"I have been suffering from ulcers for three years now. This has affected me such that I cannot engage myself in any work. This has caused my children to have accumulated school fee balances. I feel bad sometimes seeing my children out of school due to lack of school fees."

"Lack of employment has been a challenge for me. I do charcoal burning as my job which is tedious and it is illegal. The forest department in the country birds charcoal burning. I take the risk because I have no any other job and have a family to take care of."

"For over forty years of marriage, I have been living in a small temporary hut with grass-thatched roofs. During those days, life was not that easy since I could hardly sleep at night, especially during the rainy seasons. Apart from that, I had to change the grass roofing yearly, which was very costly, and sometimes I couldn't afford it since I depended on my cousin for all our needs, considering that my spouse and I are old and ailing. I was not lucky enough to bear my kids, and this was the beginning of all the troubles that we were experiencing. Therefore, the moment I received my first cash transfer, my first thought was to put up a new building and live comfortably like the rest. Currently, I am a happy soul, together with my spouse, for finally being able to sleep in a semi-permanent, spacious iron-roofed house. I will no longer have to renovate the house yearly like I used to do previously, hence saving the money given and catering to some other daily needs."

"I was from my daily hustle as usual when I heard a very loud vibration from my mobile phone. I was so nervous and curious since I was not expecting to hear from anyone at that particular moment. I then decided to read out the contents of the message. I was overwhelmed with joy to learn that it was from Segovia informing me that I had received my first cash transfer. I remember saying a special prayer for this life-changing miracle gift. I was certain that I could finish building my rental home, which was already under construction."

"Courtesy of previous cash transfers, I obtained two goats that I have managed to keep to date. In the coming few years, I wish to have grown this herd so that it will be easy for me to sell some to support the needs of my family. Currently, I rely on casual tasks such as making charcoal and working on people’s farms for a living. The money I get from these activities barely puts daily bread on the table. I am confident that if I own livestock, hunger will no longer be an issue as I could sell the animals to buy food."

"When I was building my house, I did not have enough funds to acquire iron sheets to cover the entire space. So, I borrowed some pieces from an old structure, which had been around for years. Following the ongoing rains, I noticed that the roof lets in rainwater. With the help of the cash transfers, I intend to replace the iron sheets in the coming years. Other than that, I also want to rear goats as a source of wealth that I could sell anytime to obtain money for my household's needs."

"My goal is to actively contribute to the needs of my family and support my mother. However, my epileptic condition hinders me from doing any job to raise an income. I believe that rearing livestock is the surest way I can generate money and help cover some household needs like paying school fees for my three siblings and buying my medication. In the coming years, I wish to have bought goats that will help establish substantial wealth for meeting these needs even after the transfers cease."

"Providing unconditional cash transfers was a brilliant initiative as it gave people the freedom to address a range of their needs. I have witnessed a considerable transformation in our village with many students who had previously dropped out of school returning to classes. Some households opted to invest in livestock, while others ventured into subsistence farming. As a result, the village is now thriving and more harmonious. Furthermore, everyone seems to be lauding the organization, and I haven't come across any complaints so far."

"GiveDirectly has had a positive impact in our village by encouraging most of the residents to work diligently, plan thoroughly, and finish their desired projects independently. I am pleased that the information provided during our pre-enrollment training was clear and beneficial when we received our transfers. Despite some people being excluded, no one complained since they comprehended the program's process and how the selection was done. It would be great if GiveDirectly extended its services to other villages that have not yet enrolled for the transfers."

"I was overjoyed to get $200 unconditional transfers from Give Directly because I have been going through a really difficult time as one of the primary providers for a family of three, especially in the last two years when we had the worst droughts ever, causing a lot of hunger and anger at home. So when I received the transfers, my first thought was to notify my spouse, who was equally as elated and we devised a plan."