"I am deeply saddened by what happened to my farm. I put so much effort into growing maize on my 1.5-acre plot, hoping it would provide food and income for my family of two. Unfortunately, the rivers nearby flooded and washed away everything I had planted.To make matters worse, I had taken a loan from Kenya Seed, expecting to repay it with the harvest in August 2024. Now, all my plans are ruined, and I am afraid of the financial burden this loss will bring. It is a difficult time for us, and I am not sure how we will recover from this setback."

"I still cannot believe how devastating the floods were for us here in Longewan. Two months ago, they swept away my entire one-acre maize plantation—the only hope for my family of seven. We had taken a loan from Kenya Seed with the expectation of repaying it after the September harvest, but now, I am left with no crops and no way to start over. It is a painful reality knowing that I cannot afford to replant without financial support, and taking another loan is out of the question until I can repay the first one. As a backup plan, I invested in a small grocery business, but even sourcing vegetables has become stressful and expensive due to the limited quantities available. Living in this devastated state is heart-wrenching, and I am struggling to find a way forward."

"My greatest challenge is the lack of financial resources to meet my family's basic needs. This obstacle has prevented me from pursuing large-scale agriculture, which I am eager to do by leasing land and cultivating crops like maize and tomatoes, which thrive in our region. Currently, I rely on sporadic jobs to support my family, typically earning about KES 300 a day, which is insufficient for saving towards leasing land. It's disheartening to witness my family occasionally going hungry due to the scarcity of available work."

"Food security is my primary concern. Despite numerous efforts, I haven't been able to overcome this challenge. Living a kilometer away from a river makes it impossible to grow crops on my farm. It's heartbreaking to see my children go hungry, especially when I can't find casual labor to secure food for them."

"After receiving my first transfer from GiveDirectly, I was finally able to address my long-standing health issues. I spent $55 on medical expenses, as I had been unwell for about six years due to financial constraints, which prevented me from affording a good hospital. Instead, I had been visiting public hospitals, but they never identified the problem. My health issues worsened, and I eventually reached a point where I couldn't even walk or stand on my own. However, the private hospital was able to provide a diagnosis, and I'm grateful to GiveDirectly for making this possible. Due to my health issues, fetching water and firewood became a problem, Especially since I lived alone after losing my wife. To address this, I bought a water tank for storage at $38 and spent $10 on firewood. I also invested $16 in two plastic chairs, as I had been sitting on stones outside my home, including when hosting visitors. Additionally, I purchased $15 worth of household items and utensils, and the remaining $66 went towards ensuring I had a balanced diet, as I had just been from the hospital. I'm thankful to GiveDirectly for this life-changing support."

"I am now counting losses after all my maize crops were swept away by flash floods in April 2024. I am feeling stressed and desperate. My life has been reduced to zero. I had invested $300 on maize farming and hoped that this could change my life. I am not expecting any harvest this season and this makes me live in fear of living a miserable life. I do not have a stable source of income, this is challenging as I am not able to provide for my family and put food on the table. I work on casual jobs earning me about $2 a day. This money is not sustainable for our family."

"I am not formally employed and therefore casual labour is my main source of income. We experienced flash floods in April 2024 and this came with a fair share of challenges. It is now difficult to get any casual job as all our farms were swept away by floods. I used to get employment on those farms as a farm attendant and this helped me a lot to feed our family. This has exposed my family to extreme hunger. We at times take porridge as a meal. I was forced to look for an alternative source of income and I ventured into charcoal burning. We had one house which was brought down by flash two months ago. I am struggling financially and I cannot afford to build a decent house for my family. We are now living in a tent which is not habitable."

"The recent floods that cause destruction in our village did not spare my household. I lost 1 acre piece of land which I just planted seeds the day before floods came and this farm was our hope because I have school going children who need school fees for their education. I lost several chicken on that day because their house was flooded most of them perished and other were swept away.iam now depending on charcoal burning to provide basic needs for my family which is the biggest challenge iam facing right now because the cost of 1 sack of charcoal is KES 600 which is not enough for our family."

"After sitting down with my wife to discuss how best to use the money, we decided to invest the entire $200 in agriculture. Our plan was comprehensive: we would plough the farm using tractors, purchase seeds, pay for irrigation water, and hire laborers to help prepare and plant the crops. We decided to plant one hectare of maize and half a hectare of black nightshade vegetables, known locally as Managu.My main focus was on Managu because it's highly marketable, bringing in around $140 per harvest, with the potential for multiple harvests. This income would be crucial for paying our children's school fees. Meanwhile, the maize would ensure we had enough food for our homestead. With 12 kids and four grandchildren to provide for, and my wife not being employed but working as a farmer at home, this investment meant a lot to us. I work as a driver for the Ministry of Health, transporting supplies between hospitals and dispensaries, but my salary alone isn't enough to cover all our needs. This agricultural investment gave us hope and a clear path towards financial stability and a better future for our family."

"For now, my main goal in the coming months is to build another house for my four children. I've been strategizing how to achieve this by focusing on selling the goats I've been purchasing and using my modest savings. I am confident that with these efforts, I will make this dream a reality. Currently, our small, one-room house is a source of stress because it doesn't provide enough space for my family of six. Both my children and I crave privacy, and this has been challenging. However, I am optimistic that once the new house is built, my children will finally have peace of mind and ample space to call their own. This vision motivates me every day, and I'm determined to see it through for the well-being and comfort of my family."