"My son was seriously ill, so I was in the hospital tending to him. I received a text message, but I decided not to confirm its contents because I already had a lot on my mind. A few hours later, I got a call from a relative who had just gotten her transfer and was asking if I had also gotten mine. Being illiterate, I called a friend who lived nearby to check my phone message and let me know if I had received any money. She confirmed that I had received my transfers after a short while. I called my son in Kilifi right away to tell him the good news, and then we both went to withdraw the money. I was overjoyed, and I thank the organization for the thoughtful action."

"Since I had a daughter who was to join secondary school, I prioritized spending $80 for the admission of my daughter who joined Day school. Because we have been suffering from a shortage of water, I spent $25 on application and fixing for water supply in my home. I am hoping it will begin to function well soon. With the transfer, I have been using the balance on food because we experience a scarce food supply in the area, and the rest I shall use to buy goats. As my flock increases, I will raise additional money for my family's support."

"I am a mother of five children, all of whom attend school. When I received my transfer, there were $300 in arrears. As a result, I spent $300 to pay off their school fees. One of them had been sent home for failing to pay her school fees. She had been at home for two days, and because of my financial situation at the time, I could not raise her school fees.  To supplement my investment, I purchased a goat for $40. Also, due to the famine situation, we had trouble obtaining food.  Therefore, I spent the balance of the money on food, and we've been doing so well compared to previously."

"Eight years now! This has been a period of hardship in my life since I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Our area's main economic activity being charcoal burning, I find it tough for me to engage in this work because of my condition. This means I have to depend on my son to provide me with food and other basic needs. Since he has a family to take care of, sometimes getting his full support is a challenge and in some cases, I forfeit meals. Skipping meals has worsened my condition since I am still on medication. This situation has robbed away my joy because I am always in stress. What a life!"

"My main sources of income are charcoal and community health volunteer work. The CHV work is not reliable since my payment of $20 come after a month. This pushes me to engage in charcoal burning as my alternative job. Although it's time-consuming and energy-intensive, I have been doing this for a long time and I am currently feeling weak. Our combined efforts with my husband from this job earn us utmost $90 per month, which goes to food and supporting my 3 children in school. Since this income is low, my children have sometimes missed classes, a situation that has greatly affected their studies. This is a worrying circumstance as a mother and I always feel the pain of seeing my child at home."

"I wish to be able to build a new house in place of the current one, which is in bad shape and I fear that it may collapse. Since I lack a source of income, and my husband’s earnings from his motorcycle taxi and small vegetable-selling business are mere, my construction resources are limited. However, through the cash transfers, there is an ideal chance for me to build the house; I particularly want one with two rooms, made of mud walls and iron sheets roof. In the short run, I plan to continue saving money through my self-help group and withdraw it at the end of the year to start the project.  "

"In the next year and beyond, I would love to have gained financial stability, where I can support the education of my three children without straining. Keeping livestock is the surest way I could develop myself and accumulate future wealth. By the end of the year, I intend to have bought at least four goats, which I can later exchange for a cow when they multiply. "

"Now that I obtained my first goat through the recent cash transfers, I hope to acquire more in the future. Owning this livestock will acquire me enough wealth that I can use to raise money for my family’s needs. Despite the strict financial obligations like food in my household, I wish to have bought two more goats by the end of the year. "

"My house is currently in dire need of repair, especially on one wall that collapsed and left a huge hole in it. I wish to seal the opening as it lets in cold during the night. To accomplish this, I plan on saving some of the cash transfer money to fund the renovation. Hopefully, I wish to have completed the exercise before the year ends. "

"Since am majorly responsible for providing for my five children, I would like to ensure that they study without frequent interruptions to collect their school fees. The eldest is currently in grade seven, my prayer is that all of them complete high school with no major tuition problems. To accomplish this, I want to start keeping livestock and poultry, which I could sell to support the education requirements. "