"Farming in our area is a mixed blessing for my family of six. We rely entirely on it for our livelihood, but it comes with its share of hardships. Natural disasters like floods and severe droughts often set us back, ruining our crops and causing financial strain.Three months ago for instance , the maize I had sown on my 1acre plot was all washed away. Accessing markets is another big challenge; the roads can become impassable, making it difficult to sell our produce and sometimes leading to losses. It is truly disheartening to see our hard work go to waste because of these issues."

"When the floods hit our village three months ago, they swept away all our maize crops. That was our main source of food for my family of four. Normally, we would have been harvesting them in September 2024, ensuring food for the next season in 2025. Now, I am really worried about how we will manage to get through the next season. We have been relying on casual jobs and charcoal burning to make a living, but these opportunities are scarce. It feels like we are constantly struggling to secure our next meal."

"As a family of five, farming is our livelihood, but we are facing some significant challenges. Our 4-acre plot, where we grow maize and beans, is not fenced, so goats often come in and damage our crops, leading to losses that hurt us financially. I have been wanting to fence it off to protect our crops, but money is really tight right now. Another big worry is raising school fees for my daughter, who is in grade 9. The $40 per term is a struggle for us to come up with, especially when crop yields are not reliable. Sometimes, she is even sent home because we cannot pay the fees on time. It is tough, but we are doing our best to navigate through these challenges and provide for our family's future."

"Putting food on the table in my community is not an easy task. We experience extreme and unpredictable weather patterns which affect crop production. For the past two years of crop farming, I have been counting losses. I had planted maize crops on my one acre piece of land last year. I was hopeful that the food shortage will be a story of the past in my family. Drought season crippled in and I lost all my crops. Despite the losses, I never lost hope in farming. Early this year I gave it another try and planted maize on the same piece of land hoping for bumper harvest. Unexpectedly, we experienced flash floods which swept away my crops and left me with nothing. The only hope to put food on the table is casual jobs which pay poorly."

"I am currently struggling to pay school fees for my sons Asbel, Abel and Ben. Both Asbel and Abel are studying in Loitip secondary school while Ben is in Ilpolei secondary school. I do not have a stable source of family income and this is making my life unbearable. My old age is also another challenge since it cannot allow me to work casually to earn a living. It is sad that I have sold almost all of my livestock so that I can give my children quality education. It is unfortunate that our crops were swept away by the flash floods that occurred three months ago. We have no otherwise but to buy food from the market which is extremely expensive. This is worsening our family's struggle. Skipping meals is now common in my family."

"Paying school fees for my two secondary school children has been my greatest challenge. I lack the funds to make my 1.8-acre farm productive, which could provide both food and income through the sale of produce. The farm requires HDPE pipes to bring water in, but I cannot afford them. Additionally, our single room is insufficient for my family of six. I do not have the finances to construct a larger house that would accommodate us adequately."

"Living in a tent with my family of three is distressing. Recently, we were severely affected by floods that washed away our makeshift shelter. I don't have the means to build a proper house for my family. Additionally, the floods destroyed our one-acre maize farm, leaving us without any source of livelihood. I can't afford to rent land for farming either. As a result, we are now relying on insufficient income from charcoal burning and occasional manual labor to support ourselves."

"I was at home busy with my house chores while my children were at school and my husband was spraying our tomato crops. My phone was in another room, and when I heard a notification, I rushed to check and confirmed that I had received $200 from GiveDirectly. I found myself smiling alone; if you had seen me, you might have thought I was mad. I couldn't wait for my husband's return that evening, so I called him to share the good news. He sounded really happy over the phone. We knew our plans were going to be realized. We are grateful, GiveDirectly."

"I used to work as a cook at a nearby school, earning $30 a month. This limited my spending to basic items, and I was trying to put my grandchildren through school. When my sister got really sick and went blind, I decided to resign from my job to take care of her. Sadly, we later lost her, and things became tough, especially raising fees for my grandchildren. With my final transfer from GiveDirectly, I decided to invest in things that would remind me of the support. I bought a cow worth $330 and a sheep worth $45. I only had four goats and wanted to add to my livestock. I didn't have a cow; having one was a blessing to us, knowing that later we wouldn't have to continue with our struggles to get milk. I live with my two grandchildren, and getting milk is tough. I have been relying on my goats, although their milk is minimal—just half a glass per goat. During the dry season, I buy milk from the shops, which sometimes I can't even afford; hence, we have to drink black tea. With the cow during lactation, I will get enough milk for us and be able to sell any surplus. I bought the sheep because they multiply quickly and are easier to manage than goats. As their numbers increase, I can sell them to support my grandchildren’s education. My two grandchildren are in day school, and I used $70 to reduce their fee arrears. One of them was at home due to unpaid fees at the time. With the remaining money, I bought some food items."

"The recent flash floods that invaded our village brought a lot of destruction to my family I lost my 1 acre piece of land which I planted Maize like one months before the floods all the plants was swept away, my poultry business was brought down because all the chicken died and some were swept away by the floods my house was also destroyed iam now living in a small mud wall house with my family due to lack of finance to renovate the other house. I am now struggling to cater for my family of 7 single handedly depending on casual labour and charcoal burning which is very uncertain because the wages are not enough for my family."