"Looking ahead, my objective for the upcoming year is to prioritize receiving medical care at the hospital and regain my former self, capable of working on the farm without encountering any challenges. By achieving this, I will be able to contribute through small tasks, assisting my daughter-in-law who is currently grappling with the daily necessities like food. I am immensely thankful to the organization since their transfers are aiding me in managing the health-related obstacles I am presently experiencing during these financially challenging times."

"I was once an agent of D-light company but because I did not have a smart phone, I was retrenched. This has rendered me jobless and idle at home. Since I have a family of 5, I find it a challenge to take care of them, and meeting our very basic needs has not been easy. My focus now has been on agroforestry but since I do not have customers, the seedlings have overgrown and this means a loss to me. The feeling of being jobless as a parent pains me most and I consider this as my biggest challenge."

"As a widow, life has never been easy for me because I am aged (88 years) and this means I am no longer energetic to take up a task. In addition, my children stay away from home something that has compelled me to live alone. They normally come to check on me once a month. The stress of doing all the household chores by myself has robbed away my joy and has made me more vulnerable to many risks. Taking up all the tasks tends to be tough and hence, the lack of support is what I consider to be my biggest challenge."

"My husband is a retired civil servant and his pension is usually $50 every month. This income can not sustain all our needs and I mostly depend on my children who are working. Although they have decent jobs, it's very unfortunate that their support is very minimal since they have their families to take care of. This has affected our livelihood and I am always in stress if I lack food at home. In addition, my husband is on medication because he is hypertensive and this has pushed me into a very stressful life. Hence, I consider financial instability as my biggest challenge."

"As I said I do not have a house. I live with my mother in-law. I was married and did not get a house when I got to my marital home. My husband does not have a job and I am the primary breadwinner of my household. I would like to have a house of my own for myself, my husband and my children. I am buying the required materials slowly even as I aim to achieve this goal. My plan is continue buying the necessary material as I have been doing previously to ensure they become sufficient to start construction."

"I cleared my form four but I left a huge debt in school of about $300. I was unable to clear this debt. I have been using Givedirectly transfers to reduce this transfers monthly and so far it is less $100 and I am only left with $200 yet to be paid. My plan is to continue paying this as the months go so I am able to collect my Kenya national exams certificate for secondary education. I have also been purchasing items for building a house for myself. I hope that as the year progresses I will have enough material so I am able to finish this construction work."

"As I said earlier we live with my older brother, our parents are not in the picture. My father and mother had a misunderstanding and my mother went away from the home while my father left for the city. I have no knowledge of the whereabouts of either of them and this means myself and my brother who are the older ones have to carry the burden of taking care of our siblings. I am also still in school and I would not want to miss out on an education. My plan is to use the transfers to educate myself and my siblings as well as feed and clothe them."

"I came to Dida from Tezo in Kilifi. I had established myself at Tezo and it happened that my home was demolished by bulldozers through court order five years ago. Since then my husband has been going to court to seek justice but invain. We are supposed to pay $30 at the court and I do not have the money. I undego psychological trauma due to the demolition."

"Kubera ko nari nkennye umurima wo guhingamo wanjye bwite, amafaranga yambere yangezeho mpita nguramo umurima wa 270,000 Rwf (270$), ndangije ayari asigaye nongeraho andi ngura nihene 3 zihagaze 150,000 Rwf (150$). Amafaranga ya kabiri nayo yaraje, mpaho abana banjye batatu bagabana 200,000 Rwf (200$), ndangije ngura inzugi 2 zo gukinga kunzu zimpagarara 60,000 Rwf (60$), ubundi nshyira n'abahinzi mu murima barampingira mbishyura 50,000 Rwf (50$), ayasagutse nahashyemo ibyo kurya ubundi ngura nicyo nambara."

"I've been sick for a while now. This has consistently prompted me to seek medical care the majority of the time. I'm pleased that GiveDirectly's transfer arrived on schedule. I was able to use the KES 8,000 from the amount received to pay my medical fees and keep receiving therapy. Additionally, I used the same amount to buy the food items we required. With the remaining money, I spent KES 1000 on buying maize seeds and another KES 1000 on barbed wire for my farm's fence."