"I am grateful that I was able to get funds through Give Directly right away because it means I can address my own financial needs while also planning for my family's needs. Giving us advise on how to best use our money is another excellent technique from Give Directly that has aided many of us who qualified for the transfers."

"As someone who is skilled in crop farming, my goal by the end of the year is to buy a water pump that will enable me to practice my skills more effectively. Unfortunately, poverty and harsh weather conditions have prevented me from doing so in the past. I have had to purchase water at very high prices to irrigate the vegetables I grow near my home, which has made it difficult to make a profit. With a water pump, I will be able to grow vegetables on a larger scale and lower the cost of production, which will increase my profit margins. This investment will not only help me financially, but it will also enable me to use my skills to their full potential and contribute to my community's food security. I am hopeful that this purchase will be a stepping stone towards a more sustainable future for me and my family."

"My goal is to explore livestock rearing as an alternative source of income since my farm has been unproductive. By raising a herd of livestock, I plan to sell some at the market at higher prices as they multiply, generating significant profits. Through this venture, I aim to achieve financial stability and self-sufficiency, which is my ultimate goal in the coming years."

"Having our own land has always been something we wanted as a family because the ancestral land is limited and cannot sustain us, so when we received the transfers, we combined both first and second transfers to accomplish our goal. We purchased a piece of land at $80 and have planted it with the hopes of reaping a plentiful harvest; this makes us feel extremely happy and hopeful for the future. In the meantime, we needed to buy food to last us until we could harvest. I spent $10, which was our first time buying that much food because we were used to buying in little quantities due to lack enough of finances. Finally, we have our kid in school, and we were relieved to have paid school expenses for the entire term. Since we received the transfers, our lives have changed dramatically."

"The most significant change is that I feel at ease and can relax without worrying for sometime. I have purchased enough food for my family, and the maize will sustain us for an extended period, which means we won't have to endure hunger. Moreover, I am delighted that, for the first time, my children can attend school without being sent back home due to school fees arrears."

"My health has failed me a lot, I have been suffering from Brucellosis and typhoid that has persisted for long now. I am so feeble and can hardly catch sleep during the night. It has really bothered me for sometime now, previously I had undergone medication at Kabarnet which helped but it has kept recurring again. I am hurting and in constant pain, I have always wanted to go to hospital to sick medication but I lack the needed money. This week has been particularly worse, since yesterday I have been thinking of going to my parents place in Riwa to borrow money from my brother, Zacharia, who works in Kapsabet to enable me attend to my health. I cannot withstand the pain any longer."

"The main challenge that I'm facing currently is the lack of money. This has been prompted by the lack of employment. I completed my college studies as an Early Childhood Development Educator (ECDE) in 2022 and since then, I haven't secured employment. This has greatly affected my family financially since we depend on my husband for everything. This has made life very difficult since we can't meet some of the basic needs of our family. I sometimes feel so stressed since as a wife there are things I should do but I cannot because I don't have money to do so."

"Before 2020 we used to live in Marigat town but because of old age, we were forced to move back to the village. Since then, the main challenge we are facing is a lack of money for food and other basic needs. Old age has made it difficult for us to do menial work which has led to a lack of money. Because of this, we are forced to eat wild fruits. Life is very difficult for us since we are forced to go without food occasionally."

"Hunger is our biggest challenge. We have harvested nothing from our farm for the last 3 years. The drought has been persistent. This has led to zero productivity. To get food we must sell our livestock. This has led to reduced numbers. The drought has affected our ability to feed ourselves. At times we may be forced to have a single meal due to a lack of food. It's very hard sleeping hungry."

"I hope to become a great farmer by dividing my land into four sections. The first section will have coffee planted in it, the second section will have beans planted in it, the third section will have maize planted in it, and the fourth section will have potatoes planted in it. These will assist me in determining which yields the most and which generates the most profits in comparison to another, allowing me to determine what is the best I can do through farming. Based on the outcomes, I'd like to lease more farmland to accomplish this."