"Financial constraints have become a real hurdle for me lately, especially in farming. Every day, I see the costs of essential inputs like fertilizers and seeds climbing higher. Depending on farming for my livelihood means I constantly feel the squeeze of these increasing expenses. It is challenging to keep up with the rising costs in Kenya's economy, but I am exploring different strategies to cope, like searching for more affordable inputs and considering diversifying my crops to lessen the impact of these expenses.It is a struggle, but I am hopeful that with perseverance, I can navigate through these tough times."

"Since I'm a window my biggest challenge currently is providing for my family. I only depend on casual work which I don't get enough money to provide for my family. This makes my life very difficult."

"My biggest challenge currently is a lack of money and the tightening cost of living. This has made my life very difficult because I lack money to pay for my three children's school fees and also purchase food for our family. This has made life difficult since what I get from the small business I have is not enough to cater for all our needs."

"The challenge we are facing is that we are living in a small one roomed house. This has forced me to go to sleep in my neighbours house while my wife and daughter sleep in our house. This makes it very difficult for me and I sometimes feel ashamed because I'm getting old and yet I have to go to my neighbours to sleep."

"I was at home taking a shower when my phone rang. I rushed out of the shower and immediately called back. It was my neighbor on the line. We were both in the last batch awaiting transfers from GiveDirectly in our village. He told me he had received his money and was full of joy. I ended the call to check if I had also received my transfer. Sure enough, I received a message confirming that $180 had been deposited into my account from GiveDirectly. I was overjoyed because I knew how much this money meant to me. I was in the middle of a crisis caused by floods, which made finding job opportunities impossible. My immediate thought was to solve this issue permanently. I decided to use the money to find a better place to live, away from the threat of floods, so my family and I could live happily and without fear of floods again."

"During the prolonged drought a few months ago, the extreme heat caused our farms to wither and seasonal river to dry up. I did not have food in my farm and could not find jobs from my neighbors as well. Consequently, my children have often missed school due to food security and lack of income."

"I depend on my farm produce to support my 4 children's education. However, unpredictable weather patterns have pushed me into losses due to extreme weather conditions. For example, flash floods destroyed my maize plantation 2 months ago. I am so worried that my children will face food insecurity and will no longer consistently attend school. This is making my life hard at the moment."

"I operate a small food kiosk in the village. For the last 2 months I have hardly made profits due to tough economic times. Flash floods that swept into the village have rendered many people jobless because the farms they depended on for casual work were swept clean. Without money in circulation, the ripple effect has become dire to people in businesses. My worry is that with this kind of trend I would not be in a position to educate my 4 children."

"In the coming years, my greatest hope is to fully own the piece of land I bought for crop farming. It cost $2500, and so far, I have managed to pay $530. Completing the payment is a mountain to climb, but I am determined to make it happen. I plan to set aside a portion of my earnings from burning charcoal. My son, who does mechanical work, promised to help me with the payments. With his support and my relentless focus, I can gather the remaining amount bit by bit. Once I fully own the land, I will be able to grow more crops, increasing our food supply and income. This will secure our family's future and allow us to dream even bigger in the years beyond."

"The house I had been living in for many years collapsed on one side during heavy rains last year. It was a small two-roomed house with a dilapidated and weak roof, which led to its collapse. The house was in really bad condition with several openings in the roof and walls, making it uninhabitable. Since I lacked the financial resources to rebuild, I had no choice but to continue living in it, hoping for change. However, after enrolling in a program and receiving my transfer, my priority was to improve my living situation, starting with the house. I purchased enough building materials, including 24 iron sheets, building poles, timber, and nails to build a new decent iron-roofed house. I am currently in the process of building the house, and I am happy that I will no longer face challenges of shelter once it's complete. Moreover, I also upgraded my sleeping arrangement with a new mattress and bed to replace the old ones for more comfort."