"I was busy untying my goats to take them to the grazing field in the evening when I received a message on my phone. Since I cannot read the messages, I always ask my children to read them for me. Luckily, at that moment, my son came home from school, and I asked him to check the message before I could leave to graze the livestock. I was overwhelmed with joy when he confirmed that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. This was the best news to end my day, especially since I had been reflecting on how I had suffered while sheltering in a grass-thatched hut that was in very bad shape. I could only smile as I took the goats to the grazing fields, looking forward to the next day when I could buy building materials and start constructing a decent iron-roofed house."

"As a result of heavy rains, there has been a Malaria break out and my children have been on and off the hospital. I have spent a month taking care of them without doing any work to earn money. I therefore depend on my brother to get money for food and other neccessities hoping my children will recover soon."

"Lack of a stable source of income is a challenge. I rely on farming to earn a living. A month ago, it rained heavily and as a result most of the crops were destroyed by floods. I am forced to look for alternative sources of income to put food on the table and adjusting to that is difficult."

"Living in a farming area, I lack the funds to lease more agricultural land for my family. Farming could have provided both food and income. I am at the moment operating only one are of farm (maize) which is not enough. Currently, the money I earn from occasional casual labor (about KES 300 per day) and charcoal burning (approximately KES 2000 weekly) isn't sufficient to cover household expenses, including food. Additionally, I struggle to afford school fees for my brother, who is in secondary school. With only two grass-thatched houses for our family of seven, I cannot afford to build another house, separate for boys and girls."

"A month ago, I was displaced by floods and I lost everything that I had and we were forced to seek refuge at a shopping center. Life has never been the same again as we are starting afresh. We sleep on the floor and my children have been sickly since then. I am hopeful that I can be able to resettle back to my previous way of living when the rains subside completely."

"As a widow, I face difficulties in acquiring funds to purchase food for my family of five. Our maize farm, which was our main source of income, has been destroyed by recent floods. Additionally, covering the school fees for my seventh-grade child is proving to be a challenge. The $20 I earn daily from casual work is inadequate to meet all our family's needs."

"Receiving $450 from GiveDirectly was a blessing during a time of great sorrow. The recent floods had caused severe destruction, sweeping away my household items and farm, leaving me with nothing. This money brought a smile to my face after all the hardship I had endured. Before receiving help from GiveDirectly, I had secured land elsewhere, but I lacked the funds to build a home. With $420 of the money, I built a nice home for me and my two kids on higher, safer ground. This ended the risk of future floods for us. Additionally, we had no food to eat after fleeing our home due to the floods. I used $20 to buy food for my family. I am deeply thankful for the change GiveDirectly has brought to my life. I can now smile without fear of future flood trauma."

"I am currently facing a big challenge trying to maintain a steady income for my family of six. We primarily rely on charcoal burning and vegetable farming, but these jobs are so unpredictable due to weather changes. During rainy seasons, charcoal burning is impossible, so we rely heavily on vegetable farming. But that comes with its own set of challenges like market competition and price fluctuations. It is saddening because our financial situation is constantly affected by these factors. We struggle to make ends meet and provide for our family's needs. I feel like we are always on edge, never knowing if we will have enough to cover everything."

"I am eagerly anticipating the completion of my tailoring and dressmaking course in December. After finishing, I plan to start my own tailoring business. To achieve this goal, I will save my transfers to purchase a sewing machine, which costs around $280. Once I acquire the machine, I will use the transfers to stabilize and grow my business until it becomes successful. My aspiration is to achieve financial stability by the end of this program, enabling me to take good care of my family. I want to ensure that, once the GiveDirectly program concludes, I will have accomplished something meaningful and have a lasting memory of the support it provided."

"I am committed to transforming my farming practices by acquiring cows for plowing. To achieve this goal, I plan to continue investing my transfers in buying goats, which I believe will multiply and increase in value, allowing me to trade them for cows in the future. Additionally, I will use the proceeds to purchase an ox plow, eliminating the need for manual labor. I am confident that my plan will succeed, as I am determined to invest my transfers wisely and work towards a more efficient and productive farming system."