"For me, Give Directly does everything good, but they don't accept the least thing (water) from us. That attitude from them can really make me feel bad, even if they won't take anything but at least water is enough. Sometimes their staff run out of water and you can see the thirst in them, but when you offer them water, they refuse it and say thanks, that's really not fair."

"My long-term desire has been to have a reliable source of income for my family. After receiving my transfer, I spent KES 35,000 to purchase a second-hand motorbike. This was to help me in fetching water since we are experiencing drought in our area. Similarly, I am engaging in taxi driving where I earn an income of KES 500 per day. This income I use mostly to feed the family as well as save some for paying school fees for my children. Furthermore, I spend KES 2,000 to clear the school fees arrears for my kids. They were always sent how for fees something affected their performance. In addition, I invested KES 8000 in goats rearing an alternative source of income for myself."

"It was around 10 a.m when I received a message bearing great news from GiveDirectly. I was excited to confirm that the promise that I had been given some months ago was finally in. I was fencing around my piece of land around my home. At that moment, my spouse was out to fetch water and on arrival, I welcomed her with the news that excites her a lot. Even though we were so certain that the money will come in, the excitement was overwhelming."

"The better part of last year was very tough for me and my family. The drought did hit us very hard in terms of our source of income. We depend heavily on our farms and without rain, it proved to be a challenge for us to earn a living and get food to it. To add salt to the injury I had an issue with my leg. It was swelling and this meant that it was not able to engage in very strenuous activities. When I received the transfer I spent KSH 1000 on buying food. I decided to do so since that was the major challenge I was facing at the moment. With no rain, it became very dry, and was very hard to find water. This prompted me to buy water from the vendors at very high prices. I spent the remaining KSH 200 buying water for my use at home. With my second transfer, I spent KSH 500 on my Chama. I decided to invest that amount of money so that I can be able to acquire a loan that I will use to build my house which is already falling due to weak surrounding poles. I also spent another KSH 500 in repaying a debt. During the tough times, I went ahead and bought some food on credit so that my children would not starve and also have the energy to go to school and write their exam papers. I also spent KSH 1000 to buy food for my family that we celebrated together with my family members over the festive season. At the end of last year, we started experiencing some light rains. This prompted me to use the remaining KSH 1000 to prepare the land and get it all ready for the planting season."

"I am currently alone with my children who look after me. My husband died and left me all alone. I depend mostly on my children who are currently in different towns trying to do some casual jobs to survive. When I received the first transfer from giving directly it was of great help to me. I spent KSH 1000 on buying food. I had already spent two days having one meal per day before receiving the transfer and when I received it, I quickly decided to stock food for myself. Due to my hip condition, I am not in a position where I can be able to carry water over long distances. The option I only hard is to buy water and also pay for its transportation from the water to source my home. I spent the KSH 200 buying the water for my use. When I received the second transfer, I spent KSH 1000 for my medical expenses. My hip problem had escalated and I was in very much pain and sought the services of a specialist to look into my problem. The expenses of the checkup plus the medicine all amounted to KSH 1000. I used KSH 1400 of the transfer amount to buy food. The health condition I was having did not allow me to work so when the transfer came in that was my priority so that I can be able to feed well and regain my normal condition. I have my two grandkids whom I gave out the remaining KSH 600 for them to be able to go back and continue with their education."

"Receiving this money means better housing for my family because I currently live in a one-roomed house with my two children. I plan to build a bigger iron-roofed house with KES 30000 of the transfer so that I can accommodate my children and guests whenever they come to visit. It will also enable me to harvest clean rainwater for drinking because I fetch water from a nearby river that is not clean and is far from my place."

"Yes, the Transfer has made a very big difference in my life. Currently, I can have two meals per day unlike before when I would have just one meal per day. I am also to buy some water for my livestock to drink. The drought has made it hard to find water. With the transfer, my livestock is in a position to drink water that I buy from the water vendors."

"Receiving this money means a boost to my agricultural products. I am a full-time farmer that rears dairy cows for milk and farm vegetables and beans for sale. I plan to add a dairy cow to the ones that I have to boost milk production since I sell milk to my neighbors and also buy a water tank and pipes that I will use to store water pumped from the nearby river for irrigation of the crops that I grow. A boost in these activities means increased income"

"When I withdrew the money, I looked at how the drought season was taking shape and I decided to buy a second hand motorcycle for KES 45000.00. This motorbike was for both fetching water and also for small luggage and people feo a fee. Later on, the the remaining amount was for the family upkeep."

"When I withdrew the money, the priority was to finalize some payments for a plot which I had bought but there was a balance of KES 30000.00. Thereafter, I paid school fees for my children so that they could settle in school without being disturbed for school fees as well as buying some food for the family. Since it was a dry season, food and water were essentials in a household."