"The biggest hardship in my life is lack of money to invest and do various projects that can boost me financially. I have always wished to marry and have children but the tough economic times have been a hindrance. I rely on selling charcoal which is energy draining with very little income. A sack of charcoal goes for only KES 600. This is so little that I can neither save nor support and raise a family."

"With my second transfer i bought 4 bags of fertilizer that i will use in the next farming season. I mostly struggle to find fertilizer which leads to inadequate harvest leading to shortage of food in my home. I saved the other money so that i can use to labour people that will till my land in tje next month. I bought 8 bags of maize to keep me throught the year and 2 blankets to keep me warm in the cold seasons."

"Since the death of my husband, I have been struggling to find basic needs for myself, paying school fees for my children and my grandchildren, buying them clothes even feeding them has been a challenge, I will use this money to start a new business so that the business can be helping me on a long term basis to buy them day to day necessities"

"I have always wished to do more of goat farming compared to crop farming especially now that the rains are unreliable. Goats survive better in such a semi arid area. I already have 10 goats and my plan is to add 10 more at an estimated budget of KES 30,000. Selling the goats occasionally will help pay school fees for my children as well as satisfying other needs. My second plan is building a better house. The walls of my current house are falling off and the roof is porous since it is grass thatched. We spend sleepless nights in the cold especially during the rainy and cold season. A two roomed house with an iron sheet roof will be a good fit for me. I also plan to spend KES 5,000 for treating my eye which got injured four months ago."

"I am happy and excited that give Directly will send me this money, to me this is a way out of poverty, I do not take it for granted, and I will make sure that I use this money wisely."

"Udzu"

"I am a widow. It is not an easy thing to fend for my family alone especially in putting food on the table. It is a tall order, every day is a struggle. I live each day from hand to mouth. Maize production is a thing of the past in this area since the outbreak of lethal maize necrosis disease. That is the biggest challenge I would say."

"My children used to wear home clothes when going to school. Being made a laughing stock by their peers had demoralized them and you rarely found them playing with other kids as they always felt inferior. With the transfer, I was able to buy them new school uniforms and also purchased one sack of maize for our consumption. Currently, they are always cheerful since apart from feeling that they're part of other students in school, they also eat well. This has always made them eager to go to school as they can freely mingle with their peers without being discriminated. Seeing them happy and always in a cheerful mode is the biggest difference in my life as it has also made me feel happy and satisfied as I struggle to always meet their needs as a parent."

"Upon receiving my transfer, I purchased a water tank worth KES 19400 so that I can be using it to harvest rainwater for domestic use during the dry season. I have a leg problem that does not allow me to walk for a long-distance or do something that will strain it. Because of this, I usually hire a motorcycle to help me in ferrying water from the river and this is costly. Also, I purchased a barbed wire worth KES 7000 that I am planning to use in fencing a part of my land where I am planning to plant some animal feeds and a Kukunet worth KES 2600 to use in building a bigger feeding ground for my chicken as I am planning on expanding my poultry project. In addition to this, I managed to spend KES 10300 on clothes, KES 6000 to purchase two sacks of maize, KES 1000 on utensils after saving KES 3000."

"It was still early in the morning when I had just woken up when I received a life-changing opportunity from GiveDirectly. Upon reading the Mpesa message, I became so happy and thanked God and GiveDirectly for sending the cash at the moment when I needed it most. I called out my spouse, informed her about the good news and that we were not going to take a loan to use in paying school fees for our daughter anymore."