"As a result of heavy rains, there has been a Malaria break out and my children have been on and off the hospital. I have spent a month taking care of them without doing any work to earn money. I therefore depend on my brother to get money for food and other neccessities hoping my children will recover soon."

"Lack of a stable source of income is a challenge. I rely on farming to earn a living. A month ago, it rained heavily and as a result most of the crops were destroyed by floods. I am forced to look for alternative sources of income to put food on the table and adjusting to that is difficult."

"Living in a farming area, I lack the funds to lease more agricultural land for my family. Farming could have provided both food and income. I am at the moment operating only one are of farm (maize) which is not enough. Currently, the money I earn from occasional casual labor (about KES 300 per day) and charcoal burning (approximately KES 2000 weekly) isn't sufficient to cover household expenses, including food. Additionally, I struggle to afford school fees for my brother, who is in secondary school. With only two grass-thatched houses for our family of seven, I cannot afford to build another house, separate for boys and girls."

"A month ago, I was displaced by floods and I lost everything that I had and we were forced to seek refuge at a shopping center. Life has never been the same again as we are starting afresh. We sleep on the floor and my children have been sickly since then. I am hopeful that I can be able to resettle back to my previous way of living when the rains subside completely."

"As a widow, I face difficulties in acquiring funds to purchase food for my family of five. Our maize farm, which was our main source of income, has been destroyed by recent floods. Additionally, covering the school fees for my seventh-grade child is proving to be a challenge. The $20 I earn daily from casual work is inadequate to meet all our family's needs."

"My goal for this year and the years to come is to make my farming endeavor sustainable. Thanks to GiveDirectly's support, I am now able to cultivate a two-acre farm. Before GiveDirectly, I could only manage one acre, but now I can comfortably farm two acres. Farming is sometimes risky because of floods and droughts, but there is water in the river now, so I can irrigate when needed. I plan to use the last transfer from GiveDirectly to make this endeavor a success. My plan is to use the harvest to ensure food security at home, making sure we have enough to eat. I will sell the surplus to pay school fees for my two kids and maybe buy some more goats. The thought of this fills me with joy and gratitude."

"I am currently facing a big challenge trying to maintain a steady income for my family of six. We primarily rely on charcoal burning and vegetable farming, but these jobs are so unpredictable due to weather changes. During rainy seasons, charcoal burning is impossible, so we rely heavily on vegetable farming. But that comes with its own set of challenges like market competition and price fluctuations. It is saddening because our financial situation is constantly affected by these factors. We struggle to make ends meet and provide for our family's needs. I feel like we are always on edge, never knowing if we will have enough to cover everything."

"I am eagerly anticipating the completion of my tailoring and dressmaking course in December. After finishing, I plan to start my own tailoring business. To achieve this goal, I will save my transfers to purchase a sewing machine, which costs around $280. Once I acquire the machine, I will use the transfers to stabilize and grow my business until it becomes successful. My aspiration is to achieve financial stability by the end of this program, enabling me to take good care of my family. I want to ensure that, once the GiveDirectly program concludes, I will have accomplished something meaningful and have a lasting memory of the support it provided."

"I am committed to transforming my farming practices by acquiring cows for plowing. To achieve this goal, I plan to continue investing my transfers in buying goats, which I believe will multiply and increase in value, allowing me to trade them for cows in the future. Additionally, I will use the proceeds to purchase an ox plow, eliminating the need for manual labor. I am confident that my plan will succeed, as I am determined to invest my transfers wisely and work towards a more efficient and productive farming system."

"In the coming year and beyond, I want to engage in poultry farming and, if possible, start goat rearing. Since I do not have any source of income, once I establish this project, I will be able to sell chicken once they multiply. The income I get from selling chickens I will use to pay my college fees since I am planning to start my own salon business after completing my salon course. I have a passion for salon work; in fact, I already know the basics but I require more skills to do it perfectly. Once I complete this course, I will be self-employed and in a position to support providing basic needs for my family."