"Give Directly has done well in giving out the lump sum amount in this village. The funds have been a big impact on the society, especially during the hard economic time and drought. Most of us were working and earning not enough to provide a meal for the family at least every day. It was impossible to even buy clothes because all the cash earned was used to buy food and water. I am grateful the program came to my village and I am among the beneficiaries who managed to open a business using the funds which is the biggest difference in my life. I would wish for the organization to visit as many villages as they can afford to support and not to do anything different. I can attest that Give directly has changed so many lives!" (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"I have been in pain for the past three months just because of someone's negligence to observe traffic rules. I remember it so vividly, I was on the road on my motorcycle when I decided to take a left turn at a junction, I was careful and did not forget to indicate but the rider behind was not. He was at high speed and ended up knocking me off the road. I have been bedridden for those months, in pain, and unable to go to work. It is affecting my productivity at home focusing my wife to look for extra jobs just to feed us."

"One month ago my husband managed to raise $200 that a particular credit company needed to be able to give him a motorcycle on loan for taxi business. I'm happy this was smooth and right now he's using the bike around the village. It made me happy that day, and I'm still happy today for my family because this gives me hope that my struggles are about to reduce. Even though we're not yet making much money right now because he's still repaying the loan, I know one day we will." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"My biggest challenge is my house. It leaks as when it's rainy season we struggle because we wait for it to stop and then sleep in the dry parts. We are living in poverty because we can't find money to buy food and other household necessities. My husband does bicycle taxi but that doesn't bring anything, people in the village just walk. That means he doesn't generate money to then provide for us." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"I would like to open a beauty parlor which will enable me to lure more clients and hence increase my daily income. The door-to-door service limits me from offering some services like blow drying and setting hair. I plan to look for a place with electricity to open the beauty parlor and buy some items to set up the business. I have a budget of $300 as capital and I intend to save as much from the motorcycle transport business and my beauty business. Accomplishing this will bring a financial difference in my life, especially when I am the only breadwinner of the family."

"I want to concentrate on crop farming and livestock keeping in the upcoming year. However, the success of this endeavor is heavily dependent on rainfall availability. As a result, I will be able to embark on my motorcycle taxi business when we observe an increase in food crop production because many people will have more cash flow. However, since there is currently no money, I have let go of the taxi business, and I do charcoal burning more often. People stop using taxi services because of low cash flow. Unlike before, things were better because there were plenty of crops and low fuel prices, so people were not in extreme poverty as it is now."

"I did not have a reliable means of transport to my business premise and in most cases I would walk or hire a means of transport especially to deliver my goods to customers. I therefore bought a second hand motorcycle worth $450. Since then it has been easy and I have even invented a new business opportunity of buying charcoal and delivering to people at a fee which has to improved household income. Through this, my wife has does not stay idle at home since she takes care of our business while I deliver goods and even operate it for taxi services. The remaining $90 I used to boost my retail shop business and it is good the profits have improved. My gratitude goes to the organization and thanks to them through the support, our children have improved on their performance in school because they are no longer sent back home for school fees. My appreciation goes out to the organisation, and because of their assistance, our children's academic performance has increased since they are not really being sent home for school expenses anymore."

"I am 23, living with my husband and 2 children. We currently have build a house in a land that belongs to someone and we depend on casual jobs such as weeding, harvesting and burning charcoal. On a good day, when I work up to 4 pm, I get $3. This is a small amount for the family, my husband also works in the afternoon as a motorcycle rider, he works for someone and must pay a target amount of $4 daily. He's forced to work late in the night and also due to high fuel price of $2 per liter, he's not able to save much. He can save between $2 to $3 a day. This amount is small as it cannot sustain our family and we cannot save enough to buy our own land." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"On October 6, 2022, my husband was in a motorcycle accident, and he hasn't been able to work since. I was also fortunate to give birth to a three-month-old child. Since my spouse is unable to work and the informal work I perform does not provide enough income for us and the kids, my current concern is a shortage of funds. We occasionally go without eating. I also have a daughter and son who are in test season, and I have no idea how I'll pay for their tuition."

"I saved half of my transfer of $15 dollars in a saving groups with the intention of saving more money and buying building materials such as iron sheets, building poles, nails, sand and cement. My tiny delapidated structure is on the verge of collapsing because of the weak poles. Acquiring these materials will help me improve the house and guarantee safety of my family members. Besides buying saving some money, I spent the other half amounting to $15 on buying food. The poor condition of my health is an obstacle towards working, earning an income and helping to cater to my families needs.I depend on my son who supports us financially and works as a motorcycle rider in Mombasa town. He does not earn much from his job so sometimes we are forced to sleep on empty stomachs whenever he fails to send us money."