"I had been buying milk for a long time from my neighborhood since I never had a cow that could give my family enough milk for use. On receiving my first transfer, I spent KES 23000 on obtaining a heifer that has given me new hope to soon produce enough milk for my family. I also needed to till my land in readiness for the planting season and had to spend KES 5000 on hiring a tractor. I also spent the remaining amount on obtaining foodstuff worth KES 8000, clothing for my three children worth KES 4000, furnishing the new house with cushions on our new seats at KES 2500, a water tank that will be useful in storing rainwater, and reducing the tedious movement to and from the river at KES 2500, and saved the remaining KES 4000 meant for the farm inputs in the next planting season."

"One the major challenge that I face is to find food to feed my family. At the moment, I am doing some works on my farm but getting food to feed myself while doing that work is a serious challenge for me because the rice on my farm is not ripe for harvest yet. Another challenge I face is with my dwelling place. When rain falls, we have to put pans and buckets on our bed and other places in the room so that the water can't wet our things. The room gets cold when this happens."

"It was around 10 am when I was on my way back home from the nearby water pan. I had gone to fetch water for my family. I heard a message on my phone upon checking I discovered that I had received the transfer. I felt very happy and eager to reach home to tell my spouse about the good news. He also felt happy and we jointly rejoiced for receiving the transfer."

"I spent KES 30,000 to construct a decent shelter for my family by purchasing 20 iron sheets, nails, building poles, and paying labor costs. The house that I had earlier was collapsed which was so dangerous to my family members. I was constantly afraid that it may collapse at night while I am asleep. In addition, I bought modern beddings for KES 10,000 this is because I was using a traditional bed and sacks which were not comfortable. I spent the remaining amount to acquire enough food and save some amount to cater for other daily needs like water."

"Over the school holiday, I engaged in casual jobs like Palm wine tapping and fetching water for our neighbors. The money I made enabled me to buy two chicken and two goats that I'm rearing for resale, hopefully during the Christmas season."

"I was on my way back from fetching water from the nearby water pan. I was with 3 other relatives coming home. Our phones ringing at the same time we did not mind to stop to monitor our phones. When I reached house, I checked my phone and I was surprised to see an Mpesa message indicating I had receive my transfer. I felt very happy for the aid that will accomplish my desires in life."

"I was at my maternal home where I had gone on visit my mum who was sick. I heard a message on my phone, Being old and unable to see clearly, I pass over my phone to my niece who confirmed that I had received my transfer. I was excited to learn that I had received the aid. I immediately went to withdraw it to purchase drip water for my mum who was in bed sick."

"Whenever I look at my children, my heart breaks at the sight. We have so many financial struggles that I can't even afford a good diet for the family. My children look malnourished and as a parent, much as I would like to keep my head above the water and hope all will be well someday, I can't seem to find joy in anything at the moment."

"The purchase of the two water tanks after receiving the transfer is the biggest difference in my daily life. Even though I had not been having any streaming income, I had been hoping to obtain at least one to ease my walk to and from the river every day. This project has given me hope to soon establish a long-lasting water reservoir that will keep me both over the rainy and the dry seasons. Rainy seasons will be important since I will be fetching water, ensuring that the tanks are full so that the usage of the stored water might take a little bit longer."

"I no longer have worries nor stress about being able to provide food, education for my children, shelter and access to water because of the transfer I received from GiveDirectly. I used to sell charcoal to earn a living and this source of income was not enough to cater for our living expenses. I was very much worried especially about where I would get money to educate my daughter who is in class 6. With the transfer that I received, I purchased a water tank which can hold 300 liters of water; this assures me of water security to my family since we are living far from the water points. I also managed to construct some pillars for my existing house to make it firm. Before, our house was somehow unstable because the poles were destroyed by termites.. I am very grateful to GiveDirectly."