"Initially, my living condition was pathetic. Getting some food was a big challenge. I had to look for casual labor, make charcoals and fetch some firewood for sale; it was tiresome. Currently, I took a break from these kinds of work and I get enough food unlike before because of the transfer I got from GiveDirectly. In addition to that, I managed to construct a new house at a good strategic place where I will not be bothered by running rain water any more even if it rains heavily. I give my gratitude to GiveDirectly for seeing me through this situation."

"We are thankful that we were enrolled in the program because it has significantly improved our family's situation. Our family of eight depends entirely on my husband, who works as a water salesman in the town. W e lacked most of the essentials because he does not make enough money to pay for his townhouse rent and all of our necessities, including the children's school fees. I saved $30 in a savings group with the last three transfers with the goal of buying goats to raise when I get my shares. In order to alleviate the food shortage we had been experiencing, I spent $53 on food, mostly cereals enough to feed my family for a while while I paid $15 in school to pay off the amount my three primary school-age children owed the school for their tuition. I am happy that I can now contribute to taking care of our family's needs."

"The availability of piped water at my doorstep is the biggest difference in my daily life. Even though we don't get a consistent supply because of the scorching sun, which has caused the water level in the source dam to drop, I am glad I bought storage containers to fetch and reserve water, thus cushioning us when there is a limited supply. I am pleased that my family's hygiene is improving as a result of the available washing water, and I look forward to further improvement once the latrine is completed."

"With a family of 13 members that are 11 children, I and my spouse meeting the family's basic have been a great challenge owing to the fact that we are all jobless. The casual job of charcoal vending is what we depend on to raise the family. The aid from Givedirectly was a great relief to our financial burden. After receiving the transfer, I spent $140 of it to support the education of our 9 kids who are both in primary and secondary school. They had a huge fee arrears that were making them to be out of school most of the time something that bothers my heart. Nowadays, I am happy and relieved that they are continuing with their studies without being discontinued. In addition, I used $120 to start a goat rearing by purchasing 4 goats as a future investment for the kids. I will be selling them once they multiply to further their education. Furthermore, I bought proper bedding for the kids since they were spending their nights on the floor with rags. Lastly, I used the remaining amount to start the process of connecting tap water to our home."

"When I started receiving the cash transfers, my goal was to buy a goat every month for rearing. However, due to other financial obligations like food, and lack of a reliable source of income to meet them, I find myself budgeting the cash transfer to meet these needs as well. This leaves me saving at most $20 from each transfer for the goat project. This is exactly the amount I saved from the recent cash. I spent the remaining $14 to buy books for my six school going children. Since the schools had just resumed, my husband, who works as a housemaid, was already burdened with the tuition fees needs. It was a relief to support him in buying the books. I spent December transfer to do food shopping for Christmas festivities and my family enjoyed. In November, I also saved $20 for the goat, and spent $14 on food and water."

"I plan to use the transfers to buy food. Since at the moment there is draught we are faced with a lack of food and water. I will buy a bag of maize at 60 dollars. This will ensure that we have enough food in our home. Additionally, for the remaining amount of the transfers we plan to fence out the farm and add some livestock to the ones we already have. This is important for us since it serves as an investment into the future. I'm looking forward to the transfers since they will be of great help to me."

"To ensure sustainability of our family and also because we depend on livestock. We plan to buy goats worth $500. That will get us at least 12 goats. It's easy raising goats here. They feed on even dry vegetation and seeds from trees. Additionally they don't take a lot of water. The stock will help in providing for our family and also pay school fees for our children in the future. I have been interested in honey business. I will buy 10, twenty-liter cans of honey. One costs $50. This business will help me raise at least $20 profit per can. The business will sustain itself and help me support my family. The profit from the business can also be used to buy hay for our cattle. This means we'll not be losing our stock due to the drought."

"My ultimate goal is for my children to have a better future than what we currently provide for them. To that end, I'd like to have a borehole dug on my property so that I can sell water to people in my neighborhood. This would help me earn enough money to change our way of life."

"The most significant difference is that I was able to realize my dream of providing clean water to my neighbours so they avoid becoming ill from drinking contaminated water. This is because I believe that serving humanity is serving God. Sharing clean water with my neighbour makes me happy, and I am grateful to the organization for making this dream a reality."

"Receiving this money means a comfortable life for my family of five. We live in a single house that acts as kitchen, living and sleeping area. It is very small to accommodate visitors and also there is a lack of privacy. I desire to own a three-roomed iron sheet house where my daughters and son can have a bedroom of their own and also host visitors. I have been trying to save money from my motorcycle business to build a good house but it will take me three years before I can't get enough. Give directly has come at the right time because I can be able to own a good house eventually. I am happy because my family will be sleeping well under an iron sheet roof compared to a grass-thatched house. At the same time I will purchase a water storage tank that can be helpful to store rain water which we can use for drinking and home consumption."