"As the head of a family of 9, our primary challenge revolves around ensuring that we have consistent access to an adequate food supply. Given our family's size, rain-fed agriculture plays a crucial role in providing for our needs. Unfortunately, the rains from March to May were insufficient, leading to minimal agricultural productivity. As a result, we anticipate a lack of crop yields, making it increasingly difficult for us to obtain enough food. While the El Niño rains last year (2023) provided some relief, the harvested crops only sustained us for three months. This situation has forced us to resort to alternative measures such as charcoal burning, which presents its own set of challenges due to the scarcity of trees. Furthermore, ensuring access to quality education for my four school-going children has become increasingly challenging due to my unemployment. Providing them with the level of education they deserve has proven to be a significant burden amidst our current circumstances."

"School fees is the challenge I am currently facing in life. I have two children at secondary school with a fees balance of $50. This has made them miss classes for two days now. Missing classes affects their performances."

"My goal for this year is to build a larger and safer house for my family. Currently, we live in an old house that does not adequately meet our needs. Once my son recovers, I plan to use the transfers to buy building materials and pay for labor costs for construction. Improving our living space will ensure the safety and security of my family, giving me peace of mind. I am grateful for this opportunity to enhance our living conditions, and I am determined to make the most of it for the well-being of my family. This chance to create a better home environment means a lot to us, promising a brighter future and greater comfort for everyone under our roof."

"My primary goal for this year is to seek specialized treatment and care for my hernia. I have been ailing for a while now, but unfortunately, I cannot afford the related medical expenses and surgery. I have started saving my transfers, and with the upcoming transfers, I hope to accumulate enough to pay for my surgery. I am hopeful and looking forward to making a full recovery because it means I will be able to return to work and provide for my family. I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly for this assistance and the support has given me hope and the opportunity to pursue the treatment I need. I believe I can overcome this health challenge and regain my ability to support my loved ones."

"One of the challenges I am currently facing is health issues; I had surgery on April 30th after being diagnosed with a hernia. The challenge is that I am unable to work to meet my family's needs.I have delegated all of the responsibilities to my wife Sarah, who is now acting as both father and mother to our six children. I am not supposed to work for the next six months, which makes things more difficult. It was also difficult to raise funds for my surgery, for which I am still repaying loans."

"My Son's Health! As a mother of two, one of the most difficult challenges our family faces is the health of my first son. My son, Davis, is 4 years old and has been dealing with serious medical conditions since he was born on June 16, 2020. Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with a growth at the back of his head, which required a costly surgery in August 2020, costing around $350. After the initial surgery, he developed another growth in his throat, necessitating a second surgery in July 2023, which cost us $55. These ongoing medical issues have put a significant financial strain on our family, as a substantial portion of our income goes toward medical expenses."

"School fees is the challenge I am currently facing in life. I have four children school at primary and secondary school. In a year I pay almost $1000 as school fees. I have a shop business but it has gone down because alot of money goes to school fees . This is really a challenge for me."

"I had small business shop in my compound which was the main source of income to my family but due to lack of finance it collapsed. I am now struggling to raise school fees for my 3 school going children who are in their senior secondary level because iam depending on casual labour which is very rare to get in my village because all farms were submerged by the lake Baringo water during the recent floods."

"I've always wanted to get into poultry farming, specifically raising chickens. Unfortunately, there was an outbreak of chicken disease in my neighborhood earlier this year, which wiped out all the poultry. I plan to take a few months off before starting this new venture to avoid the risk of another disease outbreak. I truly believe that poultry farming presents a great business opportunity. It will allow me to sell chickens to cover my children's school fees and other essential expenses, while also supporting my husband. Additionally, I'm interested in getting into goat farming, and I plan to sell some chickens once I've established a good number of them and acquired goats. I see these goats as a future financial security once my other sources of income come to an end."

"I successfully constructed a house for my sons as I had promised. In the upcoming year and beyond, my goal is to strive to build another single-room house for my daughters. It is very convenient for them to have their own space as they also require privacy. Apart from this, I have a project of buying goats. As a member of a merry-go-round group, I plan to save part of my transfers and then use them to invest in buying goats when my turn comes. Since goats multiply fast, I will sell some and add to my future savings, aiming to eventually buy a cow. Buying a cow at once is not easy due to its high cost, but through this strategy, I aim to acquire one. The remaining amount from my transfers, as I will be saving $1 per month, will be used to buy building materials gradually, enabling me to build a house for my daughters. I will be working to enable me to build my daughters' house."