"Currently, my family of 5 faces numerous challenges. We lack the funds to buy food. I'm unable to seek manual work because I must take care for my elderly and ill husband at home. We rely on our children for food assistance. Additionally, the recent floods in our village have caused health issues for me, but we cannot afford to seek medical treatment or insurance. One of our houses was destroyed by the floods, leaving us with only one inadequate dwelling. We lack the funds to build a more suitable home. I also own two acres of uncultivated land that could provide income for my family if we had the means to farm it."

"As an elderly person unable to work, I rely on relatives for food and sometimes go without due to financial constraints. I face difficulties paying school fees for my orphaned granddaughter, whom I care for. The recent floods destroyed one of our houses, leaving us with insufficient space in our remaining room for my family of 3. I lack the funds to build another house."

"I planted my two acre pieces of land in April hoping to have a good harvest. It is unfortunate that my farm was flooded and all my crops were destroyed. All the money that I had invested in farming is reduced to ashes. I was hopeful to better my life through this farming. I am the sole breadwinner of the family and this has never been easy for me. I do not have a stable source of income as I rely on casual jobs to earn a living. It is sad that we are poorly paid $3 per day which is not sustainable for us."

"We are living on a 0.5 acre piece of land, this limits our ability to venture into crop farming. I recently leased an acre piece of land from my neighbor where I planted maize crops, I was hoping to have a bumper harvest but ended up counting losses. It was the end of April 2024 when we had a bad experience of flash floods in our community. My crops were totally swept away and our kitchen destroyed. It is devastating that I am still sharing a single room with my three children. This denies me an opportunity to have some privacy with my loved one Salina."

"Following the devastating effects of floods in my village, where my house was also affected. I am eager to acquire a piece of land in a flood-safe area, but my efforts have been hampered by financial constraints. As a farmer reliant on leased land, I lack the funds to purchase my own property. This year, I could only lease 0.5 acres, which is insufficient to support my family. I am also struggling to afford school fees for my two secondary school children. Occasionally, they are unable to attend school due to our financial difficulties."

"It is the farming season in our community and everyone is busy working on their farms. This is the opposite for our household. It is unfortunate that we do not have enough capital to cultivate our farm and this pains me a lot. The happiness of every mother is having enough food in stock for the family. My life now is full of worries and uncertainties, I have nothing in store to feed my family of seven. My kitchen was not spared during the recent flash floods. We are now using open air as a kitchen which is not healthy for us."

"Being the sole breadwinner for my family has an uphill task for me. I am not lucky with a reliable and a stable source of income. I wake up every morning to look for casual jobs to support my loved ones. On a good day I am paid $3 which ends up on food. I can say my life is from hand to mouth. I do not have any savings nor investment which is heartbreaking. My dream is to help my three children live the best life, but this is fading each and every day as I toil to put food on the table."

"My primary challenge currently is relying on charcoal burning to afford basic necessities such as food for my family, which is particularly challenging given my old age. Recently, all three acres of my maize farm were destroyed by floods. Originally, I had planned to use the proceeds from the harvest to educate my children, meet our needs, and ensure a comfortable life in my old age. To establish the farm, I had taken a loan from Kenya Seed, and now I am unsure how long it will take to repay the amount owed. Nonetheless, I remain hopeful that once I replant maize on my farm, I will be able to generate sufficient income to repay the loan."

"Currently, my biggest challenge is the feeling of losing all the progress I had made in life. It's painful to reflect on the hopes I had before the floods hit us unexpectedly last month. I had planted maize on my two acre farm with the aim of ensuring food security and tackling the financial challenges we've been facing. Unfortunately, the floods wiped out all the crops, chickens, and some household utensils. Now, I'm forced to rebuild my life from scratch, and it's a deeply saddening experience for me."

"GiveDirectly has greatly improved the lives of everyone in our village. Receiving unconditional cash was incredible because it allowed us to prioritize and decide how best to use the money. When you visit neighboring villages, please continue to help them as you have helped us."