"I am a widow living with two grandchildren. My husband died over ten years ago. After the death of my husband, I developed a hearing problem. My daughter has taken me to different hospitals, but still, I have not recovered fully. I can only communicate well with people who understand my situation. This has made me not to be active in community activities because I do not hear what they are saying. Healthy issues are the challenges I am facing in life."

"While my husband, Evans works as a farmer, I am a professional teacher at a local primary school. My spouse and I share responsibilities, I handle our kids' school expenses and he handles our daily food. With five children enrolled in secondary school and a loan repayment of $23,255.81 from two years ago, my monthly income of $279.07 is insufficient to cover all of their expenses. Because of my limited income, servicing this loan while also educating my children has become very challenging."

"What I consider to be making my life harder is the lack of a stable source of income. Currently, I am a casual labourer within the village. This means taking up any available activity including selling poles for house construction among others. These activities are less paying yet they are strenuous to handle. My estimation in a good month, I make utmost $15.4, which goes to food. This has limited me from paying school fees for my son on time, a situation that has resulted into accumulated fee arrears. Oftenly, my son is sent back home due to lack of fees. As a father, it usually pains me most as I do not have the capacity to finance his primary school level. What always comes to my mind especially at night hours is how to support his secondary education once he transition to high level. Truly, it's a life to worry about."

"Feeding my family of 8 and payment of school fees is the greatest challenge I have in life. I am a father of 6 children, 3 are in secondary school. I have fee arrears of twenty-seven thousand. I depend entirely on my motorcycle tax business, which gives me a daily average income of 500 shillings, which is very hard to budget for all the expenses I have."

"At 55 years old, life has become increasingly challenging. My youngest child, who is now in Form Three, needs school fees paid, and finding the money has been a constant struggle. The work available to us here is mostly charcoal burning, which, while physically demanding, does not bring in much income. Each year, I need to come up with $350 to ensure my child can continue his education, but making ends meet has become more difficult than ever. Our region has also been plagued by food insecurity, another major challenge. The rains have been insufficient, leading to drought conditions that have devastated our farm. We lost everything we planted, leaving us without the crops we depend on for sustenance and a small income. With no harvest, we have been forced to find other means to feed the family, which has only added to the stress and pressure we face daily. Balancing these financial and environmental hardships has been overwhelming. The worry about providing for my family and ensuring my child's education weighs heavily on me. Every day is a battle to find enough work, secure food, and keep hope alive that things will improve."

"In the coming year, my primary goal is to focus on building a safe and secure house for my child and me. I already have some of the materials and I plan to start the construction next month, in October. Living in this old, collapsing house fills me with fear every day, especially when I think of my one and only child. I can’t continue risking our safety. With each step in the construction, I will feel more at ease, knowing that soon we will have a strong roof over our heads."

"My main goal for the coming year and beyond is to purchase more goats and ensure that my two children in secondary school receive the education they deserve. Currently, I am proud to have over 30 goats and 20 chickens, which have greatly assisted in providing for my family. However, I believe that with more goats, I can increase my earnings from selling livestock, providing the stability needed to concentrate on my children’s education. I aim to grow my livestock, and in the future, I envision my family thriving, with my children graduating and having opportunities I never had."

"I was severely impacted by the recent floods which lasted for months and destroyed my house and belongings. I was unable to recover much when the floods hit, and ad to move to a safe place with my family and livestock. Before this disaster, I relied on subsistence farming and selling charcoal for my livelihood. However, due to the floods, I couldn't work on my farm, which was also destroyed along with the crops I had planted. It was a tough time for my family, and I'm grateful to GiveDirectly for providing assistance. As things slowly return to normal, buying food from shops has become expensive, with a 1kg packet of flour costing $0.8. Because of the floods, making and transporting charcoal for sale was impossible, which was my only source of income. This made it difficult for me to afford food. I used a polyester fabric as a temporary shelter before using it to sleep on. Upon receiving my first transfer, my priority was to ensure that my family of four had enough food. I bought a sack of maize for $30, which will last us for almost a month compared to buying packed flour daily. Additionally, I spent $96 on purchasing a bed and a mattress, replacing the fabric I was sleeping on. I also spent $30 on buying new clothes and shoes for my children, as a way to recover from the losses caused by the floods. Finally, I used the remaining amount to buy new household items that were lacking in my household."

"I had initially planned to start a business to ensure a steady income for our family. However, unforeseen circumstances arose, compelling us to reconsider our plans. The land that was passed down to us by our father in law was acquired from a relative with an agreement to make payments. Regrettably, the original promise was not upheld, and our father in law passed away after distributing the land among his three sons, including my husband. Consequently, the landowners approached us to reclaim their property, issuing an ultimatum to either pay or vacate the premises. As a family, we decided to split the amount among the three households and make a collective contribution to settle the dues. Therefore, my husband and I have committed to saving a portion of our monthly income to raise the required $600 to secure our title deed. This decision led me to shift my focus from launching a business to working towards owning this piece of land."

"My greatest wish is to expand my livestock holdings, particularly goats. I firmly believe that livestock farming will bring significant benefits, especially for my children, who are currently attending primary school and will be transitioning to higher levels in the future. To achieve this, I plan to use a portion of my future transfers to buy more goats, hoping that they will multiply and increase in both number and value. This way, I can sell some of them to support my family, especially as my children transition to higher levels of education. By building a robust herd of goats, I envision not only ensuring a stable income but also creating a valuable resource that can help cover their school fees effortlessly. Each goat I acquire represents not just an animal but a step closer to securing a brighter future for my children."