"I spent most of the money on buying a water tank. I wanted the water tank because I do not have a source of water. I am old and I am not able to go to the river to fetch water. I depend on my grandchildren to go fetch some for me, sometimes they are not available because they usually go to school. I have always wanted to buy one but due to financial constraints, I was not in a position to. I am not able to engage in any income-earning activity due to my old age and I depend on my children to provide for me."

"For the past three months my son bought a big storage tank of 5000 litres. This has really made my work easier in terms of water harvesting. Sometimes back I had to go for almost 5 km to and fro for water. This was so challenging to me, in my old age. I was happy when I got this storage tank as I am able to harvest enough water during raining seasons."

"I spent part of my first transfer on buyng a new mattress for my children at KES 5000, this was to replace the old one which had won out. I also bought a water tank of 300ltrs at KES 2600 and I am currently storing water for my domestic consumption. I also settled a debt of KES 4000 for my friends in the village and I am glad I am at peace. In addition, I bought building poles at KES 8000, threads nails, and timber. This is purposely for the construction of a new house becasue the previous one had an old and very small one it could not accommodate. I later cleared school fees of KES 5000 for my four children who are in primary school. With the remaining amount, I bought new school uniforms and sufficient foodstuffs,"

"Receiving this money means a better livelihood for me and my family.My mother passed away years ago leaving my brother and I to fend for ourselves and being a single parent of two, life has been hard. I did not proceed with my education because of lack of finances instead I decided to do casual jobs to sustain myself. This is a sign of hope as from now on I'm positive my life will change for the better. I plan to purchase a dairy cow of about KES 30,000. For the rest, I will construct a bigger iron-roofed house so that it helps me in collecting rainwater as well as a bigger house for us."

"I am lucky my piece of land borders a bigger river in our area. I am a farmer and this serves my livestock well and my kitchen garden. Since we have no other options, we collect water for domestic use from this river stream. I enjoy it being near, but its water is not good for domestic use since livestock drink from and all other dirty things are washed into during the rainy season. We are forced to use this since rainwater can not last long enough. To be receiving this money means healthy living. I am planning to use KES 33000 to buy a 5000-liter water tank. This is an assurance of clean water for us. I will no longer have to incur the cost of buying treatment or be worried about the health of my family. Thank you GiveDirectly for coming through for me."

"With a family of six members, all financial obligations had proven to be challenging. All four children are in school, two are in secondary school, and two are in primary. Upon receipt of my first transfer, I choose to prioritize paying Kshs.10,000 pending arrears for the ones in secondary and also used Kshs.2260 to clear the outstanding balance for the ones in primary. I am now at peace that they are currently studying peacefully without being sent home. With Shs.6,300, I choose to buy ceiling materials for my house with labor inclusive. I also spent Kshs.25,000 to buy a water tank since I use to go a far distance to fetch water, with the newly acquired tank, I will be able to harvest water during the rainy season which could sustain us for some time.With the remaining amount, I bought food that could sustain my family for a couple of months."

"Hunger is the major challenge in my house. We currently are facing shortage of both food and water. I have to skip some meals in a day so that I can survive. I drink porridge in the morning and look for anything to eat in the afternoon and depend a heavily meal in the evening. I am growing thin day after the other because of food shortage in my house."

"I am living in a small house with my husband and 2 children. I am lucking privacy because the house has only one room and the children are growing older now. It's hard even to undress my clothes in the house when the children are inside. We are facing drought in our area, there is no water and food. We are drinking salty water from a nearby borehole. Getting daily meals is also a problem because I have to do casual labour in order to eat. My husband is old and has lost eye sight meaning he cannot do any work but depends entirely on me."

"The challenge that I am currently facing is a lack of regular income. My wife and I rely on charcoal production as the main economic activity. The job is energy-draining and due to insufficient big trees, it is hard to produce high-quality charcoal. In a month I earn KES 4000, while in a day I require KES 350 to spend on food and water for nine Members, hence can not sustain the whole family. Due to this, it has been a challenge to save enough money to construct a big house. Occasionally when I hist visitors, I have to seek help from neighbors to accommodate them which is embarrassing."

"I currently face a problem of clean water. Water in this area is a big problem. The only source of water in this area is a water pan established by an Arabian who has a farm. The only problem with this water is not safe and clean. It's salty and drinking is by just the fact we have no other option. To find clean water here, one has to use almost 450KES a day for only 100ltrs. This situation has caused some of my children complain stomach ache."