"The recent floods swept away all the crops in our farms and we have not yet recovered from it. My husband and I depend on farming to make ends meet and after loosing what we had hoped would sustain us for the whole year we resorted into casual jobs. It is difficult to sustain our needs because it is not reliable and this has left us with debts."

"Since I don't have any other source of income and rely entirely on GiveDirectly transfers, my aspiration is to start my own business and provide for my family. I envision opening a shop that offers a variety of products, such as vegetables and charcoal. I am currently saving a portion of my monthly transfers to help me launch this business. My ultimate goal is to not only generate enough profit to support my family but also to save for future endeavors, such as paying school fees, buying food, and purchasing clothing for my children and myself. This business venture is crucial for securing our future and improving our quality of life."

"The most significant difference has been the ability to pay off the debt I owed on my sewing machine. I had to use my sewing machine as collateral to borrow money to pay for my child's school fees. Without the machine, I couldn't continue my sewing business, which was my primary source of income. It has been a year since I lost the machine, and those were some of the toughest months I've ever faced. Not being able to sew meant no income and constantly worrying about how to make ends meet. But now, thanks to GiveDirectly, I have my sewing machine back and can continue with my business. The sense of relief and the steady, though small, income I earn from sewing clothes has brought stability back to my life. I feel hopeful and more secure about the future, something I hadn’t felt in a long time."

"Receiving an unconditional cash transfer was a blessing for my family. I used $200 to pay school fees for my son in secondary school and my two children in primary school. They had been in and out of school several times due to unpaid fees, which disrupted their education. Ensuring their fees were paid meant they could stay in school consistently and focus on their studies without interruptions. I then paid off a $110 debt to the water company that supplies our household. The debt had accumulated to the point where our water supply was disconnected, and I had to fetch water from our neighbors. Clearing this debt was a priority to restore our access to clean water and avoid further inconveniences. I also used $77 to buy a bag of potatoes and 10 liters of cooking oil to start a chips-selling business. This small business is a step towards financial stability, providing a steady income. Additionally, I purchased seven iron sheets and roofing nails for $80 to repair our leaking roof, improving our living conditions. The remaining money went towards buying one and a half bags of maize, ensuring we had enough food. I am incredibly grateful for the help from GiveDirectly, which has allowed me to support my family's education, restore essential services, and invest in a small business for future stability."

"Initially, my goal was to start a food selling business. However, because this required a lot of movement, I had to abandon it after developing health issues due to the cold. So, I shifted my focus to buying a cow for rearing instead. I'm already saving part of my transfer towards this project and I have hope that I will achieve it. This new venture presents an opportunity for me to generate income, which will enable me to support various needs within my family, including covering school fees, buying food, and acquiring essential household items. Currently, my husband struggles to generate sufficient income through selling locally sourced toothbrushes made from medicinal tree twigs. Therefore, through this new initiative with the cow, I hope to contribute in some way to our household finances as well."

"My maize farm is struggling due to a lack of funds for irrigation. I lack money to buy fuel and HDPE pipes essential for watering the crops. Animal attacks on the farm are a recurring issue, compounded by the inability to fence the farm due to financial constraints. With no sustainable employment, providing food for my family of 4 is a daily challenge. Additionally, I am facing difficulties paying for my theology course and covering school fees for my child. Moreover, essential furniture for my house remains unaffordable due to financial limitations."

"I'm facing challenges in expanding my newly started small business in the village. Selling goods in the open air leads to spoilage since i lack the resources to build a structure. Additionally, seeing my one-acre farming land unused gives me stress; I wanted to plant watermelon but could not due to financial constraints. Moreover, after experiencing flood damage to my home, I intended to relocate it to higher ground within the compound, but financial limitations prevent me from doing so."

"I currently have 1 acre of farming land that remains unused due to financial constraints, preventing me from purchasing essential farm inputs such as a gasoline generator, pipes, seeds and fuel. My family's primary income sources are charcoal burning and support from our children, which are insufficient to cover our food expenses and school fees for our two children. Moreover, our household items were destroyed by floodwater, and I lack the funds to replace them."

"Iam currently living in a poor structure because the recent floods destroyed my one and only mud wall house and due to financial challenges iam not able to renovate it and also iam not able to do any casual labour or even charcoal burning because iam very old I only depend on neighbours for food."

"The recent floods that invade my village did not spare my agricultural farm because I planted Kenya seed maize in my 2 acre piece of land hoping for the great harvested little did I know that all the efforts will be nill. I am now facing a lot of challenges fending for my family and paying off saccos loan that I used to invest in the farm which was swept away by floods because iam depending on casual labour which earns me KES 300 which is not enough for my family daily needs."