"I have a plan of building myself a house for 500 dollars. This will ensure that my daughter and grandchild will have enough space to stay in. I plan to use the remaining transfers to purchase livestock, particularly goats. I prefer goats because I was forced to sell the majority of our livestock to cater to my children's school fees. I also plan to do farming in the irrigation farms which will not only provide food for my family and me but also provide money for basic needs."

"There's a lot of poverty in the community. Our place is dry and we depend on livestock mainly. The country's economy has also worsened. Prices of commodities are high. There's little to no casual jobs now. In this village, one cannot get any jobs unless you move to the lower part, near lake Bogoria. Irrigation is done there. Due to lack of rains and the fact all farmers depend on irrigation. I can only get at best two days of work in a week. One's paid $2.50 per day. It's difficult sustaining a family with that. When it rains, many people farm and we're able to get plenty of jobs to support ourselves daily. Lack of casual jobs has affected my ability to support family."

"I am an under graduate who did an education degree. Graduated in the year 2021. Getting employment has been difficult because of the limited opportunities in our country. It's also hard getting any form of employment to support my family. It's very difficult getting funds to do farming. Farming does well here. Especially irrigation. Lack of employment has made it difficult for me to invest in farming. If we could have funds to do farming, it will help us develop. We could even expand our poultry farming."

"There are many challenges that I go through in my life. One of the most pressing challenges is the lack of food and water. Our sub-county is very dry and we have to walk for 4km to get water. Sometimes we have to go without food, especially when I don't get work in the irrigation farms. Life is very hard for me here."

"At the beginning of this year, I was able to save some money and I hired an irrigation farm at $10 dollars. I have planted maize on this farm which I expect to use for food and also sell. This has greatly delighted me because I know that we shall have food and money for basic needs and also school fees. I wake up every morning to go and irrigate the plants which brings me joy."

"In the coming year, I hope to connect tap water to our house. This will ensure that we have readily available water for the family use as well as for sale to earn extra income. Currently, we are forced to travel for 2 kilometres daily in searching for clean water. Being old, this is a very tiresome task for me. Similarly, I was lucky to receive 10000 litres water tank from our county government where I intend to store enough water. In addition, I am planning to start a small farm where I would be doing irrigation farming to grow a variety of vegetables like spinach for my own use."

"I'm a community health worker but with little income. I do not want to lie, my wife is also employed but both our incomes can not sustain us. I had start an agriculture project where by I do irrigation farming of all types of vegetables including tomatoes, then supply them to nearby schools. So I bought a generator for this project on hire purchase and I was left with a balance of $200 which I cleared using this transfer. I also paid $180 school fees for my daughter who is in secondary school, she is so happy because she cleared school fees for a whole year. Before I used to depend on bursaries and well wishers to raise school fees for my daughter. I then spent $110 to rent and cultivate a 2 acre piece of land where I planted vegetables for sale. This has really helped me to raise money for food and school fees. Finally, I used the remaining $35 to buy 1 bag of maize."

"I never thought I would get financial assistance in my life like the one I am getting from GiveDirectly. I have been doing casual construction jobs which pay little compared to the many household needs. The transfer has greatly helped me to pay fees for my six children and buy food. My objective is to continue paying fees on time for my six children and ensure that their studies are not interrupted. This will give me an opportunity to spend my small earnings from casual jobs to buy adequate food for the family. I am also planning to buy a water pump that costs Ksh.20000 in the coming years. I will be saving at least Ksh.500 for this purpose. I normally do some irrigation when there is enough rainfall, and I have to carry water from the water pan which is tiresome. Having a water pump will ease the job, and maximise my 1/8 piece of land by planting vegetables for sale."

"Receiving this money means constant food supply for my family of seven. Due to lack of consistent rainfall we lack enough food. I plan on doing irrigation, levelling and fencing. This transfer will change my life forever. I shall plant maize and beans in my one-acre piece of land which will produce food that will last me a year. I am so grateful for this and thankful ."

"I separated with my husband 20 years ago. Life's not easy being a single mother of 4. My biggest challenge now is paying school fees. I have one girl in secondary school and another studying in the university. I need to clear fees areas of $200. I am worried about this year. I will have to raise another $800 to support them fully. I depend on farming to sustain them. This year has been difficult because of the drought. I normally plant maize for sell to support my family. Now I cannot do irrigation because the river source has dried completely."