrigation farming to grow a variety of vegetables like spinach for my own use."

"I'm a community health worker but with little income. I do not want to lie, my wife is also employed but both our incomes can not sustain us. I had start an agriculture project where by I do irrigation farming of all types of vegetables including tomatoes, then supply them to nearby schools. So I bought a generator for this project on hire purchase and I was left with a balance of $200 which I cleared using this transfer. I also paid $180 school fees for my daughter who is in secondary school, she is so happy because she cleared school fees for a whole year. Before I used to depend on bursaries and well wishers to raise school fees for my daughter. I then spent $110 to rent and cultivate a 2 acre piece of land where I planted vegetables for sale. This has really helped me to raise money for food and school fees. Finally, I used the remaining $35 to buy 1 bag of maize."

"I never thought I would get financial assistance in my life like the one I am getting from GiveDirectly. I have been doing casual construction jobs which pay little compared to the many household needs. The transfer has greatly helped me to pay fees for my six children and buy food. My objective is to continue paying fees on time for my six children and ensure that their studies are not interrupted. This will give me an opportunity to spend my small earnings from casual jobs to buy adequate food for the family. I am also planning to buy a water pump that costs Ksh.20000 in the coming years. I will be saving at least Ksh.500 for this purpose. I normally do some irrigation when there is enough rainfall, and I have to carry water from the water pan which is tiresome. Having a water pump will ease the job, and maximise my 1/8 piece of land by planting vegetables for sale."

"Receiving this money means constant food supply for my family of seven. Due to lack of consistent rainfall we lack enough food. I plan on doing irrigation, levelling and fencing. This transfer will change my life forever. I shall plant maize and beans in my one-acre piece of land which will produce food that will last me a year. I am so grateful for this and thankful ."

"I separated with my husband 20 years ago. Life's not easy being a single mother of 4. My biggest challenge now is paying school fees. I have one girl in secondary school and another studying in the university. I need to clear fees areas of $200. I am worried about this year. I will have to raise another $800 to support them fully. I depend on farming to sustain them. This year has been difficult because of the drought. I normally plant maize for sell to support my family. Now I cannot do irrigation because the river source has dried completely."

"After enrolling in the program, I was eager to begin spending the money on the goals that my spouse and I had set for ourselves. When I got the first transfer, I went to the list we had and made sure I spent it in the order we had set. With the first $100, I bought a chain link fence and used it to keep out stray livestock that had been invading and feeding on the growing grass. I intend to bring in at least a dairy cow and a goat to provide milk for my family of three, but first I need to ensure that I have enough grassy grazing grounds. I also spent $11 on a horse pipe, which I plan to use to connect piped water to irrigate my land. Irrigation is completely dependent on farming in our region, and I hope to venture into irrigation-aided farming to ensure food security and reduce food purchases. I also spent $35 on food, which included dry maize, beans, and rice, all of which we still use. In addition, I purchased other household consumables and saved the remainder to inspect and replenish any depleted household items."

"This village of ours as you can see is very dry, it has been three years since we got enough rains. As a result, there is a water shortage and no crops can be planted. I last planted crops three years ago. There are irrigation plots in our village, but they require hiring, and I don't have any money for that. I sometimes go without meals because I only occasionally make $3 in casual labor, which is insufficient to pay for food for both my mother and me. I feel bad for having to go without food because I don't have anything to prepare. Since I need money for food and there is occasional casual work for me to do, I am faced with a challenge that I cannot overcome.."

"On the day I received the transfer, I was stressed out due to the lack of money to buy the next meal. I had nothing at hand. Upon receipt of my transfer, I sent $36 through a mobile money transfer to our local shopkeeper at our Korma Shopping Centre for foodstuff. Words couldn't express my gratitude. I was elated with joy. I depend on irrigation water on my farm and this had been stopped for a while. I also paid $50 to buy a sewing machine that'd help me start my own business. I have five children, I spent $80 to buy clothes for them, and the remaining amount was saved to help with our daily upkeep. This would have been impossible before because of school fees responsibility on my husband and me. I'm thankful to GiveDirectly for the support which has uplifted my family."

"The tremendous distinction in my day-to-day life described before is the cash transfer gave me an expectation for a better tomorrow. The reason why I say this is because I was allowed time to decide what I wanted to do with the money with no conditions. I feel delighted and overjoyed to have achieved my goals in a short period. I have no worries whatsoever about where to get money for the irrigation of my farm in the coming planting season. This is all attributed to the cash transfer. I'm happy for the support of uplifting our lives."