"Raising school fees for our three children in secondary is a challenge. We've sold most of our goats hence need to find other means to pay fees. Our children are sent home sometimes due to fees areas. It breaks my heart seeing them at home and cannot pay. It means we're forced to do more casual jobs or burn more charcoal to send them back to school."

"Due to lack of casual jobs in the village we find it hard buying food. Getting enough meals per day is a big challenge for our family. Both of us are unemployed hence we depend on unreliable casual jobs or selling some goats. The goats have also depleted meaning we don't have the numbers to sell regularly. This leads us to sometimes go hungry or survive on a single meal."

"I am currently facing a significant challenge with raising school fees for my two children and one sibling. I depend on livestock trading, which brings in about KES 13000 during a good month. This money goes mainly toward our basic needs like food and school fees, though it is not always enough to cover everything. At one point, my children were sent home from school due to arrears of KES 17300, and they had to stay out of school for almost four days. This had a huge negative impact on their education, and I am doing everything I can to ensure that something like this does not happen again."

"Getting food for my family of three has been a challenge lately. As an elderly person, I am unable to take on casual jobs, so I rely on my son, who is a livestock trader, for support. While he does his best, sometimes the food we get is in small quantities, and it does not always meet our needs. Despite this, I feel grateful because, even with the struggles, we have never gone to bed hungry. It is not easy, but I am thankful for what we do have and for the support of my son."

"I run a small grocery business that provides me with a modest income to support my family. However, a lack of school fees has delayed my dream of joining college, so I am saving the little income I earn to make this possible. The profits from my business help meet our needs, support my husband, and contribute to my savings for enrolling in an Early Childhood Education course, which I have always wanted to pursue. Additionally, I save through our merry-go-round group, where I contribute $20 monthly to accumulate funds for my school fees. My ultimate goal is to secure a stable teaching job to provide for my growing family. I am grateful for the financial support I have received, which has made it easier to work toward my dreams. If everything goes as planned, I am optimistic about joining college next year."

"The main challenge I am facing is the lack of a stable source of income to meet my family's basic needs. I rely on my small business as the backbone of our livelihood, using its modest earnings to pay school fees for my two children in high school and to support a family of seven. This responsibility weighs heavily on me, as the income is often insufficient to cover all the necessities, leaving us in a constant struggle to make ends meet."

"My goal for the coming year and beyond is to invest in goat rearing and poultry keeping, as these projects will help me achieve my ultimate aim of building my own house. I am determined to have a house of my own before getting married, as I do not want to bring my wife to live in a relative's house. To achieve this, I save through our merry-go-round group, which will help me buy building materials more quickly. I also rear goats, and if they multiply rapidly, I plan to sell some and combine the proceeds with my savings to accelerate the construction process. Currently, I have two goats, and I am confident they will multiply over time, providing additional resources to fund my home-building efforts. Living in my uncle's house motivates me to work hard, as I aspire to have a place to call my own. By selling vegetables to my neighbors and using the transfers I receive, I am confident I can purchase more goats, grow my investments, and ultimately build my home while improving my financial stability."

"We live in a banditry prone zone. When we last had an attack about ten months ago, my husband and I relocated together with our children and livestock. We only came back a few months ago after the government confirmed safety. Having lived in constant fear of attacks, we have sold most of our livestock at a throw away price — to reduce the chances of becoming targets. Consequently, without livestock we will not be in a position to give our 3 children quality education."

"My primary goal is to ensure my family has a stable source of income in the future, particularly during emergencies. To achieve this, I have been using my previous transfers from GiveDirectly to purchase goats and plan to buy more with future transfers. I hope these goats will multiply and grow in value over time, allowing me to sell them when needed to cover my family's necessities and support my children's education. Goat farming is a vital part of my plans, and I am determined to see it succeed because it holds great importance for my family's well-being. This vision of a secure and prosperous future motivates me to keep moving forward. To reach this goal, I plan to use part of my transfers to invest in these projects, starting with the one chicken and three goats I already have. I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly for their financial support, which has made these aspirations possible."

"I suffered from polio as a child. Now 36 years later, the struggles of my childhood are reflected in my 7 year old son, Fabian ,who has been diagnosed with the same problem. I cannot move without the help of my crutches nor go long distances without someone to hold my hand. Fabian began schooling a year ago and I am already feeling the burden of paying for his education with nothing much to do with my disabled self. In most cases, I depend on assistance from my siblings to put a meal on the table."