"I spent KSH 1000 on food. I decided to spend on food. It has been a rough road for us in the past couple of months. Our farms are no longer productive as it was before. We are experiencing no rainfall at all. What we plant in our farms is disappointing due to the weather conditions we are undergoing at the moment. This has made water become very expensive and so the first thing that came to mind was spending the cash on food so that we could avoid starvation. I also spent KSH 2000 on paying school fees for my children. My children had been sent back home due to overdue school fees payment. I am happy that they are back in school and continuing with their education."

"We have not been getting reliable rainfall for the last few years. Getting food and water is a challenge currently. We have to buy all these items and we can not do without them. I am unable to provide these needs and my kids end up wearing clothes for 3 days."

"With the prolonged drought, getting fresh water to drink is a challenge. I have to walk for 10 kilometers to get 20 liters jar of water which cannot be used for more than one day. I have to spend KES 500 to buy 5 jars to sustain me for one week."

"The challenge that I am currently facing is scarcity of food and water. This is due to the drought that we are currently experiencing in our area. I buy 4 of 20 liters of water daily that cost me KES 200. This is very costly for me since I have to buy food every day for my family. With most of the money going on buying food and water paying school fees is now a problem for me."

"The challenge that I am currently facing is water scarcity due to drought. All the water pans that we have been depending on have dried up. I have to spend KES 500 per week to buy 5 (20 liters) jerricans of water which is very costly to me. Due to this my children and I have to bathe once per week so that we to use the water available for cooking and drinking only."

"The new goal that I have now that I didn't have before receiving the transfer is that of purchasing a water tank. I used to walk for a long distance to collect clean water for domestic uses. This was not easy before because I didn't had the money to buy a water tank. When I received the transfer from GiveDirectly, I decided to purchase a water tank to help me save time and be in a position to get clean water. Currently I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed my living standard."

"I had left home for the water point that very morning of receiving the transfer and I hadn’t carried my phone too. At around 9am when I returned home, some people asked me whether I had received my transfer from GiveDirectly because they had received theirs. Being illiterate, I just saw letters on the screen of my phone and inquired from one of the family members and she confirmed I had received the money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy knowing that I have already managed to solve some pending issues that were bothering me and I was unable to solve before."

"The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am optimistic that I will be able to have enough clean water for my family use after purchasing a water tank and once I complete the installation of gutters around my house. I will no longer have to walk for a long distance to get this precious commodity in my life. Furthermore, I will be able to sell some water to my neighbours to earn a living."

"What has brought me joy and happiness is the rainfall we have been experiencing recently. This is the joy of every farmer. Water is important to me being a vegetable farmer because I have several nurseries that need a constant water supply. For the past three months, there has been a lot of rainfall, making the seedlings grow very fast. I could even sell every two weeks making up to KES 5,000, which compared to previous months is a lot."

"I received the transfers in the morning while I was still home because I was waiting to see if anyone would call me for work. Most times I help people in delivering water to their homes and they pay me minimal wages which sort out my family financial problems from time to time but they barely cover the cost of everything and most times me and my children end up going to bed in empty stomachs. In short I am extremely thankful for the money I get."