"The impact of corona pandemic is still felt in my household because my husband's casual work has never been stable again. Since he works as a masonry within the village where most people are yet to recover from the effect of this pandemic, it's hard to find people constructing new houses. This has forced us to be selling our goats to support our children's education as well as other basic needs like food. At the moment, we have finished our stock and this means our children lack school fees, a situation that has affected their studies. Currently, I have 2 pupils in high school but what stresses me most is where to get their fees because even the bursaries are not reliable. I, therefore, consider financial crisis as what stands out as my biggest challenge."

"I am a mother of six, three girls and three boys. I am a farmer and own a small fried fish business. My husband is a cattle keeper and farmer too. Before I started receiving these transfers, Life was so hard, I could farm and only get a little harvest, and my family would die of hunger hence poor health. My business too was not doing great due to a lack of enough stock and even capital to boost it. My children would be sent home from school due to a lack of school fees and this affected their performance. We also used to reside in a small, outdated home that was insufficient for me and my children, who would spend the night with my neighbors before returning in the morning. Thank you so much, GiveDirectly. Your donation of $80 enabled me to complete the building of my house. And today, thanks to GiveDirectly, I own a home. My children's school debt for the entire year was paid off with $330, and I am confident that this will allow them to study uninterrupted and improve their performance. $50 helped me expand my fish business and $50 helped me provide my family with wholesome food and other necessities. Thank you so much GiveDirectly."

"There has been a big change of climate. The drought has been very hard hitting on us. Our livestock have have been unhealthy due to lack of feeds, although goats do well during the drought. Additionally getting water for domestic use is difficult. We have piped water from the nearby village. During this drought season, the water level is low. We get water for 1 day in two weeks. When we fill our water tank, it costs $200. That's only enough for 2 weeks. When there's no piped water. We're forced to hire motorcycle operators to bring. It costs $3 to buy 100 litres. Very expensive. This has really affected our livelihood."

"My biggest challenge now is getting food. I must find a casual job like digging, planting and harvesting. It's hard getting a casual job daily due to the high demand caused by the drought. In a good week, I'll get three days of casual work. From this I get paid $4 daily. Most of the time I use this money for food and cannot even save to do something else. This has affected my ability to develop."

"The drought has been worst. There has been no rains for the last 6 months. Last time we planted, we didn't harvest. This has led to a lot of food insecurity. We mainly depend on our livestock. Due to the biting drought it's hard breeding them. We buy food after selling our stock. Selling our stock has led to decline in their numbers. This is affecting our source of income."

"My long-term objective for this year is to use a significant portion of my transfer to fix up my house. The house has been a valuable asset to me for more than ten years, but at the moment, its condition is deteriorating. Huge openings in the thatched roof allow rainwater to enter whenever it rains. I want to use iron sheets for its renovation because they are strong and last longer. I plan to build stonewall pillars all the way around each corner of the house to strengthen the weaker poles and strengthen the structure as a whole. All these upgrades will make my house safe to live in, eliminating my concern that it might collapse while my family members are sound asleep."

"I'm hoping and praying that the weather will eventually improve so that I can return to farming. I'll buy seedlings with the money and get the ground ready for planting. I'd like to spend more money on purchasing livestock in addition to planting. I am motivated to pursue this goal due to the ready and accessible market for buying and selling livestock, raising livestock is a surefire way to build wealth and generate a significant amount of income."

"In addition to wanting to start a livestock farm, I also want to build a new home that will have enough space for my entire family. It's very challenging for us to fit my three grandchildren and ourselves into my very small house at night. As my granddaughters and grandson are rapidly approaching their teen years, expanding the house will give them more room and enforce their privacy."

"Getting all the materials I need to set up my house is my main priority for the rest of this year and the future. I intend to buy 14 pieces of iron sheets, pieces of wood, nails, sand cement, and building stones with the savings I have at the end of the year. These supplies will enable me to construct a sturdy, roomy home for myself. In addition, I intend to invest in livestock and start a business related to it now that the farm is no longer productive due to the difficult economic times."

"I now have the ideal chance to fulfill a lifelong goal of mine: getting some livestock. Raising livestock is a nice substitute that I can easily do since I am unable to engage in labor-intensive jobs like selling charcoal. When the herd of goats is large, I might decide to sell some of them to the market in order to make money and meet my immediate needs, such as purchasing food, water, and clothing. I am eager to fulfill my dream, achieve financial security, and free my son from the enormous responsibility of taking care of me."