"I have a lot of difficulties when it comes to hearing. It is a condition I was born with and over the years it has worsened. It has reached a point where it oozes pus every day. This gets worse especially when I am stressed or when I catch a cold. I have sought treatment meant but still no change."

"Food insecurity is the greatest challenge that we currently face. Rainfall patterns have changed and as things stand I cannot afford three meals a day. In the last 3 years, things have been bad to worse, I used to harvest 20 to 25 bags of maize in one acre of land I used to rent. Last year I rented the same plot and harvested 2 bags of maize, The little I harvested can not sustain my family not even to mention the input I used on the farm. Recently, I decided to do only casual jobs around the village for survival."

"Unemployment is my major challenge, It has been a challenge getting employed since I lack proper skills for the job market, furthermore, I dropped out of school in class four. It has been a year now, I have had to work as a motorcycle rider but only in shifts when my friends are tired or are not having a very successful day. The project I started of building my own comfortable house has remained stagnant, I cannot settle down and start a family since I do not have a stable source of income."

"In 2020, December I was involved in a road accident in Makupa, Mombasa. I was behind time with my delivery and I was riding my motorcycle cycle at a high speed. I lost control and bumped into a tuk-tuk. The next thing I remember is that my leg was in pain and I was quickly rushed to the hospital, both my legs had serious bruises but were attended to. A couple of months later my left leg became sore and I went to the hospital, only to be told that they had to perform minor surgery to stop the infection which was a result of a lack of proper treatment from the accident I had. I did not have the money to pay for the surgery and so I went back home and sold what I had. I had some chicken and 3 cows, I sold all of them and topped up the rest. It has taken me five months to recover. It has now been three months since, but I still have scars to show and a lot to recover."

"Receiving this money means better shelter for my household. My family consists of 6 members 2 daughters,2 sons,and us. The current house is too small for all of us to live in. Both my elder daughter and son live with their grandmother in another village because of insufficient space to sleep in in this house. As a mother, I feel insecure with my children's behavior and character because am unable to mentor and monitor them as they grow up. With this amount, we will use KES 35000 to construct a new house. This house will accommodate all of us, therefore, strengthening our bond and unity."

"I am not able to get enough food to feed my children at the moment, my husbands' business of selling charcoal has hit a rock and he now has to borrow from friends to feed our family. I am currently eight months pregnant and I cannot do much to ease his weight. It has not been easy for him and in my current condition, I cannot go a day without eating."

"The past two months have been tough for me. I run a small business where I sell charcoal. I have not been able to work for this past two months because the motorcycle I use for transportation broke down. I live from hand to mouth and setting some money aside for emergencies and savings is impossible for me. I am not able to repair the motorcycle. I have a big family, seven children and my wife is expecting our eighth born. There are days I have been forced to buy food on credit with the promise of paying as soon as I have some income. Lately, I hire motorcycles from friends so that I can at least transport people and at the end of the day buy a bag of flour for my family to eat in the evening."

"I came from bathing by night, sitting listening to news on the radio when my phone alarmed. I call my brother to help me read my massage. To my suprise it was a massage from Givedirectly. I was very happy! because life has not been good to me. I have been sleeping in one room with my two children. I can't even afford school fees for them .since i cash out my transfer, i see myself as a rich woman among my peers. My children are now in school and my business is going well. All thanks to GiveDirectly for their immense efforts to wards me."

"I have 3 children in school, 2 in secondary and 1 in primary school. Their school fees arrears amount to KES 35,000. I plan on paying for the school fee arrears so that they can attend school and not get sent home. My house is very small and my son is forced to sleep at his grandparents hut, I will use KES 40,000 to build a bigger house so that we can all sleep under one roof."

"I have been going through a lot of struggles in my life. My husband no longer takes care of me and this forced me to seek refuge at my matrimonial home. It is very shameful for a lady of my age (68 years) to stay in my father's homestead. In addition to this, I don't have a house and I am forced to sleep in my aunt's house. This has lowered my self-esteem and I have lost the reputation I had in the village. I am planning to use 30,000KES to buy one acre of land and later use 60,000KES to construct a two bedroom house. Doing this means I will reunite with my family because they will come and stay with me. Moreover, I will get back the reputation I had before coming back to my matrimonial home."