"Life have been challeging because I don't have enough money to buy materials for my tailoring business , I started sewing in 2011 and up to now I only have one sewing machine which is not enough for me to keep going, I also don't get enough fertiliser because i don't have a cow, it requires me to trade some crops in order to get it but currently I'm not getting that opportunity because those who helped me get the organic fertiliser have sold their cows. Another challenge I am facing is not having my own house because I currently live in my father's house who left us 10 years ago to get another wife."

"When I heard GiveDirectly had visited our village, I gave up on all hopes of receiving any aid. This is because I wasn't speaking the same dialect as the locals. I got used to the discrimination other organizations subjected me to whenever organizations visited the village. Little did I know GiveDirectly was a different organization. I was surprised to receive a visit from them at my homestead. Upon receipt of our transfer, my husband and I opted to invest the entire amount in farming. We planted vegetables, butternuts, and tomatoes, something we were good at. I am forever grateful for the support of the cash transfer that gave us an opportunity for a change in our life."

"I separated with my husband 20 years ago. Life's not easy being a single mother of 4. My biggest challenge now is paying school fees. I have one girl in secondary school and another studying in the university. I need to clear fees areas of $200. I am worried about this year. I will have to raise another $800 to support them fully. I depend on farming to sustain them. This year has been difficult because of the drought. I normally plant maize for sell to support my family. Now I cannot do irrigation because the river source has dried completely."

"Currently am facing the challenge of Poverty due to lack of stable source of income, in the recent past, my wife left me because of some misunderstanding, i now stay alone and i have my 2 children who are still in primary but stays with their grandfather who is my biological father. At the moment for me to get food on my table i have to do casual labor to get some money toy the food. Another challenge is failure to fully take care of my children due to poverty."

"Charcoal work being a job that is not favorable to many people due to its intensive nature has been the main source of income that I have depended on for a long time. This job being tiresome and energy-draining has affected my health and I am no longer productive a situation that has compelled me to majorly depend on my son who is a casual laborer. Since his support is inconsistent, sometimes I forfeit meals and this has equally made me look emaciated. I, therefore, consider myself to be facing a financial crisis, which stands out as my main challenge."

"Subsistence farming which is my main source of livelihood has been greatly affected by the prolonged drought that we have experienced for 3 consecutive seasons now. This has compelled me to depend on my son who is a casual laborer to send us some cash. Since the support I get from him is inconsistent, sometimes I am forced to seek help from my neighbor, a situation that has exposed me as a beggar. What a life! Since meeting the needs of my family is a challenge due to the financial crisis, I, therefore, consider this to be the main challenge that I am currently facing."

"I have a family of three and we are living in a one-room house with a grass roof. The house is not spacious and it leaks during rain seasons. The wind also affect the family thus I suffer flue every now and then. Lack of spacious and well-built house isn't he challenge I am currently facing in life. I work as a casual labour at the nearby quary earning approximately $100 per month which caters to food only. It is not sufficient to build a house for the family."

"My husband and I are casual workers. He works as a masonry at Mombasa earning approximately $200 per month though not all the time. I work at the nearby quarry earning approximately $30 per month. The family income is very low such that I find it hard to pay school fees for my children. I have five children where one is at Ngala girls secondary school and four are at Bale primary school. The one at secondary has a fee structure of $460 per year where as the four in primary have a fee structure of $3250 each per year. The daughter who is at secondary school has a fees balance of $180. This means that she will have a total balance of $640 when schools open on January 2023. The fees problem has affected her performance."