"I am a single mother of 9 children and raising a large village like this is a great challenge because I do not have reliable source of income, I depend on farming and charcoal burning to cater for their basic needs."

"I have school going children, two children are in secondary school and one child is in junior secondary school. Iam struggling to pay their school fees because iam relying on casual labour which earns me KES 300 which is not enough to cater for my family's basic needs."

"Managing school fees for my four children is really tough for me right now. I run a small retail shop in the village, and on a good month, I earn up to $300 in profits. All of that money goes towards their school fees, but it is still not enough. Sometimes, when I cannot make ends meet, my children are sent home from school until I can pay. It breaks my heart to see them missing out on their education while their friends continue learning.When things get really tough, I have to borrow money from friends, but it is never enough to cover everything I need. I am constantly worried about how I will manage to keep them in school without falling behind on other expenses. I have been trying to budget more carefully and explore any support options available locally, but it is still a daily struggle."

"After the floods hit my village Loldama 2 months ago, our family faced significant challenges. The damp conditions led to my children developing pneumonia, and malaria spread rapidly. Moreover, due to contaminated water, they also contracted typhoid. This health crisis has been financially draining for us, with numerous hospital visits. So far, we have spent $30 on medications, funded through the sales of vegetables from our half-acre plot of land. Despite these hardships, we remain hopeful and determined to overcome this difficult period."

"Living as an internally displaced for ten year has not been easy. In 2012 I was displaced by bandits and we fled with my family only to be displaced in 2020 again by floods. It has been challenging living in people land and borrowing houses. I am hopeful that one day I will get to settle down."

"Two months ago, my house and all household items got destroyed by floods. I was forced to seek refuge a nearby shopping center temporarily and life has never been the same since then. I cannot fend for my two children by doing hard jobs because I am expecting a third child and this makes me rely on my brothers for food."

"I rely on farming to make ends meet, it's seasonality makes it difficult to stabilize financially. Raising enough money to sustain my family basic needs is hard and most of the time am forced to do casual jobs to meet the needs of my household."

"I am currently facing a major challenge due to a lack of capital to expand our farming operations. Our family relies on farming for our livelihood, but financial constraints have prevented me from diversifying our crops. Recently, we faced a setback when flash floods washed away one acre of the maize I had cultivated on our three-acre plot. I am eager to replant on this land, but without the necessary finances, it has been impossible.I am worried that this year's yields will be significantly lower than our usual 75 bags in a good season. It is frustrating to see our hard work threatened by circumstances beyond our control."

"As a small-scale farmer in our region, I face significant challenges due to unpredictable weather patterns. During droughts, water shortages hinder my harvests, while heavy rains like the recent floods often result in crop losses. My husband, a primary teacher, earns a low income, making it difficult to meet our family's needs, particularly school fees for our five school-going children. Despite the challenges, I am committed to their education, recognizing it as a vital investment in their future success. With my third transfer from GiveDirectly, I allocated $200 to cover school fees for two of my high school children, each receiving $100.Additionally, I decided to use the remaining $250 to complete the unfinished house we have been living in for over ten years, finally finishing the pending floor and walls. Thank you GiveDirectly."

"I was working on my farm at home in the afternoon, around 3 PM. Life had been hard recently, and I felt the pressure of taking care of my big family. When I got $200 unexpectedly, I felt so relieved. Right away, I started thinking about how we could use it smartly. Since we were short on food, my first idea was to make sure we had plenty to eat. I imagined a good harvest and how happy it would make my children. This bit of extra money was like a light of hope in our difficult journey."