Growing up, my parents did not place much importance on education, and unfortunately, I followed suit. I did not have the wisdom to see the value in completing my schooling, so I dropped out in eighth grade, and my parents did not seem concerned about it. Now, looking back, I deeply regret that decision. It is clear to me that my struggles to make ends meet resulted from not having finished my education and thus missing out on better job opportunities. I do not want my kids to go through the same thing. It really hurts me to think about it. That is why I am determined to send my oldest child to a better school next year. She is in grade six, and I can see that the school she is in now is not good enough. This could affect her grades, especially in her upcoming national exams. To make sure she gets the education she deserves, I am willing to use money from our farm to pay for her schooling. If I need to, I will even sell some of our goats to make sure she has everything she needs to succeed. It is so important to me that she has opportunities I never had.

I am really grateful for GD because it gave us a lot of money, more than I have ever gotten before. This money has helped us do some really good things in our community. Now, people have better houses made of iron sheets,a shift from traditional thatched grass dwellings. Also, school going children who could not go to school due to lack of school fee have now reported back to school. One aspect I'm particularly proud of is the way the transfer has allowed me to enhance my farming activities. I never could afford to grow vegetables before due to the high amount of capital that is required for buying the farm input and maintaining it. I used to admire my neighbor's successful vegetable cultivation, recognizing its profitability with its quick maturation period and ready market. Thanks to GD, I have been able to invest in this venture and expand my agricultural endeavors.

I was really happy to get the second payment. My spouse and I had already planned what to do with the money, and we were excited to finally get it. We decided to buy four more goats, so my spouse went to the market on goat action day and spent $200 on them. Adding them to our existing 10 goats makes me really happy because it means we will not have to spend money on buying milk soon since we can milk them when they calve for our family consumption. Additionally, goats breed quickly where we live because of the warm weather, so they are a good investment for our future. We also used $200 for farming investment. This includes paying for labour for our acre of land preparation, buying vegetable seedlings, and fixing our generator, which we need for watering the crops. Farming is our only source of income for feeding our four children and meeting their needs. I am hopeful that the vegetables will grow well and we can sell them to earn some income. With 30, I bought new clothes for my kids for they to also feel the immediate impact of the transfer, and they were so excited to wear them to Sunday school and show them off to their friends. The rest of the money went towards buying food stuff like sugar, cooking oil, and tea leaves.

As I sat at home with my four kids, a message popped up on my phone, confirming that $200 from GiveDirectly had been transferred to me. My heart soared with joy! We had been struggling, and this money came at just the right time. Immediately, I knew what I had to do. With $20, I rushed to buy food because our cupboards were bare. Then, thinking ahead, I set aside $50 to invest in harvesting maize. It was nearly harvest season, and maize would not only feed us but also provide extra to sell for our daily needs. With gratitude in my heart, I began to see a glimmer of hope for brighter days ahead.

Since I started receiving transfers from GiveDirectly, the biggest change in my life has been getting a toilet. It's something I really wanted but couldn't afford before. Now, having a toilet has made a huge difference for my family. Life feels so much better, and I'm incredibly happy and grateful for this positive change.

After getting $200 from GiveDirectly, I quickly planned how to spend it. First, I used $20 to buy food for myself and my four kids. We were really hungry, so that was important. Then, I decided to invest $50 in harvesting maize. This would help us have enough food for the future. But I also thought about something really important. We didn't have a toilet, so I used $80 to build one. Now, my family and I are really happy. We have food to eat, and we have a toilet, which makes life much easier and healthier for us.