Before this program was launched in my area, I had no stable source of income and mostly relied on occasional jobs that were provided by the group to sustain its jobless members. The biggest problem I faced as a jobless father and husband was paying my rent on time. I do not remember any month that went by without me having issues with my landlord for failing to pay the rent on time. These transfers have been a blessing in my life because they have enabled me to provide for my family even when I have no source of income. I have also enjoyed the peace that has reigned between my landlord and I over the past year because I have never failed to pay him on time.

I am currently working as a tout where I do not earn enough to cater for my family needs which makes it impossible for me to invest the transfer on the project I had planned to invest on. At the moment, I do not have any great plans with the transfers other than to ensure that my bills are paid on time and my family is well provided for.

I used part of my most recent transfer to pay my rent for the month as I usually do each month whenever I receive the transfers to avoid issues with my landlord. I then gave part of it to my wife who is currently unemployed so that she could take care of her personal needs, repaid a loan I took from the local mobile money services then spent the rest on foodstuff and other household requirements.

GD has really given me peace in my life with the transfers I receive on a monthly basis. Before the transfers, I did not have any source of income and I would struggle to raise money to meet my daily needs. Most of all was my house rent. There were several months when I was locked out of the house because I did not pay in time. I would go for three to four months without paying because I did not have the money to pay. We had a lot of quarrels with my landlord and he had even asked me to vacate his house. When I started receiving the transfer, I used part of it to pay for the deficit and so far, I have finished paying for the house. I am at peace with my landlord and I do pay my house rent in time. Thanks to GD for the transfers.

I would still want to continue investing in a business. I would want to use my transfers to boost my cloth business which I started with part of my transfers by adding more stock. I would want to grow to a point where I will be able to rent a permanent premise for the business.

I spent my transfer on paying my house rent. I did not want to use my business resources to pay for it and had to wait until I get my transfer to pay for the house. I also bought food for my family. I always find it a good plan to buy food once a month which helps us manage our daily expenditure. The rest of the transfer I gave my wife for her personal needs which she had requested for two week in advance.

My life is currently different from how it was before GiveDirectly came into my life because I have an extra income that I use to take care of my needs easily unlike before. I work as a tout and the job is always on and off. Being able to take care of my needs has given me peace of mind. I can only thank GiveDirectly for financial support.

My new goal is to start a business for my wife. Currently, she has no job. She is a housewife. She has always had a passion for business and making her dream come true will mean a lot to our family because it will eventually translate to more income.

Paying rent has been a burden on my side and at times I ended up paying late. When I received my transfer, I decided to pay rent first. I felt very happy because this time I paid it on time and did have to worry about how to clear it. I had seen my parents being embarrassed by the landlord when they were not in a position to pay rent on time and I did not want my family to undergo the same situation. Besides paying rent, I also did shopping that will push us for some time because I am not always sure of getting money every day since the casual jobs are normally unreliable. The remaining amount was spent on buying clothes for my child.

I am planning to open a tattoo parlor. I am passionate about art and I am hoping that this will open doors for me. My community members embrace and I am certain that the business will pick up so quickly given time.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am guaranteed a monthly stipend that can sustain my household needs. Initially, I was forced to hustle to ensure my family gets food on the table. failure to meant my household would go without food.

When I received my rent transfers, I spent half the amount to pay house rent and the remaining amount I spent on household shopping. This really pushed my household for several more weeks.

The moment I received this transfers I felt so happy. I do not work and receiving such an amount was a relief for me and my family members.