"It was on 14th June when I had gone to the farm, and upon returning home, I decided to check my phone. The moment I saw the message informing me that I had received the transfers from GiveDirectly, I was overwhelmed with excitement. I immediately shared the news with my husband, who was puzzled at first by my laughter. His confusion quickly turned into joy, and together we began to plan how we would use the money to build a new house, as the one we were currently living in was falling apart."

"It was on a Friday at 3 PM, and I was at home relaxing when I heard a message notification on my phone. Since I didn't know how to read, I handed the phone to my daughter and asked her to read the message. When she told me it was from GiveDirectly, I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement. To be sure, I asked my friend to confirm the message, and she did. Overjoyed, I immediately called my husband, who was in Kilifi, and he shared my happiness. My mind quickly turned to the relief that this money would bring, especially in paying my daughter's school fees, allowing her to return to school after being at home for so long due to the lack of money."

"Farming in our area is a mixed blessing for my family of six. We rely entirely on it for our livelihood, but it comes with its share of hardships. Natural disasters like floods and severe droughts often set us back, ruining our crops and causing financial strain.Three months ago for instance , the maize I had sown on my 1acre plot was all washed away. Accessing markets is another big challenge; the roads can become impassable, making it difficult to sell our produce and sometimes leading to losses. It is truly disheartening to see our hard work go to waste because of these issues."

"When the floods hit our village three months ago, they swept away all our maize crops. That was our main source of food for my family of four. Normally, we would have been harvesting them in September 2024, ensuring food for the next season in 2025. Now, I am really worried about how we will manage to get through the next season. We have been relying on casual jobs and charcoal burning to make a living, but these opportunities are scarce. It feels like we are constantly struggling to secure our next meal."

"As a family of five, farming is our livelihood, but we are facing some significant challenges. Our 4-acre plot, where we grow maize and beans, is not fenced, so goats often come in and damage our crops, leading to losses that hurt us financially. I have been wanting to fence it off to protect our crops, but money is really tight right now. Another big worry is raising school fees for my daughter, who is in grade 9. The $40 per term is a struggle for us to come up with, especially when crop yields are not reliable. Sometimes, she is even sent home because we cannot pay the fees on time. It is tough, but we are doing our best to navigate through these challenges and provide for our family's future."

"Putting food on the table in my community is not an easy task. We experience extreme and unpredictable weather patterns which affect crop production. For the past two years of crop farming, I have been counting losses. I had planted maize crops on my one acre piece of land last year. I was hopeful that the food shortage will be a story of the past in my family. Drought season crippled in and I lost all my crops. Despite the losses, I never lost hope in farming. Early this year I gave it another try and planted maize on the same piece of land hoping for bumper harvest. Unexpectedly, we experienced flash floods which swept away my crops and left me with nothing. The only hope to put food on the table is casual jobs which pay poorly."

"I am currently struggling to pay school fees for my sons Asbel, Abel and Ben. Both Asbel and Abel are studying in Loitip secondary school while Ben is in Ilpolei secondary school. I do not have a stable source of family income and this is making my life unbearable. My old age is also another challenge since it cannot allow me to work casually to earn a living. It is sad that I have sold almost all of my livestock so that I can give my children quality education. It is unfortunate that our crops were swept away by the flash floods that occurred three months ago. We have no otherwise but to buy food from the market which is extremely expensive. This is worsening our family's struggle. Skipping meals is now common in my family."

"Paying school fees for my two secondary school children has been my greatest challenge. I lack the funds to make my 1.8-acre farm productive, which could provide both food and income through the sale of produce. The farm requires HDPE pipes to bring water in, but I cannot afford them. Additionally, our single room is insufficient for my family of six. I do not have the finances to construct a larger house that would accommodate us adequately."

"Living in a tent with my family of three is distressing. Recently, we were severely affected by floods that washed away our makeshift shelter. I don't have the means to build a proper house for my family. Additionally, the floods destroyed our one-acre maize farm, leaving us without any source of livelihood. I can't afford to rent land for farming either. As a result, we are now relying on insufficient income from charcoal burning and occasional manual labor to support ourselves."

"A day before receiving my transfer, our son had been sent home for school fees, which caused us a lot of stress. Because of the recent rains, we lost all our crops that we relied on, and we didn't have any other means but to plan to sell our goat to send him back to school. Fortunately, the money from GiveDirectly arrived at the perfect time. I didn't have to sell my goat, and I was able to send my child back to school. Thank you, GiveDirectly."