"Our biggest challenge is money. Money to pay for my 2 children's school fees. They are both in secondary school in form 1 and 3. They go to Njelenje CDSS and their fees K22,000 each and about $45 for both per term. Which is $135 per year. That's a lot of money considering how we find money. My husband has a shop at her trading center where he fixed phones. Money made there is what pays off our children's fees. Food is also a problem but we try to do irrigation farming so that we at least have some food and not rely on buying the whole year."

"Our main challenge is food. This is because of how the rains go here. They start late and stop early. I also don't have a stable source of income to help me attain all that I need. I do rainfed farming and also irrigation farming in winter. I farm onions. I had good sells this year and that how I built the house i live in. So I don't have a problem with housing but utensils in the house. I don't even have doors because the money finished before I could get doors. I sleep on a woven mat and lack good beddings. Comfortable sleep is important aside the house being in condition."

"We live in a semi-arid area, and it hardly rains which renders our farms unproductive. Even though we sometimes practice irrigation, the rivers are seasonal and can dry up with prolonged drought. Financial constraints are the biggest challenge since we depend on farming to earn a living for my family of seven."

"Our family has saved a lot of time and energy by not having to go to the river every day, and the water is now cleaner and safe for us to drink thanks to the $320 water tank I was able to purchase with my second transfer. This tank holds enough water for domestic use as well as for the cows to drink. This water tank will also be very important because it will allow me to undertake irrigation in the event of little or no rain. I used the remaining $210 to pay off a sizable school debt that had accumulated over two terms for my two high school students."

"It's really hard to get employment here in the village. My husband who's the sole breadwinner had a job in Malindi town as a guest house attendant that was paying him $700 monthly, but lost it in September this year when the owner decided to change his line of business and turned the rooms into rental houses. We have been trying a lot to get another reliable source of income but no much success yet. So we've mostly been cashing in from a motorcycle that he rented out to someone who's using it to transport vegetables from irrigation farms in Galana to different markets. This only generates $3 daily which is quite too little to feed a family of four and pay school fees for one of my two children who's already in school paying $ $400 each academic term."

"The plan I have with the transfers is to purchase a 5000 liter water tank which I would use to store water. This water will be of great significance since I'll be able to do farm irrigation. I will also purchase a cow at $500 which would provide my household with milk. It would help me a great deal since I wouldn't have to buy milk any more. The water tank will be a good source of water for the cow since I plan to do zero crazing. The remaining amount will be used to purchase the farm products and also grass for the cow I will purchase. The transfers will surely change my life positively."

"My ambition is to earn a living through agribusiness. When I finished my high school education, I did not proceed further for lack of school fees. Seven years down the line, I do casual jobs to make ends meet. The money I get is unreliable as it is only enough to cater to the basic needs of the family which is food and medication. I cannot invest in farming for lack of capital, even though one can access soft loans the interest rates are very high. Since the only river that we depend on for water flows through my farm, receiving this money would mean achievement of my farming goals. I am considering vegetable farming( Tomatoes and kales) because it earns high profits. I plan on purchasing six rolls of water pipes at a cost of $ 200 which I will use to practice drip irrigation and $ 300 for fencing. I project on earning $300 monthly from it. I am extremely happy with the transfers from Givedirectly because it will make me live a dignified life like everyone else."

"I currently have a goal that I want to complete by the end of the first quarter of the following year 2023. At my house, I want to fix a water tap. This is due to the high cost of purchasing water for home usage. However, I intend to start horticulture cultivation, which needs water for irrigation. Only if I have access to tap water at home will this be possible. Since veggies are hard to come by in our area due to the protracted drought, horticultural farming will be a source of income."

"I am a farmer doing crop farming and rearing chickens for sale. I do irrigation on my 1.5-acre piece of land. It is now one year without receiving rain in our village. The river dried up since April 2022. Due to the shortage of work I had to stop my work. I only depend on casual work now. I used to earn approximately $100 every month from my farm products but now I can a whole month without getting any income. I lack money to buy food now. This is the challenge I am currently facing."

"I have a lot of challenges to face in my life. I was charged with looking after my grandfather's property and livestock after he passed away. However, given the prolonged draughts and lack of water for irrigation, this has not been simple. Since I finished my automotive engineering studies two years ago and haven't been able to find work since then, I am totally dependent on the farm for all of my basic necessities. The lack of rains though, has led to low productivity and lack of cash which is a challenge for me."