"As I had previously indicated, I have six school-age children, and I am hopeful that the money I get this year would allow me to cover their tuition. In addition, I had hoped to use this money for nutrition since, as I had previously indicated, it is continually difficult due to drought. By the end of the year, I would also prefer to have completed construction on the extra rooms. Last but not least, I want to purchase a few chickens for commercial purposes. Up to now, GiveDirectly's funding has allowed me to purchase twenty hens, which I intend to sell soon."

"To take care of my three sons, I sell dried sardines and sometimes burn charcoal for money. The little earnings I get from these hustles are never enough for all needs, particularly food and school fees. Although their father is actively involved especially in their education, his contribution is hardly enough to cover everything. There was a school fee debt that was outstanding from last year, and I used $20 from the most recent transfer to settle it. I spent $4 to buy new books for my youngest son since his father had ran out of cash after buying for the other two. $10 went towards food to boost the little there was on stock. I spent the entire December transfer, $34, on foodstuff for Christmas celebrations and my family enjoyed. From the transfer I received in November, $20 went towards four chickens for rearing purposes, so they can help me generate funds in the future when I sell them. I spent the remaining $14 to boost stock for my sardine-selling business. I am grateful I have started realizing more profits than before, which allows me to afford regular meals for my children.  "

"Last November, I started a project of rearing poultry, courtesy of the cash transfer I received that month. I was undergoing many challenges at that point, from lacking meals to having my children sent from school due to unpaid school fees. My husband’s hotel business drastically recorded a decline in profits at that time, which brought hardships as we could barely afford the essentials. Starting the poultry rearing project would provide financial security in the future in case things become tough. When I received the December transfer, my infant son and I was severely sick, which prompted me to spend $19 on our medication and hospital bills. I used the remaining $15 to buy new clothes for my children to wear on New Year’s day and celebrate together with their peers. From the most recent transfer, I spent $15 to buy chicken feeds and bought 10 more one-day-old chicks using $10 to increase the flock. I used the remaining amount to buy maize flour as the house hold had run out of food the previous night. "

"My family of two wives and eight children solely depend on me to provide for their daily needs like food and school fees. I ride a  motorcycle to raise money for them. However, the $3 that I make daily hardly affords enough meals given the dramatically rising food prices. Even after I buy food, there is nothing left to pay school fees for my children, which is why they are always in debt at school. So, when I received the recent transfer, I paid $10 to the school to reduce the balance that had been carried from last year. I also spent $10 on food to ensure there were enough meals at home to buy me time for raising more money. Next, I paid an installment of $10 to the two-acre piece of land that my family and I relocated to last December. Finally, I bought three chickens with the remaining amount to start rearing. From the transfer I received in December, I spent $19 to pay for the land, $10 to reduce the school fee debt, and $5 to repay a loan I had acquired to buy my motorcycle. "

"From the poultry investment, I developed another goal that I aim to accomplish by mid this year. My focus is to buy a refrigerator where I will be keeping the chicken medicines which is a requirement as well as making some ice cream. The target customers for the ice cream are the students because I stay near a public primary school. I think this will sell well because of the hot climate in our area."

"We felt the necessity to buy an ox because farming is the main source of economic income in our area. In order to save $10 each month, the twenty-seven of us from the same village organized a savings organization. At the conclusion of the year, we want to distribute the savings to each person so that they can each buy an ox. I thereby saved $30 with the transfers from the previous three months. To combat the food shortage, I spent $43 on a variety of foods for my family that would last them for a long time. In addition, I spent $9 for two chickens that I am raising. I also spent $20 on my children's school tuition. I burn charcoal for sale while my spouse raises goats. Even if we don't earn enough from the sources to cover all of our household's expenses, we have not had any trouble taking care of our family members thanks to the transfers."

"When my husband passed away, I was left with the huge burden of providing food and school fees for our five children. To raise the money for these needs, I heavily rely on charcoal burning, an activity that is extremely physically demanding and that generates little earnings. As a result, affording food and school fees is mostly a challenge for me. I usually breathe a sigh of relief whenever I receive cash transfers because they help lift a significant part of the strain I bear. I spent $10 from the recent transfer to cover a school fee debt, for four children in primary school, that had been brought forward from last term. Since the household had run out of food that morning, I spent $14 on maize flour and other foodstuffs. I saved $10 through a merry-go-round club in my community. When my turn comes to receive the savings, I intend to spend them on school fees. Similarly, I saved $10 from each of December and November transfers through the same group. $24 went towards buying food during Christmas. From the rest of November’s transfer, I spent $10 on two chickens to rear and $14 on food."

"When I was promised that I would receive some cash from the organisation. I knew I would be able to start a poultry project. I solely depend on my teaching job to earn a living. I am married and fortunate to have three children. Upon receipt of the transfer, I allocated $300 to start a poultry project to enhance my finances. I also allocated $180 for completing my house which had been left pending due to financial constraints. Remaining cash I spent to buy Chicken feeds. I have been able to achieve a lot in a short span of period all thanks to GiveDirectly."

"My husband has long worked as a mason, despite us not having built our own home. The funds from GiveDirectly were then quickly funneled towards construction of a three bedroom house ,complete with verandah. It is more than sufficient for a still-growing family such as ours. It currently consists of our 3 year, 6 month old son, myself and my husband. While my husband earns $25 per day from his toils, it isn't nearly enough to sustain us, seeing as I don't work myself. As a result, I purchased a male and female cow for breeding as well as five local breed chickens, to supplement what I grow for domestic use on our five acres of land. My main crops are Maize, cassava, and local cereals are primarily what I grow. Without GiveDirectly stepping in, we would have been living one day at a time."

"In my family, we do not have the luxury of enjoying all the basic needs such as food, clothing, and school fees for the children. My husband’s part-time job at the baking company can only cover as much as food costs, and nothing beyond that. Besides, given the rising cost of living, the $6 he makes after every two days hardly provides regular meals for our four children. Being my only source of income, the cash transfers allow me to reach essentials that my husband’s earnings would hardly afford. For instance, I spent $20 from the December transfer to buy new clothes for my children to enjoy the festivities in. For them, dressing up in new attire is what glazes the Christmas celebrations and it is my priority as their parent to bring them that joy. Apart from clothes, I spent $25 from the October transfer to buy a goat and $8 from the November transfer to buy two chickens. When these animals multiply in the future, I could sell them to generate money and support the needs of my family. Finally, I had to budget the remaining amount from each of these three transfers to buy food, which was worth  $45. At least, this relieved the burden off my husband’s back and bought him time to raise enough money; he was happy. "