"I'm a casual miner, this is the most tiresome job ever. I also wash clothes for people and sell charcoal. My husband has been jobless for the last three years hence I'm the breadwinner. We used to sleep on the floor at night and it would pain my ribs all night long hence causing us to wake up early even when we have nothing to do. So I spent $83 on a modern bed. Nowadays we sleep comfortably until when the sun rises, the bed is so comfortable that we do not experience that pain anymore. Previously, the whole roof of our house had leakages, it would worsen when it rained since the kitchen floor would be flooded with rain water. So I bought 27 iron sheets, (I can not remember the exact cost) and construction timber worth $65. I paid $270 for labour and constructed a 2 room house, I have also included a verandah and kitchen to the house. It is so comfortable and I'm contented Before I used to struggle paying school fees for my 3 children who are in primary school, they even had arrears of $50 which I also cleared with the transfer. I'm so grateful to Give Directly."

"I am a house wife and my husband who is the breadwinner of the family is a casual worker. With him earning an average daily wage of $2 daily, he can only afford to provide basic needs like food and water and therefore, buying clothes for the kids is not a priority. This has left our kids with torn clothes that we bought them a year ago. I spend $21 of my second transfer to buy maize seedlings that I am planning to plant during rainy season, $60 to buy two goats and the balance to buy clothes for my kids and other household items such as seats, utensils etc. I am happy that my children no longer feel shameful while stepping out the house, this would not have been possible were it not for the transfers."

"I am a businesswoman who is married and has two children. When I got my transfer, I decided to mount my tank so that we could have enough water flow in the house. We knew this would make the process of constantly carrying water from outside easier. As a result, I spent $ 430 to build the base slab. Due to financial constraints, this was previously difficult. Finally, I spent the remaining funds on food. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I will have enough water in the house once the construction is completed."

"The money from GiveDirectly came at an unexpected time. I recall being on my way home from the stream where I had gone to fetch water. when I heard my phone start to ring. When I checked to see what the message was about, I discovered that I had received $550 from GiveDirectly. I was overcome with joy and excitement. I am so grateful for the help that has brought so much joy into our lives."

"When I had my son a year ago, I took a break from my teaching job. I have been unable to resume work since I have no one to babysit him when I am away. So I have been relying on my father, a house construction worker, for my needs and those of my child. Gladly, the cash transfers from Give Directly gave me a chance to support the needs of my family as well as start an investment in poultry keeping that could provide me financial security in the future. I used most of the recent three cash transfers,$69, on food on the water, since they are the major challenges in my household. Am grateful that this ensured that the household had enough food and water to last until my father’s pay dates. Also, I spent $12 to acquire four chickens to kickstart my quest for poultry rearing as an investment. Lastly, I used $17 from the most recent cash transfer to buy Christmas clothes for my son and me, as it is our norm. "

"We sat down and planned everything with my beloved wife before even receiving our transfers. The moment we did receive our transfers, we made sure all our plans were implemented. Since we had used the first transfer in a way that had completely changed our lives for good, we decided to also use the second transfers in a way that will benefit us. It's been a while since it last rained in my area and due to the prolonged drought there is not enough water to even drink. We decided to buy a big tank to be fetching water so that once it rains, we will automatically get water. We won't suffer the way we have. I also invested it on my children by paying their school fees. Thanks to GiveDirectly I can now sit confidently and only think of ways that will better my tomorrow."

"Access to tap water at my doorstep has made the biggest difference in my daily life because it has saved me $10 per month when I used to buy it from the neighborhood. I am relieved that I can do a lot with the water that is currently available, as well as save a lot of time that I would have spent fetching from the central dispenser located half a kilometer away from my house."

"Upon withdrawing the money, I contributed $100 towards the burial since we were straining financially as a family and death is an emergency occurrence. After the burial when I returned to my home, I opted to invest in livestock farming specifically goat keeping. I opted to choose goats over cows because goats can resist drought at a higher percentage compared to cows. The second advantage is that goats can give birth twice a year which makes the number of livestock increase rapidly. Based on that, I spent $280 to buy 8 goats. Thereafter, I paid some food debts and other bills which I had amounting to $70. Since my freshwater connection was disconnected due to accrued water bill which I was unable to pay to the water company, I decided to pay for reconnection. This is because buying some water daily was expensive and also the distance to the water point was tiring to my wife who used to fetch the water. So, I paid $91 for the reconnection. Currently, I am happy that the water was reconnected and my wife is no longer facing difficulties in getting some water."

"The recent transfers have been of great help to me and my family. I am a stay-at-home parent, relying majorly on my husband who does casual construction jobs. His jobs are not reliable since he can go for days without securing one. This makes it difficult for us to provide adequate food, buy new clothes and also pay school fees for the children. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because the transfers have come in handy and helped to sort out these expenses. I bought enough foodstuffs such as corn and vegetables and also paid for water expenses. I also did shopping for new clothes for the whole family during the festive season. Lastly, I purchased a goat and added it to my existing goat shed as an investment. I expect it will reproduce and increase in number. I will sell the offspring to sort out my future financial needs, like educating my two children who are still young."

"This year, I want to open a small kiosk where I'll sell silver cyprinid and vegetables. Right now, I'm paid to get water and wood for other people. The most I can earn is $1, which is extremely little and cannot meet my family's needs. My husband is a "bodaboda," or motorcycle taxi. The high cost of fuel has had a significant negative impact on the business because it drives away potential customers who choose to take other forms of public transportation. Because of this, he is unable to meet the needs of the family and his overall income is impacted. I'm starting this business to give my family a backup source of income during these trying times financially."