"When I received my first transfer, we did not have food as a family. I always depend on subsistence farming which has not been doing well as a result of unpredictable weather patterns. Unfortunately, the previous season never yielded any crop for us. In addition, the charcoal-making business has also not been supportive because the earnings from it are too low. Therefore upon receiving the transfer, I spent KES 3,050 on buying maize flour whose prices had hiked. It has given me ample time to put more effort into the charcoal-making business. Thanks to GiveDirectly for the financial aid."

"My husband and I rely on charcoal burning to provide for our household of three people (plus my mother-in-law). In a good week, the hustle can generate around KES 500. Given the rising food prices, this amount can only provide food for three days, which leaves us starving or borrowing food from neighbors for the rest of the week. In fact, my household had run out of food a week before the transfer and we consecutively slept hungry. I remember calling Give Directly during that week to check when the next transfer would be sent because things were getting tough. This is why I prioritized food for KES 2750 when I received the money. I spent the remaining amount to buy a chicken and start rearing again following the loss of my previous flock of four hens from a chicken disease."

"When I get the money, I will buy food firstly. Maize prices are getting high buy day, at k1700/5litre now. Possibly they'll get to k2000. So I will buy at least 15bags. Also, I will buy goats to start rearing to sell later when they repoduce. Some amount of the money can be used to buy a bag or two of fertilizer. Since the one we get from coupons is supposed to be shared among a couple of people. That's isn't enough for the whole field. Better buying your own and applying generously in the field, with good rains, one would harvest well."

"We have five children, my spouse runs a small restaurant in a nearby shopping center while I do whatever casual work that comes my way. The business that is our main source of income has not been doing well of late, especially due to the constant rise in prices of food commodities in Kenya. This posed a challenge in paying for our children's school fees and led them to an accumulation of two school term arrears amounting to KES 4000. I, therefore, paid KES 800 in school to reduce the arrears, hoping to clear it with the coming transfers. KES 400 I spent on some of the foodstuffs for my family."

"I work as a watchman at a nearby primary school. While working, I have faced serious challenges, including late payments, low wages, poor working conditions, etc. Often when I am paid late, my family is forced to sleep on hungry stomachs. We no longer grow food on the farm because of the drought that started three years ago. This means we buy all the food from the shop at very high prices. Three days before receiving my transfer, I ran out of money and could not buy food for my family. We survived by drinking half a cup of porridge each day. Upon receiving the transfer, I spent it all buying food for the family. Food was essential in averting a hunger crisis in my family."

"At his advanced age of 72 years, my father no longer actively contributes to the provision of my family's needs. As the first-born son, my family mostly counts on me to financially support the household of nine members. I sell chewing sticks outside mosques in Mombasa. Mostly, the believers use these sticks as toothbrushes after every religious session. Due to the high demand, I can sell up to 300 sticks every week making at least KES 3,000. However, as a result of the heavy burden of responsibilities behind me and the rising commodity prices, sometimes this amount is just not enough to meet a week of expenses. In fact, when I received the transfer, the household had run out of food the previous day and I had no money. So, I used the entire transfer amount to buy foodstuffs for my family."

"Working as a mason during this drought period has been challenging for me because of the scarcity of house construction jobs. The water shortages in these times discourage most people from building houses because of the high cost of sourcing water from the pans, which are miles away. So, in a month, I can only work for seven days where am compensated KES 800 per day. With the overwhelming burden of responsibilities on my shoulders and rising commodity prices, this income barely fulfills all household needs like food and school fees throughout the month. In fact, by the time I received transfers, my two primary school children had missed classes for two days due to overdue tuition fees. I used KES 700 from the transfer to cover the balances and they happily resumed classes. I also used KES 200 to buy tree poles to repair a hole on one wall of my house that had been created by heavy rains. Since hunger is a major concern in the household, I handed the remaining amount to my wife to budget for food."

"I bought foodstuffs for my family at KES 970. We had nothing in the house and raising money for food has been a challenge because we do not have a reliable source of income. I live with my mother, and she is unable to help in providing for the household needs because she is jobless. I sell chapatis in the streets and the business has been slow of late, especially with the current hike in the prices of cooking oil and wheat flour. Besides buying the foodstuff, I used the remaining KES 200 to pay for my child's tuition fee so that I could reduce the balance she owed the school."

"Life has been difficult for my husband since he was diagnosed with tuberculosis six months ago because he is the family's lone breadwinner. His employer, a Mombasa-based tea leaves factory, usually sends him a weekly stipend of KES 1,000 for sustenance while he recovers. However, given the rising commodity prices, this money barely covers our family of seven's necessities, such as food. In reality, the night before the transfer, we slept hungry because my household had run out of food and there was no money. This is why I spent KES 920 on food to last us till my husband's next pay day (every Tuesday). I saved the rest of the money to pay off my daughter's outstanding school fees."

"I have an improvised bed made of ropes. The body pains I experience daily whenever I wake up are unbearable. I once contemplated sleeping on a mat on the floor because I could not afford a stable wooden bed. By God's grace, GiveDirectly came to my rescue. I have therefore saved KES 5000 of my last three months' transfers so that I can use it to purchase a wooden bed that is more stable and durable. 2000 KES I saved in a monthly rotational savings group. I am still planning on the best business to invest in once I earn my shares. I also bought 8 kg of corn flour for my family worth 1000 KES and used the remaining 1000 KES to purchase a new dress. I am thankful for support because life would not be any better without it. I make 1500 KES monthly from the charcoal sale but it can not sustain us especially due to the current rise in the prices of food commodities."