"I had just got back from getting water when my son approached informing me that he had heard rumours around that the transfers had already been sent. I immediately asked him to go through my phone and check whether I too had received the money because I could not read. He confirmed that GiveDirectly had sent the transfers and I instantly was filled with euphoria because I knew I could cater for some of the things that we were in urgent need for in the house especially food."

"I had just got back that early morning from fetching water when I noticed a message on my phone. Since I ma not knowledgeable I gave my son the phone so that they could read and relay the information on the text. That is when he informed me that I had just received funds from GiveDirectly which left me over the moon because this meant that my kids could have a meal ."

"The funds came in very early in the morning, right about the time I was coming back from fetching water from the well. After arriving back home,that is when I was informed that everyone around had already received their money so someone helped me check to confirm whether I too was lucky enough to have received the transfers or not. I was so happy after the confirmation because it meant that I could get chance to save some money and finally build my house like I have always wanted."

"The drought we are currently experiencing has come up with many challenges. The rivers have dried up which means we have to walk many kilometers to fetch water and the foods we planted on our farms have also died leaving us with nothing to feed on. Everything is costing money and without a good source of income, we are all doomed to suffer. This situation is stressful and frustrating mostly because the rate of unemployed due to unavailability of jobs is very high and from the looks of things, it is nowhere near ending."

"Louise, before GD came, I planned to build a house of my own but could not be realized due to lock of funding. We sleeping in a house that is terribly eaking. When we experience rain in the night, the night will be very terribly, we will have sleepless night, because we have to place tubs and buckets in different places to stop the water flowing through the entire house. My entire life had been farming and my farming have not yield any positive result, even the products sales could not buy us a piece of zinc to cover our heads. I was enrolled as a recipient on the GD program and received my first, second and third transfers. With these transfers, I started to build a house with zinc for my family to sleep in peace when ever there is rain."

"In the last six months, what has brought me joy is that I'm living in my own house and more besides it's not a thatch structure because I can remember last year when I was living in a thatch structure with my family when the rain starts to fall, the entire room can be full of water, we wouldn't sleep till day. But I blessed God that I'm in a zinc structure with my family."

"Getting safe drinking water is our greatest challenge. Finding school fees for my children is very difficult."

"Prolonged draught has completely transformed the village life I used to know. It used to be farming and livestock keeping, but all that is currently impossible. Moreover, it has made life even more expensive for us as we have to buy water and every type of vegetables even those that we could have gotten from the farms normally. This means you need money to be able to afford life here generally. But even with money we still get to those times when we do not even have the water supply because the water company can only pump occasionally."

"I started a vegetable irrigation farm this year,2022, but it is now stuck due to a lack of funds. The prolonged drought has made the project too expensive as I have to buy water tanks and also fill them with water that I have to purchase and hire a motorist to ferry the 20 litres of jerricans to my farm which is one kilometre away from the water point. Receiving this money means using 20,000 KES to buy two water tanks and fill them with water. I will use the remaining transfer to renovate my house specifically the roof as the timbers were attacked by termites and strong winds or cyclones may bring it down."

"Long droughts per year in our area are a big challenge. In addition to poor yields due to low rainfall, getting clean water for domestic use is the norm of life. I depend on small water pans which are not safe. Animals drinks directly from there and the wash of dirty environment into it buy rainwater makes it inconclusive for us. Water-borne diseases are almost becoming part of us. This cash transfer means good health for my family. I am planning to use KES 25000 to buy and install a 3000-liter water tank. I will be harvesting clean water from my roof thus reducing the difficulty of going for miles in search of clean water. I am certain I will be in a position to reduce water-borne diseases in my family which is my happiness."