Thanks to GiveDirectly, I learned that I can achieve many things with their cash. My plan now is to do crop rotation. After I harvest greengrams and maize, I'll use the profit to invest in planting tomatoes. With the tomato harvest, I can earn a profit of around $4000, which is impressive. After that, I'll buy more cows so I can stop buying milk from shops and also sell milk from my cows. This money will be enough to cater to my family's basic needs.

GiveDirectly has a unique culture that I've never seen in any other organization. I'm impressed with how they don't discriminate against anyone in the village. Once a village is enrolled, anyone, whether they're poor or not, can receive the cash. My family is now living a comfortable life, and I'm so happy. I can't even express how grateful I am. Not even my brother has helped me the way GiveDirectly has. I hope they continue helping others just like they've helped us. I appreciate them so much.

While I was waiting for my second transfer, I had already planned out how to use the money. I spent $85 on school shopping for my son who was starting junior secondary. I'm grateful to GiveDirectly for helping me out. Without their support, my son wouldn't have been able to go to school because I didn't have any money. I do casual labor, working on other people's farms, but the money I earn isn't enough to cover our expenses, like food and school fees for my six children, five of whom go to school. So, I decided to spend $45 on buying new clothes for my family because the ones we had were very old. We can go up to a year without getting new clothes because most of our money goes toward food.I also used $190 to rent two hectares of land. One hectare is for me to plant maize, and the other is for greengrams. If the maize does well, I could harvest 22 bags, and if the greengrams do well, I could get four bags. I can sell one bag of greengrams for $120, which is profitable and doesn't require a lot of expenses.Finally, I spent the remaining amount on buying two sheep. Sheep multiply faster than goats, giving birth three times a year compared to goats, which only give birth twice a year. By the end of this year, I expect to have 15 sheep.

Around 3:00 p.m., under the intense heat of the sun, I found myself rushing to complete the task of watering my neighbor's tomatoes—a routine work that sustains my livelihood. Fatigue had set in, and I was eager for a moment of rest. It was in this moment of weariness that an SMS notification appeared on my phone, indicating that I had received a transfer from GiveDirectly. I had to read the message twice to absorb the reality of the good news; it felt almost too good to be true. The joy that surged within me was profound, realizing that this financial support would empower me to enhance my living situation, particularly by acquiring furniture that had been absent in my home.

Receiving the transfer has significantly improved my life, bringing a positive transformation to my home. The addition of a comfortable seat has not only enhanced the aesthetics of my house but has also made it more welcoming for visitors. Now, when guests come over, they have a better and more comfortable place to sit, a stark contrast to the old and uncomfortable bench we had before. The improved living conditions extend to the utensils as well. With the ability to purchase better utensils, I can now serve guests with dignity and pride. The upgrade from old and unappealing utensils has elevated the quality of our hospitality and increased our sense of satisfaction and contentment as a family.

The impact of the transfer has indeed been transformative, offering a pathway to fulfil longstanding desires and markedly enhancing the quality of life for my family. Throughout my marriage, financial constraints resulting from our reliance on casual farm work have hindered our ability to afford even the most basic comforts. The discomfort of sitting on handmade benches inside our home serves as a constant reminder of the challenges we face. Our daily income, a mere $3 earned through labour on others' farms, has proven woefully inadequate to meet both our immediate needs and our aspirations for a better life. Receiving the transfer was like a beacon of hope. I directed $140 towards acquiring essentials—a three-seater, crucial utensils, and a mattress. These have brought tangible improvements to our living conditions and also introduced a profound sense of comfort and dignity into our home. I used the remaining funds to purchase dry maize for my family of eight. This decision was informed by the fact that I did not practice any farming this year as I had leased out my only acre of land to raise funds for the education of my four children in public primary school. The relief and gratitude in knowing that they now have ample food to eat adds another layer of significance to the positive impact of the transfer.