"I remember I was at home when my neighbours passed by excitedly speaking of having received their initial cash transfers. At that time, my phone was off, making it difficult for me to check whether this was true. I felt helpless. I couldn't verify whether the information is true. Fortunately, I was able to switch it on at a later time, and upon checking my MPESA balance, I was filled with joy on realizing I had received money from GiveDirectly. Words couldn't express the joy I felt. I was relieved that the support of GiveDirectly was timely and it came at a time when I was planning on irrigation of my farm for the planting season."

"I used $100 of my first transfer to purchase two. Goats. We live in a drought-prone area where irrigation facilitates farming, and raising goats is a better plan that can be implemented cheaply. I am currently living on my friend's property because I am unable to purchase my own. With the livestock project I'm currently launching, I hope to sell the goats after they've been bred in order to purchase some land. I spent $80 to help my spouse's clothing business grow. She's been selling them around the village, and the profits have helped me buy household goods with the money I have earned from my construction work. I also spent the remaining $20 on food for my current two-person family."

"Improved agricultural practices on my leased land, as well as the growing poultry project after purchasing 8 chickens, have made the most difference since receiving my first transfer. At the moment, I am confident that a better harvest will ensure food security for my family of three. I am grateful for the irrigation pipes channeled to our lands as part of the government project, which have greatly aided us during the current droughts."

"After receiving my first transfer, I spent $65 on building materials in order to renovate the roof of my current home. I had been living there for three years, and the roof is currently weakened due to termite infestation. I also improved my farming by spending $100 on certified butternut seeds and planting them on an acre of land. Because my farm is adjacent to the county government's free irrigation resources, investing in farming as my primary source of income yields a higher return. In addition, I spent $1 on clothes and $12 on servicing the loan I had obtained after purchasing a motorcycle on credit. In addition, I used the remaining funds to buy food for my family of three."

"Being able to find employment has been the happiest experience of the last six months. A farm that specializes in irrigation has offered me a job. This gave me great joy because it allowed me to support my family. I always felt incredibly happy when I brought meals home."

"Our biggest challenge is money. Money to pay for my 2 children's school fees. They are both in secondary school in form 1 and 3. They go to Njelenje CDSS and their fees K22,000 each and about $45 for both per term. Which is $135 per year. That's a lot of money considering how we find money. My husband has a shop at her trading center where he fixed phones. Money made there is what pays off our children's fees. Food is also a problem but we try to do irrigation farming so that we at least have some food and not rely on buying the whole year."

"Our main challenge is food. This is because of how the rains go here. They start late and stop early. I also don't have a stable source of income to help me attain all that I need. I do rainfed farming and also irrigation farming in winter. I farm onions. I had good sells this year and that how I built the house i live in. So I don't have a problem with housing but utensils in the house. I don't even have doors because the money finished before I could get doors. I sleep on a woven mat and lack good beddings. Comfortable sleep is important aside the house being in condition."

"We live in a semi-arid area, and it hardly rains which renders our farms unproductive. Even though we sometimes practice irrigation, the rivers are seasonal and can dry up with prolonged drought. Financial constraints are the biggest challenge since we depend on farming to earn a living for my family of seven."

"Our family has saved a lot of time and energy by not having to go to the river every day, and the water is now cleaner and safe for us to drink thanks to the $320 water tank I was able to purchase with my second transfer. This tank holds enough water for domestic use as well as for the cows to drink. This water tank will also be very important because it will allow me to undertake irrigation in the event of little or no rain. I used the remaining $210 to pay off a sizable school debt that had accumulated over two terms for my two high school students."

"It's really hard to get employment here in the village. My husband who's the sole breadwinner had a job in Malindi town as a guest house attendant that was paying him $700 monthly, but lost it in September this year when the owner decided to change his line of business and turned the rooms into rental houses. We have been trying a lot to get another reliable source of income but no much success yet. So we've mostly been cashing in from a motorcycle that he rented out to someone who's using it to transport vegetables from irrigation farms in Galana to different markets. This only generates $3 daily which is quite too little to feed a family of four and pay school fees for one of my two children who's already in school paying $ $400 each academic term."