"I own 2 acres of idle land that I am unable to develop due to financial constraints preventing me from clearing the bushes and planting crops for commercial use. It is disheartening not to see the land prosper like my neighbors'. Given the opportunity to invest in commercial agriculture, I would be thrilled to finally realize its potential."

"I have to say, the biggest difference in our lives after receiving the GiveDirectly transfers is that we finally own our own piece of land. It's such a relief and a joy to know that this land is ours. Here, we can plant our own fruit trees, fully aware that we will be able to harvest and enjoy the fruits ourselves. This sense of ownership is incredibly empowering. Before, we did plant fruits, but it was always on my grandmother's plot, and we could never truly make money from it. We couldn't count on a consistent income because we didn't have control over the land. But now, with our own land, the sale of the fruits in a week can give us about $2.25, which might not seem like much to some, but it goes a long way in covering our household expenditures. This small yet steady income has made a huge difference, helping us manage daily expenses more comfortably and giving us a sense of financial stability we never had before."

"Before GiveDirectly intervened, I couldn't afford a better shelter due to financial struggles. I was unable to save enough to buy the necessary building materials, so I had to continue living in my small, weak house with a leaky roof. Upgrading seemed impossible because I couldn't even afford to buy a single piece of iron sheet. As I didn't have any income, I relied heavily on subsistence farming and the meager earnings from my son's casual jobs. However, thanks to GiveDirectly's financial support, I was able to change everything in a very short time. With the first transfer, I finally managed to buy iron sheets and building poles, and built a spacious two-room house for my family. Now, even during heavy rain, we have a good place to stay. I also bought four goats, which I see as valuable assets to help with my financial needs, as I can sell them as they increase in number."

"Being a mother and a father at the same time is the biggest challenge am facing right now because I only depend on casual labour and charcoal burning to feed my family of 3 children, cloth them and to give them quality education."

"Am struggling to fend for my family basic needs because I lost my half acre piece of land due to flash floods . Am now depending on casual labour to feed my family which is very rare to get because it's far away from the village. My biggest challenge is lack of job and sickness and we don't have hospital in the village, accessing the nearest hospital is very hard because you need to have money."

"I have Three children in Secondary school and paying their school fees is overwhelming to our family because we lost our 1 acre piece of land on flush floods. I used to depend on it to cater for my family needs and also for my children education."

"Before I enrolled in the program, I had completely given up hope of building a decent house with an iron roof. As a widow, my only source of income for years had been burning and selling charcoal. Despite the health risks and exhaustion, I had no choice but to continue to support my family. The money I earned mainly went towards food, leaving no room for improving our shelter, which was a small grass-thatched hut built by my late husband. During the planting season, I also worked on other people's farms to make a living. Despite my hard work, I couldn't save enough to build a decent house. I also had four children to support, two in high school and two in primary school. With all these responsibilities, building a decent house was out of the question. It wasn't until GiveDirectly offered me financial assistance that I could make my dream of upgrading my house to an iron-roofed one a reality. I am extremely grateful that I was able to purchase iron sheets, building poles, nails, and timber to construct a two-room iron-roofed house with the money I received. This has greatly relieved me of the tiresome job of replacing the grass roof, and I feel at peace when it rains. Now, my two daughters and I share the same roof, while my sons have their own. Additionally, all four children are comfortably back in school, no longer facing interruptions to their studies since I cleared their fees with the money I received."

"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."