"Our household is and has been a well known household in our village. this is not becausee we have done alot of good things to make people want to know much about us but because of the great borrowing mentality that we had. it reached a time when we were under obligation to pay almost halt the village their debts which was becoming too much for us. this situation forced us to sell the only cow that we had in order to try and reclaim the lost respect from the villagers and for the next few months before GD came in we were struggling too much to make ends meet. buying milk ecvevry day using the little proceeds from the casual labor was not that easy. It then became a relief when GiveDirectly came in with the transfers wheich we are still receiving every month. most of our problems which includes sorting our basic needs and education for my children came to an end. our life compared to the last four months now is very stable and we are even happier as a family. No mopre debts and no more borrowing, our respect and friennship with the villageds was restored."

"I have spent part of my transfer in constructing a new house, opened a new business, bought goats and a solar panel. I used to leave in a small house built of mud and old iron sheets. The roof was leaking and whenever there was rain, I felt ashamed of it. With the money I received, I bought new iron sheets and timber to construct a new one. I also opened a shop in my compound with part of the money. I stocked the shop with maize flour, wheat and cooking oil and sell to my neighbours. Initially, I was selling charcoal and doing farming and the money I got was not enough to cater for all my needs. With the new business, I will be able to relax and the profit I will get from it will help sustain my family more comfortably. I decided to go against what most people in my village have done, that is, buying cows because now we are experiencing drought and they might sell them at a throwaway price or even most of them die. That will be a loss. So I bought two goats instead. Goats are easy to rear and can survive the dry season. Once they reproduce I will sell and save the profits for future emergencies. The remaining amount I spent on purchasing a solar panel. I don't have to buy paraffin anymore and I am also able to charge my phone, torch and radio at the comfort of my home."

"The difference in my life since I received my transfer from GiveDirectly is that I am often peaceful and greatly relieved from the stress of raising money to pay school fee for my children. Secondly, through GiveDirectly transfers, I managed to buy a cow and now I am counted among those who own a cow in my village. This has not only boosted my esteem, but is also a fulfillment of my long time dream since I had never owned a cow in my entire life."

"My life currently is different from how it was four months ago in that I no longer buy milk because I have bought a dairy cow. I used to struggle before and even do hard jobs to get the money to buy milk and other household basic needs. I sell surplus of milk at the nearest center to earn an extra income to buy other food stuff that I'm lacking."

"I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I will have completed building a house for visitors. I'm also planning on buying a dairy cow to cut the cost of buying milk. I will also be earning a daily income from the sales of milk to meet additional needs for the family and to pay school fees for my uncle in secondary school because his parent is not able to raise his school fees."

"I have always desired to have my own oxen and ox plough to upscale farming as well as have some dairy cows that can produce enough milk both for sale and household consumption.Geting money to implement this has been a great challenge.Receiving money from Givedirectly means that my dream will eventually come to fruition. With my own oxen,ox plough and dairy cow,I will upscale my farming to ensure food security for my family and a healthier diet.I will also sell milk in the ready market villages to pay fees and buy clothes for my children."

"We had lived as spouses with my husband for ten years but he had not paid my dowry. We discussed as a household and decided to use most part of the second transfer on dowry and we bought two cows and spent some money on the occasion. My husband is now in good terms with his in-laws; my parents and he has earned their respect and our marriage is sealed and legal as per our traditions. This was one of the biggest menace we solved. I also used some part of the transfer to enroll my daughter in form one and I believe he will fully concentrate in his studies without the fear of being sent home for fee. I also bought iron sheets which I am planning to use in expanding my house built a small house which seems to be smaller now that I added some furniture with my first transfer."

"I spent my second transfer to buy a dairy cow which I had always wished to buy but due to lack of enough money I was not able to.I am now convinced that my family will no longer be taking black tea as we did in the past and we will also be able to sell some milk so as to bring in some income. I also used part of my transfer to buy steel doors and windows to fix in my house that was already under construction. Having a steel door in my house means so much to me because I believe my house is quite safe for anyone who might attempt breaking in and as well it makes my house look more beautiful. I spent the remaining part of my transfer to purchase two sacks of maize which we will use for consumption until the next harvest. wanted to use it for produce milk for sales and consumption. My children will at least get something to eat during this dry season when getting food in the market at fair prices is quite challenging and I believe food security is assured in my house."

"When I receive this money, I will build an ironsheet house and also buy some cows with the balance."

"Before we started receiving the transfers from Givedirectly, we never had any cow. We used to spend so much buying milk from milk vendors and villagers. When we started receiving the transfers, we started a merry go round group and started to keep some money for future use from the transfers that we get. When my turn of receiving the accumulated savings came, I immediately bought a dairy cow. Right now we milk our own cow and have enough milk for us and even some extra to sell to our neighbors. This has also acted as an extra income for us. We also have enough and healthy food for us and our living standard as a family has greatly improved."