"I have not had both a mattress and a bed for a couple of years. I have therefore been forced to sleep on maize sacks. This was an uncomfortable situation because I could always wake up feeling pain in my ribs. This more often subjected me to discomfortable situations which I had to bear with all the time. Painfully, even all my 6 children were experiencing the same challenge. As soon as I received my transfer, I spent KES 2,800 on buying a new mattress and I am glad that there is an improvement in my life. I also spent the rest of the transfer, KES 200 on buying food since I did not have sufficient food. My motorcycle taxi business has been less profitable in the recent past due to a hike in fuel prices."

"Life is very expensive nowadays. The prices of basic commodities have risen. A two kilogram of maize flour is currently at 150KES and a two-kilogram of wheat is at 180KES. The rains are no longer reliable for subsistence farming. As we speak I have flopped two planting seasons with totally nothing to harvest. I always feel like crying when I imagine the resources I always put in and see them going to waste as the maize withers and dries up."

"I work as a “Matatu tout” in public service vehicles. The recent hike in prices and scarcity of the commodity has made it difficult for me to work for the past three months and earn a living. As a result, I could not pay a school fee debt for my children and hence sent them back home. My wife, who is a casual laborer working in making and selling charcoal, stepped in and provide food for the family with the little she earned. When I received my second transfer, I spent KES 2000 to pay off part of the debt that my children owed the school and was admitted back to school to continue with their education. Finally, I spent the remaining KES 1000 on buying food for my family. I did not work for close to three months and this made my wife struggle in providing for the family (slept hungry 3 days a week). Buying the food will ensure we have plenty to eat and not sleep hungry due to lack of food."

"I worked as a broker selling livestock for other people. The drought that began three years ago affect my business negatively. A lot of livestock died because of the harsh weather caused by the drought. The remaining livestock that survived fetched very low prices because their health conditions (thin) affected my income, too. As a result, I have failed to provide fully for my family, forcing them to sleep on empty stomachs frequently. When I received my transfer, I spent KES 1500 plus my wife’s contribution and bought a 90kg sack of maize. Buying the maize will ensure that my family will have plenty of food as I work hard to save enough money to buy them food next time. Besides buying maize, I spent the other half of KES 1500 on paying school fees for my two children who were moving to new classes.  "

"I am happy that Give Directly came up with the initiative of giving out unconditional transfers to needy people. The funds have helped many in my village start all over again and rebuild their lives for the better. However, I would like the organization to increase the monthly stipend so that we can cope with the rising prices of essential commodities such as food.  "

"Not having stable and consistent income has been a challenge to us a family. Food prices and school fees has gone up in the recent months. This is giving as problems yet I'm still paying for a piece of land and living in."

"The biggest challenge is that we are experiencing a bad economic times. Food prices have inflated yet I do not have a stable source of income. I normally depend on my chicken for eggs however they have not been productive due to a lack of feed. This situation has rendered me dependent on my children yet they have their own families to take care of and this has been bothering me."

"The biggest challenge is financial constraints. I have 2 children in secondary school and it has been a challenge finding school fees for them. I do casual jobs around the village, weeding people's farms however, my income is not sufficient to meet all my household needs including paying for their academic fees and purchasing food. With food prices inflation having 3 meals in a day is by luck and this worries me, especially with young children."

"Hunger is the biggest challenge I am currently experiencing. The hike in food prices has made it impossible to afford maize flour and a we speak, one 2kg packet of maize floor goes for KES 160. This makes me able to provide one meal a day only for my family."

"Even though I had food in the house, it was insufficient to feed my family for two days. As a result, when I received my transfer, I spent KES 1,000 on extra food because I did not know when I would have any money. I operate a motorbike taxi, which has not been profitable for the past two months due to rising fuel prices. In addition, I paid KES 1,000 in school tuition for my younger brother, who is in secondary school. Because my mother does not have a consistent source of income, I occasionally step in to assist her in raising his school fees. She only does a small business of selling cooked food which has also been affected by the hike in commodity prices. Lastly, I spent the rest of my transfer on buying two chickens. As a result of the low income from the motorcycle taxi, I am shifting my focus to poultry farming. I hope this will turn out to be a viable venture."