I plan to invest more in livestock. Currently, I have 12 goats, and my goal is to increase that number to over 20. As I grow older and eventually stop working, I want to ensure I have something to support my children, especially since they are still young and going to school. I intend to use the money I will earn from butternut farming, which I have already planted. I am hopeful that the crops will thrive, leading to a good harvest. The income from the farm will help me achieve my goal of expanding my livestock and securing a better future for my family.

GiveDirectly does an excellent job with their unconditional support, and their follow-ups after the transfers by their officers ensure that we are using the money wisely to benefit ourselves and achieve the overall goal of eradicating poverty. From those who received earlier, we can already see the positive impact it has had. Giving the money in installments has been particularly helpful, as even if someone doesn't utilize the first transfer well, they have the chance to redeem themselves with the second transfer. It also motivates us to use the funds responsibly in order to receive the remaining transfers. Personally, I haven't seen any areas where GiveDirectly needs to improve—what they are doing is working well, and the project has truly transformed our lives. I recommend the organization continue with the same approach. However, in cases where someone misuses the transfers, it would be beneficial to offer more education on wise spending to help individuals make better decisions.

Together with my family of nine, we have been living on a piece of land I recently bought, along with a house that came with a three-room iron-sheet structure. The design and the iron sheets used for roofing are quite old, and I plan to improve it into a more modern home. I used $200 from my second GiveDirectly transfer to buy twenty modern iron sheets, and I am planning to begin renovations after receiving my final transfer. As a dedicated farmer, I am blessed with an acre of land, but due to financial constraints and relying on casual jobs and charcoal production to meet our other needs, I have only been able to farm half an acre. With my second transfer, I decided to fully utilize my entire acre, planting butternut squash. I spent $90 on land preparation and planting, $40 on pesticides, and $60 on labor. With the remaining $60, I bought two bags of maize to sustain us for a while. Casual jobs have not been reliable, as their availability is inconsistent, making it difficult to consistently put food on the table. I thank God because since we received money from GiveDirectly, we no longer have to rely on casual jobs. Thank you, GiveDirectly.

It was a hot afternoon, and the sun was high in the sky. My spouse, our three children, and I were busy working on our one-acre watermelon farm. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was a call from a friend. After I was done talking with him, I noticed an unread message. I opened it to check and was delighted that the anticipated transfer from GiveDirectly had arrived sooner than expected. I was so happy and immediately shared the good news with my children and spouse, who were equally excited.

One of the biggest differences since I started receiving the transfers is that I was able to buy top-dressing fertilizers and pesticides for my watermelon farm. This has saved me from selling one of my goats to raise money for these inputs. I had been left with only eight young goats, as I had sold several to cater for my children's fees, so I was reluctant to sell them again. The financial support allowed me to maintain my goat herd while still improving my farm, providing both immediate and long-term benefits for my family, as the goats will reproduce and increase in number.

I have been yearning to build a bigger, better house for my family since our current one is too small. Right now, we have three children still living at home, while the rest of our children, who are grown, have their own dwellings. My plan is to build a three-room house and leave the small one-room house we currently reside in for our three children, who need more space and privacy as they grow up. To achieve this, I deposited $110 from the first transfer at a hardware store in town for building materials, and I will collect them after adding in the second transfer. I plan to do the same with the second transfer and start construction with the third transfer. Additionally, I used $60 to buy top-dressing fertilizers and pesticides for my one-acre watermelon farm. I am happy to report that this made a huge difference in the yield, and I had a good harvest that generated $1,300 in income. This income allowed me to pay my son's college fees and reinvest in farming butternut. I used the remaining amount from the transfer to buy food for my family.