"To address the issue of food scarcity at home, I plan to allocate KES 20,000 specifically for purchasing food. Additionally, I intend to use a portion of this amount to acquire essential household items such as utensils, a bed, a mattress, plastic chairs, beddings, and mosquito nets. These items are crucial for ensuring comfort and security for my family, protecting them from cold and insect bites. Another priority is securing land for irrigation, which has been a persistent challenge. Therefore, I will allocate KES 30,000 towards leasing land and purchasing necessary farm inputs. This investment aims to establish a sustainable income source through agriculture for my family. Furthermore, KES 15,000 will be dedicated to paying secondary school fees for my sibling, ensuring his education continues uninterrupted. To diversify our income streams, the remaining KES 45,000 will be utilized to purchase a cow and add two goats to our livestock. This strategic investment is aimed at enhancing our food security in the future."

"My lovely wife have been rearing chicken in our compound as her investment so iam planning to support her business of poultry keeping. This business of poultry is working well in our village and we have a lot of people from different towns coming to buy them. iam planning again to venture into agriculture because I have a large piece of land and water is available for irrigation and also farming is the main livelihood activity i do. For a home to be lively you have to possess livestock's. iam planning to invest some money for livestock keeping, buy food for my family and buy clothes for my children for them to be attractive and beautiful because it has been long time ago since I bought clothes for them"

"I am a farmer and I have a big Piece of land but due to financial challenges iam not able to cultivate it. I use to depend on other people's water pumps for irrigation. iam planning to use KES 45,000 of my cash transfers to buy my own water pump to irrigate my farm. We are really blessed in our village because if you have water pumps and pipes you get rich very fast because watermelons, and Tomatoes, maize beans, vegetables and green grams does well, in a period of two to three months they are ready. I am planning to use the remaining money on farming, livestock keeping, stock food for my family and buy clothing for my children"

"Seven months ago, I ventured into retail shop business to generate income for my family of seven. I have been eager to expand this business, but financial constraints have held me back. Since we rely on farming for our livelihood, most of our earnings go towards basic needs like food, clothing, and school fees for my children, leaving little room for savings. When the transfers come through, I am determined to invest $400 into expanding my retail venture. This opportunity not only promises extra income but also fills me with hope to better serve our community. Another $300 will go towards a new water pump for irrigation; our current one is damaged, and ensuring reliable irrigation is vital for our farming. These decisions are more than just financial investments; they are steps towards securing our family's future."

"With my final transfer from GiveDirectly, I plan to invest in fruit farming, focusing on growing bananas, papayas, and mangoes. These crops thrive in our region and have a readily available market, allowing me to generate profits to support my family's daily needs. To address the water shortage issue, I will purchase a pipe and generator to facilitate irrigation for my fruit trees, which require less water compared to other crops. I'm confident that within the next three years, this investment will start yielding a steady income, complementing my husband's low earnings as a primary teacher. By diversifying into this more reliable and water-efficient farming investment, I aim to provide a more stable financial foundation for our family."

"Given my ongoing struggles with acquiring enough money for food and basic household items, I am planning to address our immediate needs and secure our future income. Initially, I intend to allocate KES 5,000 for food and KES 6,000 for purchasing mattresses and chairs, which are essential for our comfort. Looking towards securing a future income source, I plan to invest KES 9,000 in acquiring two goats, which I believe will sustain my family in the long term through breeding and the sale of offspring. Addressing our long-standing housing issue, I aim to utilize KES 45,000 to purchase construction materials for a larger house capable of accommodating all 5 members of my family. Furthermore, to enhance our income security, I plan to allocate another KES 45,000 towards purchasing a generator and irrigation pipes for my one-acre farm. This investment is crucial for revitalizing the farm and making it productive, which will ultimately contribute to our financial stability in the future."

"Happy me! The GiveDirectly message popped up on my phone while I was at work in Tiaty sub-county. I was overjoyed, and the first words out of my mouth were, "Wow! God is with me." The excitement bubbled up inside me, and I immediately called my wife, forwarding her the message. She was at home, and when I told her the news, she was very happy too. "Finally, the money from GiveDirectly has arrived," I said. We shared a moment of pure joy over the phone.Even though I received the money on Wednesday, I decided not to touch it until I got home on Friday. After hanging up, my thoughts turned to how we could use this blessing. The first thing that came to mind was investing the money in our farming. Specifically, I thought about paying for water for irrigation. We often have to pay $40 to the irrigation board in Kenya to ensure we have enough water for our crops.With this money, I knew we could secure the water we needed and improve our farming efforts. My family and I are very grateful and thank God for using GiveDirectly to bless us with this unconditional cash."

"To solve the food problem for my family of 6, I plan to allocate KES 5,000. Following flood-related losses, KES 15,000 will be used for essential household items like utensils, beddings, and clothing. Addressing the high cost of milk, I intend to invest KES 35,000 in acquiring a dairy cow. The cow will provide milk for our household and generate extra income from sales in the neighborhood. KES 10,000 will cover school fees. Another KES 6,000 will be used to purchase 2 sheep, adding to our income streams. To overcome financial barriers hindering the start of fruit farming at my home farm, KES 39,000 will be spent on fencing and purchasing mango seedlings, along with fuel for irrigation."

"To maximize productivity on my 1-acre farm, I will invest $307 in purchasing essential farm inputs such as a generator, HDPE pipes for irrigation, tilling services, high-quality seeds, and watering equipment. This investment aims to address the recurring food shortages my household faces. To tackle both the food and school fees challenges, I will allocate $154 towards buying food, essential household items, and clothing for my children. A portion of this amount will also contribute to covering school fees for my grade 7 child. The remaining $385 will be dedicated to constructing a one-room house with a flat iron-sheet roof that can better withstand floodwaters compared to our current mud and pole structure. This new housing solution aims to provide safer and more stable living conditions for my family."

"Having been adversely affected by the recent floods that raged through my house causing loss and despair, I am planning to use KES 40,000 as the cost of demolishing the current house and transporting materials to the acquired land (not prone to floods). The cost includes labour cost for construction of the new house. To make my farm productive again, i intend to acquire irrigation PDE pipes to supply water at a cost of KES 60,000. The remaining KES 10,000 will help in buying farm inputs (Tilling, seeds, fertilizer and Insecticides)"