"In my opinion, giving everyone transfers in the village was not just a huge financial solution, but it was also a way of making sure there is no conflicts between those who got and those who didn't get the transfers, and this boosted our freedom and flexibility when using the money."

"When I fell ill in October 2022, I attended medication at Nakuru Level 5 hospital and I was admitted for 3 days. I was diagnosed with spinal cord injuries as a result of TB and therefore I had to seek the services of an orthopaedic trauma and spine surgeon which is expensive. Although my health is now improving, I am saddened to be bedridden and thus can not fend for my family of 9. I now depend on my children and husband to provide food daily for the household. This is stressful as I feel I am a burden to them."

"Even though I live alone, acquiring food is still a challenge. I often depend on casual jobs such as weeding to earn $2 daily which I use to purchase food. However, these jobs are unpredictable as I can only attend 5 jobs in a month hence living in debt since I have to eat and if I do not borrow, I often go to bed hungry. It pains me to be a bother to my family as I always depend on them for provision when I am low."

"Water is a basic need that each household depends on daily. Unfortunately, accessing this commodity in my household is strenuous and expensive as well. It is only during rainy seasons that we can easily fetch water from the nearby seasonal river unlike now when the area is dry. At the moment, I travel for 3 kilometres to Koriema resort where I purchase water at $0.03 for a 20-litre jerrican. Although I have a motorcycle for transportation, it is somewhat time-consuming and expensive as well since I have to buy fuel. It pains me to use $2.2 daily towards this course away from other family expenses."

"This coming year I am hoping to accomplish my agriculture activities and the full establishment of a business and also the completion of my house."

"I am hoping to manage my farming activities well and hopefully venture into other forms of businesses in future, farming is becoming a little unreliable because of climate change and I would not want to risk a lot with farming now."

"My main goal at the moment is trying my best to source a better paying job than what I have currently, plus also avoiding the risks with being a security guard. In the long run, starting a small mini mart to sell goods to the locals would be the ultimate path towards my financial stability and that of my family."

"I want to launch a poultry business throughout this year. I currently rely on farming, but it has been difficult because of the severe drought. Due to a lack of rain, all of the crops we planted last year dried up, causing us to suffer significant losses. I want to start a poultry project where I can make money by selling chicken at the market. As a result, I won't have to worry as much about feeding my family. In addition, I want to help my kids learn and keep them from being sent home a lot by paying school fees for my 3 children."

"I was without a place to call my own. With the transfers from GiveDirectly, I was able to build myself a home, consisting of one room and a verandah. In my building endeavours, I need to source and pay for ,water, cement, labour amongst a host of many other consumables. It was a thing of pride, being able to tell my 2 sons and 4 daughters, that you built yourself a home. All my daughters are married and I have no underage kids, so the funds GiveDirectly sent me were funneled towards allowing me to achieve the dreams I have always desired but been unable to achieve, and for this I am eternally greatful to GiveDirectly. Other than the coconut business I have selling what I harvest from my farm, I don't need to worry so much about my 2 sons who live with me since one works at a petrol station ,while the other is a turn boy at Kilifi. That meant that I had no guilt when allocating my funds to the needs that affected me most, individually."

"I want to build a new, much larger and better house than the one I currently have. Since I built it five years ago while I was still in primary school, I didn't give it much thought. At that point, all I required was a place to sleep. I've already started setting aside $10 each month, and I intend to keep saving a portion of the transfers to generate money to buy iron sheets and nails. I won't include timber in my budget because we have enough trees at home. When I have reached this objective, I will work to enroll in a technical college. Though I haven't made up my mind yet, I will have chosen by next year the course I want to take."