"After being displaced by flooding six years ago, I decided to borrowed land from a relative and constructed a simple structure for my family to live. With no reliable source of livelihood, I am only able to work from hand to mouth and as a result, I cannot save anything substantial in order to buy land and relocate. This meant that I had to continue staying in the borrowed land without doing anything useful as I am not allowed to carryout any development by the owner."

"I am a widow with no passive income. I solely depend on casual jobs from other people's farm in order to fend for my family. The jobs are unreliable to an extend of only getting them during the weekends. This means that I have to venture into charcoal burning in order to supplement on my family's needs. I am also forced to lease my only 2 acres arable land that I could have cultivated crops for both subsistence and surplus for commercial purposes. My biggest worry is that I am running out of energy to be able to continue carrying out these menial jobs because of my age and having no hope of breaking this cycle."

"Thanks to GiveDirectly, my life has changed dramatically. My children are now able to attend school regularly, something I couldn't afford before. I've ventured into tomato farming and started a small poultry farm, providing a stable income for my family. The impact goes beyond just us - my village has seen development with new houses popping up everywhere. I like their current programs, I'm just filled with gratitude for the opportunities GiveDirectly has provided, transforming not just my life, but the entire community"

"Spent most of it on buying land and construction materials"

"The recent changes in Kenya's economy have family hard. The prices of basic commodities such as food have increased, making it difficult for us to afford our daily needs. As a family of five, we rely on charcoal burning as our main source of income, earning $5 per bag. On a good month, I can harvest up to 10 bags, which we use to buy food and pay for our children's high school fees. But it is not easy. Charcoal burning is physically demanding and highly competitive, especially since it seems like everyone in the Ng'ambo sublocation is doing it too. And to make matters worse, the middlemen involved in the business often exploit us, driving down our profits even further. I am worried about the future of this job. It is becoming increasingly tiresome and less lucrative, and the market conditions are not helping either. I know I need to find a solution soon before things get even worse for my family. It will not be easy, but I am determined to find a way to provide for my family and secure a better future for us all."

"Because I'm old and can't do tough work, I plan to buy goats and look after them. Goats are good here because they can handle dry weather, unlike cows and sheep. I also pray to God to help my kids find jobs. It's been hard for me to support them through school, and I hope they can finish their education and do well so they can take care of me."

"GiveDirectly has done something great for me by giving me money without any rules. My life has changed a lot. I bought a water tank with the money, and I'm very happy and excited because now I have water at home. Before, getting water was hard because we had to go far to find it.When you go to other villages, please tell people to invest their money wisely so that they'll have something to be happy about in the future. They should remember GiveDirectly for helping them like it helped me."

"Life at the moment is so tough because I do not have a reliable source of income to depend on. Looking at my husband's health condition, it has pushed me to assume the household responsibilities. My hope has been on my son who is a driver but his support is minimal due to the nature of his income. It is a great feeling of pain to have involuntarily forced my elder son to postpone marriage since he carries the burden of supporting his siblings in school. Hence, I consider financial instability as my biggest challenge."

"I have nothing but praise for GiveDirectly. Their programs have helped me tremendously, and I'm filled with joy and gratitude because of it. I love everything they do, and I'm so thankful for the assistance they've provided me."

"What I really admire about GiveDirectly is how transparent they are. When they send money, it goes straight to the people who need it. There's no middleman, no hidden agenda. It's just simple and straightforward. I appreciate that they don't have anything fishy going on. Their programs are all about helping people in need, without any ulterior motives. It's clear that their main goal is to make a positive impact on people's lives, and that's something I truly respect. Because of this, I don't have any recommendations for GiveDirectly. They're already doing such a great job with their transparent and honest approach. I'm grateful for the support they provide to individuals and communities, and I trust that they will continue to do so in the best way possible."