I purchased livestock, two cows and two goats, and I expect them to multiply by the end of the year, allowing me to become a great farmer in the near future. I'm also looking forward to finishing my house and making more room for visitors and even in-laws who want to stay for more than a day. Furthermore, this house will allow us to present a different image to those who have previously known us. We are progressing for the betterment of our lives.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly has provided us with the opportunity to have a large sum of money in a short period of time, allowing us to fast track projects that would otherwise take a long time to complete. I am grateful that they allow us to spend our money on whatever we want in our lives. I received a phone through GiveDirectly that I would never have considered purchasing with the priorities I had; it could have taken me years to obtain one. I witnessed a lot of peace during the process, and I would encourage the officers to continue in the same spirit of treating everyone with respect.

I built a two-room house, and even though it is not finished, I am glad I started this project. I used to live in a one-room apartment that was so small and cramped that I couldn't even have a friend or a relative over. I immediately assembled everything needed to build the house after receiving the transfer. I paid $2 for all building materials and another $2 for labor. It feels great to have one room finished while the other is still being worked on. This is one of my favorite projects, and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for allowing me to complete it much sooner than I had planned on my own. I spent $3 of the transfers on kitchen utensils. In our house, I had only countable utensils for the family and nothing presentable for when a visitor arrived. Furthermore, with the current state of the economy and the daily casual jobs, it was difficult for us as a family to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal. We were accustomed to purchasing food to be consumed at that specific time, and we occasionally skipped meals. As a result, I spent $5 on a large quantity of food. Even if we don't get jobs for the day, we need to eat so that we don't have to worry about tomorrow. Finally, I couldn't leave out my son, who is enrolled in the preparatory school program, from the budget.

While looking after my livestock in the field, I received a message on my phone at around 4 pm. I did not haste to check since the phone was in my hands. Upon checking, the first glance of the eye hit the figure of $550. I became keener and I realized that I had received the money from GiveDirectly. My heart melted at thanksgiving for receiving such a huge amount of money at once in my life. Due to the happiness that engulfed my heart, I spent the rest of the day dancing in the field while grazing my five cows and eight goats.

Before the cash transfers, I could not afford to clear school fees for my four children due to the mere earnings I made from charcoal burning. As the balances accrued over the academic term, it became more challenging to clear them. Sometimes, my children were drawn from class to collect them, which made them miss out on their studies. Am glad to say that this is no longer a problem now for the lumpsum amount from GiveDirectly helped me clear all the debts at once. I am very grateful for the support I got for GiveDirectly.

Since I opted to take the livestock investment way, I added two cows that cost $400. Currently, I have seven cows and some are almost to procreate. This will multiply the number hence making the investment reliable. I am very happy because I started small but I am now seeing the investment growth. I also paid $50 school fees for my four primary school children who had been given the notice to pay the arrears before they are sent home. Thereafter, I paid a bill of $50 to a shopkeeper who used to give me foodstuff on a credit basis. For the remaining amount, I decided to buy some for the family because hunger had taken us in the wrong direction. Getting food for a whole week was a miracle. Since receiving the transfer, We are happy as a family because we have been accessing food throughout.