"The drought situation has made it hard for one to get water for use at home. I spent a total of KSH 200 purchasing water. I also have three children who are currently in primary school. They had been sent home to pick school fee balances. I decided to share KSH 300 with each so that they could go back to school and continue with their education. In addition to paying school fees, I spent KSH 1100 buying maize flour. Since I do not have a job, I decided to buy the maize flour so that my family does not miss food. I have a small child who before receiving the transfer developed some health problems. I took her medication to the public hospital but was not able to get better treatment. This forced me to look for a better private hospital so that she could be treated. This in turn ended with me paying KSH 800 for the bill."

"The main challenge we are currently facing is high food prices and lack of rain. The drought situation has made us struggle a lot. This forces us to buy food from the shop. Everything we planted on the farm dried up and that means we cannot get food from the farm. When I received the transfer I did prioritize buying food for my family. I spent KSH 1000 doing that. Water has become very hard to find. Like the food, we also have to buy water from the water vendors at very high prices. I spent KSH 500 purchasing water for my home use. In addition to buying food and water, I spent KSH 1500 in savings in my Chama. We opted to start the Chama so that we can save money and get a considerable amount that one can use to start a bigger project for himself."

"Currently there is drought in our area and I have had to transfer my livestock to another area, where I have to buy grass and water for them which is very costly. Another challange is when one takes a look from inside my home my rooftop is teared apart from the whirlwind that blows all the time so mostly I am rained on l, and also the sun gets in directly and as you can see right now temperatures are so high, so it's quite uncomfortable. During rainy seasons it attracts diseases like pneumonia especially for my grandchildren who are below 5 years. I also go for days without a meal and I have little grandchildren which is quite tough for me. So whatever small i get I have to give them a priority, which makes me feel bad about my current life."

"That day I received the message in the morning and I was so happy because I make money from selling water to people and sometimes the money is not enough so I was so glad that I would manage to pay some of my debts like school fees so that would avoid being sent home and that I could manage to afford a meal."

"I foresee my life-changing upon receiving this money. I have been doing a small business of selling foodstuff in the village which was able to make my family float. Due to the scarcity of water, my household expenses fluctuated that led to high dependency on the business eventually ended up closing. I plan to spend thirty Kenya shillings to restock the business, ten Kenya shillings to purchase a tank to harvest water during this rainy season, and the remaining amount to buy food, this will be a relief to me as a sole breadwinner for the family of three."

"I was busy ferrying water to the school when I met with my neighbor who informed me that he had already received his transfer from GiveDirectly and was rushing to the Mpesa shop to cash it out. As I was wondering why I had not received mine, I heard a message alert on my phone and I quickly fished it out hoping that it was the Mpesa message from GD. My heart was filled with joy and I immediately knew that my life would never be the same again after confirming the receipt."

"I spent part of my first transfer on buying a new bicycle at KES 14000, this has now been of help in transporting water from the dams which are 15KM from the village. I have been using my hand in carrying the Americans which was so tiring. I so bought some building materials like sixteen pieces of iron sheets at KES 10400, building poles at KES 1600, and the nails and timber. I had intended to construct a new house for my three children who have been seeking shelters from friends all along. I also cleared school fees of KES 4000 for my four children who are still in primary school and bought new uniforms as well. With the remaining amount o0f money I am using it to buy foodstuffs"

"Upon withdrawal of the first transfer, I spent Kshs, 27,000 in purchasing a heifer which is about to calf. My aim was to cut the daily high cost of buying milk from my neighborhood. I am excited that in a few months my family is going to enjoy surplus milk daily. We also purchased maize seeds and tilled our land at Kshs.3,000 ready for plantation. With the remaining amount, we managed to purchase a small water tank, clothing, and food. With all this, I am so grateful to God and Give directly for the support."

"I have a plan to buy a water tank and to construct another kitchen. I had planned to construct the kitchen after I was done with the main house but I was not able to since the money was not enough. I wish to build another kitchen because the one that I have is old and grass-thatched. Also, with having constructed a permanent main house, I would like to have a nice kitchen too that is also roofed with iron sheets hence bringing a good picture of the compound. Having constructed a new house that is roofed with iron sheets, I would like to have a water tank for collecting the rain water. This way I will no longer have to make long trips to the river to fetch water. I plan to get money from my grocery business and the self-help groups that I have joined to accomplish these plans."

"My most recent transfer I'm thinking about finishing my house now. I even paid my Children school fees and buy some schools material for them this academic year. I'm even thinking about starting a new business to help me and my family. I just bought zinc and cement to finish my house. Because my house was very old with tach and even leaking with water went rain fall. I'm very happy about this programs with our was not thinking about building a zinc house. Brother even to provide for me and my family it was very difficult."