"Due to the drought that has impaired crop farming in my region, I am forced to buy food and water, which is becoming expensive as commodity prices are rising. My job of weaving mats and baskets is also affected as the materials, such as palm leaves dried out from lack of rain. To be honest, if it were not for the cash transfers, I would have been malnourished from hunger;  am relieved that Give Directly brought the financial aid. When I received the recent cash transfers, my household had run out of food for the previous day, and I spent $28 on buying maize flour and water. Although the food did not serve my family until the end of the month, am glad that we enjoyed regular meals for the first few days. I used the remaining $6 to buy two chickens for rearing. As these chickens breed, I can easily sell them to purchase food and ensure that my family enjoys regular meals. "

"I was an orphan when I was very young because my parents died a long time ago. Since I stopped going to school, I've had a hard time developing. Because of my mental instability, I find it difficult to learn new things quickly. I'm grateful to my aunt who adopted me and has taken good care of me. My aunt works as a temporary employee selling charcoal, so she does not make a lot of money. We must pay for food and water out of the little she makes. Due to the extreme temperatures, our local water sources have dried up, forcing us to purchase water at exorbitant prices. To ease the burden on my aunt, who struggles to put food on the table for the family, I have been using my previous transfers to buy food. When I got my February transfers, I decided to spend the entire $34 on a goat. I want to expand my purchases and start raising livestock. By doing this, I will have solid assets that I can rely on if I ever find myself in need of money."

"Prior to receiving the transfers, my house was in a terrible state. When it rained heavily, the rusty, hole-filled iron sheets seriously leaked. If that happened, I would have to stay up all night trying to move my clothes and other valuables to avoid getting rained on. I had to put up with the chilly air that seeped through the gaping hole in the mud walls during the night. As the poles grew brittle and the house began to lean to one side, I grew concerned for my safety. My main objective after receiving my first transfer was to renovate my home so that I could live more comfortably, safely, and away from the trouble I had been going through for years. I spent $260 on 24 pieces of iron sheets, which were then used to completely renovate the roof. For $100, I bought four goats. I purchased the goats as a potential investment. I can sell some in the event of an emergency and use the proceeds to deal with the situation. I then used the remaining money to purchase a bag of maize. Without rain, we would be forced to pay exorbitant prices for food because the cost of food is so high. The family will have enough food for a month thanks to the 90 kg sack of maize. It's great to know we will have plenty of food. I am grateful that I was given the money because it has significantly improved my life."

"I plan to buy a cow so that my son also takes milk like other children, and sell the remaining milk to get things like soap. I also plan to buy a piece of land where I can safely stay with my family. Since prices change I am nit sure yet how much it will all cost."

"During his return trip from Mariakani town, my son was injured in a motorcycle accident. He suffered severe wounds as a result of the collision, and medical attention was given to him right away. He stayed in the hospital for a full week, which resulted in a hefty hospital bill. When I got my February transfer, I spent $15 to pay off my enormous $500 debt. I am glad he was discharged from the hospital and is now recovering at home thanks to donations from family, friends, and kind neighbors. I spent the remaining $19 on food in addition to covering the hospital bill. I purchased two kilograms of beans, a kg of sugar, five packets of maize flour, some fish, and 500 grams of salt. I paid some money to buy water for use at home. Our local water sources have dried up due to the intense heat, forcing us to pay exorbitant prices for water from vendors."

"It has been very challenging for my husband and me to navigate life without a reliable source of income. I hardly generate enough revenue as a casual worker selling charcoal to meet the needs of the family. Due to declining clientele and rising fuel costs that discourage people from choosing motorcycles as their primary mode of transportation, my husband also encounters challenges in his line of work as a motorcycle rider. We've been compelled to skip meals as a result of these issues because we don't have enough money to provide our family with enough food. I spent $6 on three packets of maize flour after receiving my February transfers. This gave us sufficient confidence that we will have enough food to last us a full week. Along with purchasing food, I also spent $15 on primary school tuition for my four kids. Finally, with an eye toward future investment, I paid $14 for three hens. I'm confident that in three months the hens will have multiplied and I'll have enough money to buy some goats. Since the goats will sell for high market prices, I will recover my initial investment many times over."

"The only dream I have right now is to complete school with a good grade and open my fashion shop. I will be sewing clothes that I will be selling to my clients at affordable prices and I also ensure I buy a sewing machine that will make my work easier. Life is really becoming tough and it needs tougher people with divided ideas of making it in life. I would also want to start my poultry farm where I will buy a lot of chicken and as I wait for them to hatch I will be selling the other ones. With increased profit, I will be able to build my house and live the kind of life that I have always dreamt of having."

"I work as a peasant farmer to support my family. The last three years as a farmer have been the hardest for me. I've been unable to grow anything on the farm or harvest anything because of the severe drought climate conditions that have persisted. I am now at a point where I have no choice but to sell charcoal in order to support myself. The weather has recently changed, and it appears likely that we will soon experience some significant rain. When I received my February transfers, I spent $10 on a plowing jembe. By doing this, I am better positioned to have the required working tools in case it starts to rain. For a total of $10, I bought five packets of maize flour. I have to buy the majority of my food from stores at exorbitant prices because there is nothing to harvest on the farms. The $14 is still in my possession, and I'm thinking of the best way to spend it."

"My transfers have been going into buying the same things in December and January. I spent $27.5 December to buy a goat and in January the goats had become more pricey and were now going for $28. I also bought chicken in December at $3 but in January as with goat prices this also had gone up by $0.5 and were now $3.5.I am buying this animals so I can have something to show for the GD transfers I am receiving. In February I changed my spending to redirect the money in getting some construction material since this year I want to build my house. I bought 3 iron sheets and nails which were $30 and $4 respectively."

"When GD staff first visited our area and were registering us I was curious about how I could get the transfers and redirect it to buying my own motorcycle. I am a motorcycle rider and work with a hired motorcycle that I have to pay $4 daily for. This was not much of a struggle before but due to the high fuel prices it was becoming difficult to manage between paying this daily charges and daily profits. we could previously make $9 dollars where I would be left with $5 and would pay the $4 but now I am making between $5 and $6 which means I pay the $4 daily payment and am left with $1 or $2 which cannot sustain my family. I joined a savings group and now I have been saving $30 of my $34 transfer monthly and from December I redirected my $4 into buying chicks which I get at $2 each. This has been my expenditure even to the month of February."