"I focused on completing the construction of my new house after receiving the second transfer. I took a $200 loan from a nearby hardware. With the loan, I purchased essential materials like metallic rods and iron sheets that were used in the construction. The completed house now provides shelter and a sense of security for my family, complete with basic utilities like a toilet. In addition to the house, I constructed a chicken coop worth $80, where I now have 30 chickens. The chickens not only bring joy to our lives but also a source of income through the collection of eggs and raising chicks. I also allocated $30 to purchase school uniforms for my two children attending a nearby primary school. Furthermore, I used $15 to pay off a hospital bill for one of my child who was ill. To further enhance our daily lives, $80 was dedicated to acquiring various household goods that were missing, ensuring that our home is well-equipped and comfortable. It has been a journey of resilience and self-sufficiency, as we had been relying on farming activities to support our family of 10. I set aside $45 for church tithes, as it has always been a meaningful part of our lives. I am grateful forthe support from Givedirectly and looking forward to doing a lot more with the remaining transfer."

"With GiveDirectly's transfer, I have been using it in the purchase of food, chicken and paying school fees for my children. I have four who are in primary school and one in junior secondary school and with the recent transfer, I decided to spend it on something different. I spent the all amount in the purchase of two goats after topping up some amount. These are an investment to me that I can later sell and use the income in paying school fees for my children. This is because the responsibilities will increase once they join senior secondary school and I am glad that I now have something that I can lean on when such a time comes."

"I plan to first purchase food with the cash transfers. I plan to buy maize and beans for about $40 of the first transfers. I also plan to buy a goat at $50 and some chicken with the remaining amount. For the second and third transfers I plan to build a better house for me and my family since the house I'm living in at the moment is small. I plan to use about $500 of the transfers to do so. For the remaining transfers I will use it to purchase household furnitures which I will use in my new house. I believe that with this transfers I will be able to change my life positively."

"Food is a big difficulty. I thank Give directly for coming to assist me. I will first buy food to ensure that I can eat 3 meals per day. That's buying a bag of maize, it costs about $60. This will lessen my worry about what to eat. I will also save some money to keep buying food for me and my grandchildren when they visit. Additionally, I also intend to buy 3 chickens and 3 goats. They are easy to keep and breed faster. I will get eggs for food and can also sell the goats when I don't have money. One goat costs about $40. They will assist me in the future."

"As a household, we have a serious food problem. We plan to buy food worth $200. That can support us for 5 months. Then we won't have to worry about food for some time. Hence we'll have an allowance to do other investments. We live in an open compound, we'll have to secure it. Fencing it well will cost approximately $50. We can then have poultry and goats within the compound. They'll be safer in an enclosed compound. We'll buy chicken worth $100 for our startup poultry business. They will provide us with eggs and sell some for extra income. Goats also do well here, we plan to establish goat rearing. We will buy 4 goats costing about $200. They breed faster and can support us in the future. Goats for meat are expensive. We also have a small farm near the dam, within the village. It can be irrigated through gravity, hence we'll buy horse pipes costing $50. The other money will help us do farming continuously. We can plant vegetables, tomatoes, or bananas. The farm will help sustain our family through the sales of farm products."

"I am happy with my chicken, cows, and goats. They sustain us a family, we depend on milk, eggs, or selling them. It's a joy owning them."

"I'm grateful to GiveDirectly because my four children, who are currently enrolled in school, are doing well so far and aren't getting sent home for not paying their fees. Even though it has been challenging to raise their fees, I have been caring for them on my own since divorcing my husband. I work in a daycare that is run by parents in the community, but it can go for up to three months before I get paid. I occasionally need my brother's assistance, but he also has a family of his own to support. As a result, they are occasionally unable to assist. As a result of the transfers, my children have been able to continue attending school, giving me as a parent ample time to get ready for the other payments. In addition, the transfers have made sure that food is accessible in my home. Without the transfers, it would have been difficult to afford, given the current rise in the cost of necessities like sugar and maize flour. Additionally, I was able to purchase two chickens through the transfers, which I am currently raising. Since the pay at my current job isn't guaranteed, these will serve as a supplement to my income. This means that whenever I find myself in a desperate financial situation, I can easily sell the chickens to raise money for things like my children's school expenses."

"Ever since I started receiving the cash transfers, I began saving $10 monthly through a merry-go-round club operating in my home compound. I was careful to set aside the same amount from the previous funds. Next month, I anticipate receiving a lump sum from my savings. With this amount, I plan to purchase two goats to add to my livestock and pay school fees for my six children. By the time I received the money, there was a debt at school, and my two children were sent home until the fees would be settled. Thankfully, I used $10 to cover the debt, and my children happily resumed their studies. I am relieved that this term's tuition has been taken care of, allowing them to study without disruptions. I obtained chickens with the remaining amount to continue my rearing venture, which am sure will prove useful in building a source of funds. "

"Two chickens and a goat are among the livestock I purchased with recent transfers, among other things. Owning some livestock is the only savings I have to my name thus far because I do not possess any other reliable assets on which I could fall back in the event of a financial emergency. I'm glad I've been adding livestock; right now, I have three goats and six chickens. I anticipate being able to easily sell them as they procreate and grow in number to meet my financial needs. The livestock savings will be used to fund my young children's education in the future. I do not have a source of income, but I am confident that the livestock will eventually be able to provide some income if necessary. Aside from the livestock, I also paid the fees and cleared the arrears for my three children, and thanks to the transfer, they are now happily enrolled in school. They haven't been expelled for failing to pay fees in a while, so I'm relieved that their education hasn't been hindered. In order to ensure that there is always food in my home, I also went grocery shopping, purchasing a bale of maize flour as well as some cereals."

"To sustain my family, I primarily rely on casual jobs in house construction, and during the rainy season, I engage in subsistence farming to produce food. With six children under my care, the little I make from the casual jobs is only enough for food needs but nothing beyond that. I am grateful for the cash assistance I received as it has allowed me to make important purchases that have already shown their benefits. One of the significant investments I made was buying chickens, and I also used the funds to repair my house, which now has a new tin roof. From the recent transfer, I allocated $10 for weeding my one-acre land, $3 for purchasing a chicken, and $4 for covering examination fees for my four children in school. I saved the remaining amount for unexpected expenses or emergencies like medical emergencies.  "