"Before December we used to cover very long distances to fetch water but thankfully towards the end of it, the rains started coming. This brought joy and happiness to my life because we no longer had to travel far for water up to date."

"Just after the enrollment by GiveDirectly in the village, a lot has changed not only in the lives of those who had been in extreme poverty but also in the middle-level households that have been struggling to meet their secondary need. In my opinion, GiveDirectly was fair enough to give everyone equal chance that has seen my family enjoy clean rainwater after I bought a tank, watch every program aired on the newly acquired Television, and also good lighting system that has been giving my children ample reading environment. I loved everything that has happened so far and am grateful to GiveDirectly hoping that they will keep doing the great work in other villages."

"I bought a water tank at a cost of KES 20000 for harvesting rainwater. We usually walk for more than half an hour in search of water. Fetching enough water for daily household use is not a walk in the park. It not only consumes a lot of time but energy too. The water tank has been of great relief since I bought it. It holds 3000 liters which we can use for a whole month. KES 16000 I paid in school for my son's college fees. It has been a struggle to raise the fee since we have been depending on subsistence farming and only sell the excess produce once in a while. The rest of the money I spent on iron sheets that I used to complete my house which was halfway. The previous house was too small to fit my large family of seven, but we still squeezed ourselves in it because we had no choice."

"I spent part of my second transfer on paying school fees at a total of KES 1000 for my two children. That was the required money for their exam fees and I was stuck not knowing where I would get the cash. I later bought some iron sheets, cement, gravel, and bricks at a total of KES 10000 to build a pit latrine. Initially, we used to go to the bush to relieve ourselves. This lead to an outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera especially during the rainy seasons. Later on, I bought three goats at KES 9000 which now serve as the assets that I can readily rely on. Finally, with the amount of money that had remained, I bought foodstuffs for my family and other household items."

"Lack of food. The prolonged drought made farming difficult as maize could not survive in this hot weather and maize is our staple food when we do not harvest then it means to hunger. Unclean water. We depend on water from the dams which is not clean and the dam is very far. I take 2 hours to bring 20 litres of water."

"I have a tiny house that barely accommodates my husband and me. The only thing the house can include is a mattress and a Jerry can of water. Sleeping in the same house with my children is not an option and as a mother, I desire to have them close to me at all times. I wish I could build a big and spacious house to feel the gap."

"I spent KES 5000 of my second transfer on clearing fees for my children and bought new school uniforms. Their exams were approaching and I was certain that they would miss them. I am happy that the money came in good time. In addition to that, I bought three goats at KES 9000. These will now serve as the living assets that I can rely on at any time. Also, I bought a new bicycle at KES 12000 which has now been of help especially in transporting water from the dams since they are 12KM away from the village we lived In. In addition, I bought fifteen pieces of iron sheets at KES 15000 which was for the completion of my house. With the remaining amount of money, I am using it to buy foodstuffs for the family."

"We spent the second transfer on building another house. We used to live in only one grass-thatched house. We had always wished to build another that is roofed with iron sheets but we did not have the money. My husband usually does casual jobs of fencing other people's farms while for me I usually practice small-scale farming. The little money that we get usually goes to the purchase of food for our family of four. Maize does not usually do well in our area because it usually gets affected by some disease and the area is usually dry most of the time. We are grateful to GiveDirectly because we now have another house that is roofed with iron sheets just like that of our neighbors. We also can collect clean rainwater for our household use."

"I spent part of the second transfer money on building another house for my family. I spent KES 17000 on doing so. I had bought iron sheets with the first transfer. I decided to construct another house because we use to live in only one house that was small and grass-thatched. There was not enough space for us three and there was nowhere to welcome the guests who come to visit. I also decided to do so because I wanted a house that is roofed with iron sheets so that I could clean rainwater for our household use. We usually go to fetch water from the river which is not that clean. Apart from the house, I also bought a piece of land at KES 40000. I bought a point of an acre. I decided to buy more land because the one that we live in is small and there is nowhere for us to cultivate. I plan to plant maize on the land for our consumption. This will hence result in reduced costs on the purchase of food and I can save money that I make from my business of selling sour milk. I also bought a few chickens with the remaining amount of money and they have been of great help to me since I am to sell the eggs and get money for buying some household necessities such as sugar, salt, soap, etc. I was able to achieve all these because I still had some money that I had saved from the first transfer. I am happy and so much grateful to GiveDirectly because my life changed for the better. I didn't have anything before but now I feel that I am somewhere."

"We spent the second transfer on buying a water tank and gutters for collecting the rainwater. We bought the tank at KES 20000 and the gutters cost us approximately KES 15000. We also used KES 4000 to pay for two monthly check-ups for our child who usually goes for them and her transport cost. With the remaining amount, we used in buying food. We decided to buy the tank and the gutters so that we can collect clean rainwater for our household use. We usually go to the river to fetch water but the water from the river is not clean, one can get sick by consuming it. We were not able to buy the water tank before because we didn't have the money. We usually depend on the sale of eggs and milk from our cow and chickens to get money for buying food and other household items. I am also casually employed to baby sit a child and the money that I get paid I usually save some of it in the self-help groups through the merry-go-round contributions. The lump sum amount that I receive from the merry-go-round contributions is what we usually use in paying school fees for our child who is in his final year of secondary school. We are hence grateful to GiveDirectly because we were able to collect rainwater and hence we now have clean water for our use."