"With the prolonged drought in my area getting food and fresh water to drink has always been the problem. I have to pay KES 100 for twenty liters of the dam water. This challenges me to provide for my family with all money I get I spend mostly on water."

"As you can see i am staying in a very tiny house with everything there clothes, utensils, sleeping place and bucket so this money will be meaningful to me and my family as i will build a big and spacious house so that i will be able to put things inorder like a bedroom will be a bedroom and it Will also include a store room whereby i Will be putting utensils and other things. I have a baby who is clawing and is very risk to leave him alone in the house as he can drown in a pale of water since is very small. Depending on how we find money through casual labour we only managed to build this small bed sitter which is not conducive but we are just coping"

"Unstable source of income is the biggest hardship I am currently facing. I am a small businesswoman running a vegetable kiosk in the village. It has a stock worth KES 1000 which gives me a profit of KES 200 on a good day. This amount is insufficient to cater to all my family's basic needs such as food and water. Approximately, my family spends KES 300 a day."

"When schools reopened, parents were required to pay fees upfront. I could not raise the money, therefore, three of my children were sent home. As a parent, I feel like I failed them. Hopelessness has become part of me and before I drown in sorrow, I am still holding my head above the water, praying God will make a way out."

"Yes. I do have new goal I n my life and this is because of the funds I received from Give Directly. I did buy a second hand motorcycle. With this motorcycle I can do many things that will be able to uplift my life. Firs I use it to fetch water for my home use and also for the livestock. I live in an area where we experience drought and finding water is very hard and I have to walk for several kilometers to be able to find water. Before I received this cash it was very hectic and tiresome and sometime I would go without water for some few days. I also do business with the motorcycle and from that I earn cash that I use to settle my family needs. I also bought a sewing machine that I use to sew clothes for other people and it’s also a means for me to get something that will help in catering for the needs of my children and family. Before I used to borrow from my friends or even hire but now that I have mine I will not incur additional costs in doing my business. Generally the cash fro give directly has been able to empower me to have multiple source of income and from this I am able to think out of the box and continue investing more and more so that I do not go back to the situation I was before receiving the cash. Since receiving the cash my life has changed and I thank Give Directly for their support may god bless you so much."

"Yes. I want to build my family a better house. I have in mind a 2 bedroomed house having a veranda. My house at the moment is in a bad state. It is actually falling down and any time from now the house might come down and it’s even dangerous and scary to sleep inside the house. With the new house I am going to build, its going to provide shelter for me and my family. During times of bad weather I have not been able to sleep comfortably and with the new house coming my children will sleep well away from the harsh weather such as the rain. The other goal I have is to buy livestock and start rearing. The livestock will help me greatly once they double in numbers. I can sell some, while I can use some as food for my family in times of need. I am planning to also buy a bicycle to help in fetching water for my family. This area we live in known for famine and water shortages. I have to walk for very long kilometers of about 60 to and fro to be able to get water for use at my home. With the bicycle it’s going to make work easier for me and I will be able to access the faraway places and get water for my use and even sell to earn cash."

"The biggest difference in my daily life after receiving the first transfer is the availability of clean water from the tap. Buying a large water-holding facility is a great step for me as this reduces the frequency of visiting the river and also will be useful during dry seasons as I will not be using the dirty water from the river. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the support that has seen me and my household's living standards improve."

"Renovation of my house both on the floor and the exterior walls where I laid a strong starter strip to prevent rainwater from splashing on the wooden walls and making the poles and timber rot is the biggest difference in my daily life. I find it easier to clean the floors at the moment and not straining anymore now that I am alone in the house. I am grateful to God and GiveDirectly for the great support that has made me smile again."

"I had just arrived from fetching water at the only remaining water pan due to the drought we are experiencing in our area. I had walked for 3 hours with 20litres on my head I was extremely tired. I was relaxing in my house when I received the message alert on my phone. After checking, I realized that I had received the transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt very happy for receiving my transfer. I had to wait until the next day to travel to my husband's workplace to inform him as well as plan together on how we could spend the transfer."

"When I received the money I was at the shamba looking after my goats. I remember it was around 8am and the goats were enjoying the moist grass before they turn to their poor state due to the high degrees of the sun we're experiencing nowadays. I felt so happy for receiving the money from GiveDirectly. For your I felt like I have been poured some cold water in a warm environment for I felt refresh after picturing how my problems were going to be solved."