"Coming from a family where no one has ever had the opportunity to attend high school due to financial hardships, I am determined to break that cycle. My elder brother had to drop out of primary school to seek casual jobs and contribute to our family's needs. Without the cash transfers, I would have faced a similar fate. I am eternally grateful for the assistance provided by Give Directly, as it has given me the opportunity to pursue my high school education. Currently, in Form One, my goal is to excel in my studies and graduate from high school, paving the way for me to attend university. My ultimate aspiration is to become a doctor and uplift my family from poverty. I sincerely hope that the cash transfers continue to support me on this journey and help turn my dreams into reality."

"I am immensely grateful to GiveDirectly for their exceptional work in supporting the well-being of our community. The financial support they provide has been instrumental in addressing our needs. The fairness of their approach has ensured an equitable distribution of free cash transfers across all the villages, promoting inclusivity and unity. I must applaud GiveDirectly for their smooth execution of the program, as everything is flawlessly coordinated. The timeliness and convenience of their support are truly remarkable. By depositing the funds directly into individual accounts, recipients like myself have the freedom to utilize the money whenever it is most needed. This has brought a great sense of convenience to our lives. While GiveDirectly has done an outstanding job in providing direct financial support, there is an opportunity for them to expand their impact further. It would be beneficial for them to explore additional initiatives or partnerships that address other essential aspects such as education, healthcare, or waterprojects. By taking a more comprehensive approach, GiveDirectly could have an even greater transformative effect on our lives and the long-term development of our community. Nonetheless, I am sincerely grateful to GiveDirectly for their invaluable support, which has significantly improved the well-being of our community."

"The transfer I received from GiveDirectly couldn't have come at a better time, as I was facing challenges in making ends meet. As I don't have a family yet and my energy levels have decreased with age, it became difficult for me to engage in various casual jobs available. Currently, I rely on taking care of my goats, which serve as my source of income. When I received the transfer, I spent $50 towards purchasing another goat, $26 for clothing, and $6 for solar light to provide lighting. The remaining amount was wisely spent on securing food supplies. I am overjoyed that I could easily fulfill these needs, unlike before when my daily earnings were barely enough to sustain myself. This assistance has significantly impacted my life, and I am immensely grateful for it."

"In the coming year and beyond, my primary focus will be on expanding my knowledge and experience in farming. My ultimate objective is to generate enough profit to invest in fencing my land. While this vision may take time to materialize, I am filled with optimism and determination. I am grateful for the accomplishments I have already achieved, and I look forward to the future with a sense of gratitude and excitement."

"The biggest challenge now is hunger. We must find a way to get food. We depend mainly on honey harvesting from our beehive or selling goats. This is hard now since the honey produced and the number of livestock are few. This has affected my ability to provide food for my family. I cannot sell all my goats. Hence we're forced to go hungry sometimes."

"My current house is pretty old and run-down, especially the iron sheets I used to make the roof, which are so worn-out that we constantly get leaks whenever it rains, making our stay quite uncomfortable. My plan for the upcoming year is to construct a brand-new, larger three-room home that will give us the comfort we require. I've started the process of acquiring the required supplies, starting with the purchase of brand-new iron sheets, and I aim to have completed this process and built the house before the year's end."

"Having a family of 9 yet the source of income is not reliable can be a very stressful life. As a housewife, I depend most on my husband who is a security guard. His monthly income is usually $80, an amount that goes into settling our bills. This leaves us with nothing to save and it has exposed us to be vulnerable. Imagine sharing a room with all my 7 children yet others have grown up! It has been a life of shame. Culturally, I have gone against our norms and this has left me to be a laughing stock in the village. All this has happened in my life because of financial instability and I consider it to be my biggest challenge."

"Food insecurity! This is the biggest problem that I have gone through over the last 7 months in my marriage. Since I am a housewife, I depend on my husband who is a casual laborer in the construction sites. Sometimes, he works on other people's farms to earn money for food. In addition, my husband has seasonal epilepsy, which has posed a challenge in his work and this means, our household's income is not consistent. What a life! This situation has eaten up my mind and I am always stressed."

"Life has been a challenge indeed. I am left alone to fend for my children since my husband passed on some time ago. It is a life of uncertainty and we only depend on God. Food insecurity is a major issue that is disturbing us a great deal, this has been occasioned by the depressed rainy season and as a result, the food crops that we had planted dried up because of adverse heat. We have been forced to buy at high prices that we sometimes cannot afford. It seems to get even worse as the cost of a 90 Kg bag of maize that used to retail at $36 goes for $70 at the moment, almost double the initial price. It breaks my heart a lot when I am not able to provide food for my children yet they look up to me."

"At the moment my main challenge is a lack of food. It has been three years since we grew enough food on our farms which has led to a lack of enough grains in our stores. The high cost of food has also made it worse since I cannot afford to buy food from the market. Currently, I only depend on my children to bring me food which they do occasionally. Whenever I don't have food I'm forced to go hungry which stresses and saddens me so much."