"I was on my farm weeding when I heard a message notification on my phone. Curious, I checked it and saw that I had received my transfer from GiveDirectly. Immediately, I felt a wave of happiness because I knew this transfer would make my project of buying a cow a reality. I could already see my plan taking shape, and the sense of excitement was overwhelming."

"I am a widow with school-going children. Life was very tough before GiveDirectly since I had to find ways to support my children all on my own after my husband passed away. I have always valued my children's education, which is why I used a major part of my transfer to pay their school fees. I don't want them to be sent home for fee balances. Time is moving fast, and because of this, I have been thinking of a project that will provide me with income in the future. I want to focus on goat keeping in the coming years. My ultimate goal is to invest in cattle rearing mainly for land cultivation, which is why I am starting small with rearing goats. Once I have a good number of goats, I will sell them and use the money to buy a cow. While taking care of my school-going children, I plan to hire out these cows for land cultivation to earn income to support my family. I am very optimistic about achieving this goal, as I have already started saving in our merry-go-round group for this project."

"Initially, I had plans to start a vegetable business that would provide me with a daily income to support my family's needs. However, I realized I needed to think more broadly and look further ahead. Over the past few seasons, cultivating my farm has become quite costly, and I have always wanted to find ways to reduce these expenses. A solution, I decided to invest in goats. My plan is to continue using a portion of my transfers to purchase more goats, with the hope that they will multiply and increase in number. In the future, I aim to trade some of them for cows while also selling a few to help fund my children's education. The cows will be specifically for plowing my farm, which will significantly cut down on the costs of hiring tractors or hiring cows from others. Once I achieve this, I plan to save a portion of my future transfers to build enough capital to finally start my vegetable business. This venture will enable me to provide for my children and secure a better future for our family. The livestock will also act as a valuable asset that I can rely on in the future whenever need arises to support my family and children's education."

"With $50 of the transfer I purchased watermelon seeds, as I had already prepared 3/4 of an acre of land for planting. I’ve always wanted to venture into watermelon farming because they mature quickly—just within two months—and they fetch a good price in the market, which would help sustain my family. The next $50 went toward buying pesticides for the farm. Watermelons are delicate, and I wanted to ensure a healthy harvest by protecting them from pests. With a promising yield, I hoped to improve our financial situation and have some savings for future investments in the farm. I used another $50 to buy a sheep, as a way to replace the cow I lost recently. The cow was essential to our household, and although a sheep isn't quite the same, it’s a start. With the remaining funds, I bought essential household food items to support my family."

"My eldest child is currently in grade 6 and will be transitioning to junior secondary school next year. This change will require me to have some funds for her school shopping and enrollment. To ensure I am fully prepared, I plan to continue saving a portion of my transfers so that next year I will receive the pooled money and I can enroll her in school without any difficulties. Once my child is enrolled, I will focus on saving the portion of my transfers through the Merry-Go-round savings group with the goal of buying goats and a good bed. While I am happy to have purchased a good mattress with my previous transfers, I still need a proper bed for me to sleep more comfortably. Once this is achieved, I will be very happy. My hopes for the goats are that they will multiply, increasing in both number and value, so that in the future I may sell some of them to help fund my children's education and possibly trade others for cows that I can use to plow my farm. The cows will significantly reduce the expenses we typically incur during farm preparations. I pray that the opportunities provided by the transfers from GiveDirectly will enable me to achieve my goals. I am determined to create a better future for my family and have something to be proud of, especially when this program comes to an end."

"I have always wanted to have cows and now that I have successfully acquired them I have decided to redirect my goals toward strengthening my living situation and enhancing my personal development. First, I want to reinforce my house to ensure it is stronger and more durable. To achieve this, I plan to save a portion of my transfers through a merry-go-round savings group. Once I receive the pooled funds, I will use them to purchase building materials and reinforce my home. After completing the house reinforcement, I will then shift my focus towards personal development. I have always had a passion for beauty and cosmetics, and I would love to join college to further my skills in this area. To make this dream a reality, my plan is to continue saving a portion of my transfers to enroll in college. My goal is to complete my education and eventually open my own salon, allowing me to become self-employed. This venture will provide me with a sustainable source of income that I can rely on to support my family, especially when the GiveDirectly program comes to an end. I am excited about these new directions in my life and look forward to building a better future for myself and my family."

"When I first received the cash from GiveDirectly, my main goal was to complete paying for a piece of land that I had already placed a deposit on. Although I wasn't able to achieve that, something truly unexpected happened—I was able to afford to buy a cow much sooner than I ever imagined. Owning a cow has always been a dream of mine, but I never thought it would become a reality this quickly. Thanks to GiveDirectly, that dream has come true, and now I look forward to the day it calves so that I can start selling surplus milk and improving my family's income even further."

"I was just at home preparing to milk my cows when I heard a message sound on my phone. Curious, I checked it, and I couldn't believe my eyes—I had received $200 from GiveDirectly! My three children were with me, and they immediately noticed the excitement on my face. I shared the news with them, and they were equally excited. They had been sent home for unpaid fees, and I didn’t have the money. Now, they were cheered by the news, knowing they finally had something to return to school with."

"My main goal for this year and the coming years is to expand my livestock base to secure a future financial stream of income. To achieve this, I plan to continue using a portion of my transfers to buy more chicken and save another portion in our local savings group. Once the savings mature, I will use them to buy goats. I also hope the chicken that I will buy will multiply, increasing in number and value, so that I can sell them to buy more goats. As the goats increase in number and value, I am also planning to trade them in the future for male and female cows. Over time, my goal is to own several cows and goats, allowing me to sell them when needed to support my family and my children's education, especially when this project comes to an end."

"In the coming year and beyond, my primary focus is to invest in cattle rearing. Owning a cow is a great idea because it provides a significant source of income, which can be used for meaningful projects. I am pleased to share that I have already purchased a male cow with my previous savings. My goal now is to buy a female cow, as this will allow me to have a steady supply of milk and also benefit from the cow’s ability to reproduce. I enjoy rearing cows because they are relatively easy to manage and not overly expensive to maintain. I am truly grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling us to form a savings group, or "chama," which helps us save and share ideas that contribute to community development."