"When I first received the cash transfers, I spent most of it on building a concrete pillar around the walls of my house to reinforce it. However, due to pressing financial obligations like food, I was not able to channel every amount toward the renovation of the structure, which left one side of the wall unattended. My prayer is to conclude this project withing the next year so that I can start looking at other things like securing goats and more chickens for rearing. "

"Supporting the education of my twelve children and providing for their daily needs like food is my priority. Since nine are still in primary school, and they have a long way before completing at least the high school level, I would be happy if I obtained a reliable source of income to fund their education. Since I do not have a reliable source of income, I aim to use the little amount I get from charcoal burning for food and save the money I get from GiveDirectly."

"Food shortage is the challenge I am currently facing. I have a family of six members and on an ideal situation we use 3kg of maize flour per day. This is not the case now due to famine I use 2kg per day or go without food. I do casual jobs earning $30 per month which caters for food only and it is not sufficient to sustain the family for the whole month. My children have grown weak due to lack of food."

"Drought has hit us hard in our area and this has made farming unreliable. This has pushed me to venture into charcoal burning and aloe vera extraction as my main sources of income. The nature of these activities are so tiresome and time-consuming yet the income is usually very low; say, $35 per month. This can not fully cater to our basic needs and sometimes my children lack school fees. The feeling of watching them helplessly at home pains me most as a mother since their future life is at stake. What a worrying life!"

"Eight years now! This has been a period of hardship in my life since I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Our area's main economic activity being charcoal burning, I find it tough for me to engage in this work because of my condition. This means I have to depend on my son to provide me with food and other basic needs. Since he has a family to take care of, sometimes getting his full support is a challenge and in some cases, I forfeit meals. Skipping meals has worsened my condition since I am still on medication. This situation has robbed away my joy because I am always in stress. What a life!"

"My main sources of income are charcoal and community health volunteer work. The CHV work is not reliable since my payment of $20 come after a month. This pushes me to engage in charcoal burning as my alternative job. Although it's time-consuming and energy-intensive, I have been doing this for a long time and I am currently feeling weak. Our combined efforts with my husband from this job earn us utmost $90 per month, which goes to food and supporting my 3 children in school. Since this income is low, my children have sometimes missed classes, a situation that has greatly affected their studies. This is a worrying circumstance as a mother and I always feel the pain of seeing my child at home."

"Since am majorly responsible for providing for my five children, I would like to ensure that they study without frequent interruptions to collect their school fees. The eldest is currently in grade seven, my prayer is that all of them complete high school with no major tuition problems. To accomplish this, I want to start keeping livestock and poultry, which I could sell to support the education requirements. "

"It has been a long since my region was blessed with enough rain to sustain crop farming. The persistent drought has impaired crucial activities that could have allowed me to produce food in my field. As a result, the only way my family can survive is by buying food, which is expensive. I wish and pray for the rains to commence in the next year for my family to cultivate enough food and water. At least this will allow me to spend any money I earn on other things, like school fees. "

"Lack of a reliable source of income is the challenge I am currently facing. I do casual jobs in the community earning $30 per month which caters for food only and it is even not enough."

"Last year 2022 I had a fracture on my left hand after filling dizziness and fell. I was served by a physiotherapist and got well. The problem is that I can not involve my self on hard activities and earn a living. During rainy season I also feel a lot of pain on my hand."