"The biggest thing which made me happy is that regardless of every challenge I met, the government of Rwanda continued to support me to the extent they have put me on a list of people who will receive cows to help me come out of poverty. I am grateful for that."

"I am a subsistence farmer who is married and has seven children. After receiving my initial transfer, I considered purchasing a dairy cow to reduce the cost of purchasing milk on a daily basis. As a result, I spent $310 on a healthier dairy cow. I was unable to purchase one previously due to financial constraints, as my source of income is not consistent. I then applied In addition, I used the remaining funds to finish my house, which had previously been left half-finished due to a lack of funds. I am relieved and grateful for the significant accomplishment I accomplished in such a short period of time."

"Nothing beats the joy we had when we received the transfers. It was the highest moment of our lives. We have lived a life full of misery and destitution. Our house was in bad shape and we were in dire need of a better house. Receiving the transfers enabled us to build a decent iron sheet roofed house, it was a dream that had eluded us for so long because we did not have enough money. We also used part of the money to purchase a dairy cow that is now producing enough milk for our 8 children."

"The addition of a heifer to my dairy cow and the start of a poultry project are the most noticeable changes in my daily life since receiving my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I have been collecting at least 5 eggs per day, and selling them has been beneficial because I can use the proceeds to buy household goods and pay some bills. I am excited to expand the project in the future to accommodate more birds, and  I am also looking forward to a plentiful supply of milk once the heifers calve and begin producing milk."

"Before the transfers, I never had cows before as I had no stable source of income. I used the transfers to buy female cows for kshs 35,000. This is for milk production for my family's consumption and sale. I do casual work to earn a living and most of the time the pay is too little to cater for my basic needs, I do top it up with the money from selling milk and this has enabled me to take care of other basic needs like food, clothing and kids school fees. I used the remaining part of the transfers of kshs 20,000 to buy a piece of three-seater furniture. I used to fear hosting friends and relatives as I never had enough seats for them, but my self-esteem has improved since I started receiving transfers from GiveDirectly."

"When I received my second transfer, I decided to build a decent house for my mentally ill brother. This is because the house he is currently living in is in poor condition, and he is unable to do anything due to financial constraints and his health. As a result, I spent $300. I then purchased a cow for $270 to reduce the cost of purchasing milk daily. All of this was not previously possible because I am a single mother of five children who works casual jobs to make ends meet. I am so relieved and grateful that I was able to begin improving my family's living situation."

"I am a subsistence farmer who is married and has two children. After receiving my initial transfer, I considered purchasing a dairy cow to reduce the cost of purchasing milk on a daily basis. As a result, I spent $310 on a healthier dairy cow. I was unable to purchase one previously due to financial constraints, as my source of income is not consistent. I then applied In addition, I used the remaining funds to finish my house, which had previously been left half-finished due to a lack of funds. I am relieved and grateful for the significant accomplishment I accomplished in such a short period of time."

"When I received the first $550, I used $250 to buy a lactating cow and used another $40 to buy food for my family since we received the money at a time that we were facing serious drought. I saw this as a relief to my son Richard who has been providing for me the basic needs including food and clothes. Being as old as I am, I would not do much to provide for myself and it is GiveDirectly that has come in with a helping hand; I will always be grateful for this. Right now, I have my own cow that I milk and I also had enough food that lasted for a couple of days. I still have some of the things that I bought with the first transfer."

"The biggest difference in my daily life is the reviving of dairy keeping. We had dairy cows that were supporting us a lot. I had two good dairy cows which supported me a lot in meeting the daily needs of my family including buying food for the family. Things had become a little tough after I lost both of my dairy cows. Getting GiveDirectly transfers and using them to buy at least one dairy cow has made me very happy."

"I am the mother of six children in various stages of development. My three eldest children are all married and have two or more children. My fourth and fifth children both work in Mombasa, while my youngest has just graduated from high school and is looking for work. I say this to demonstrate to you how much I value education. As a result, a portion of the GiveDirectly funds were used to pay school fees for four of my grandchildren at Migumomiri Primary School. I also decided to try my hand at cattle farming for the first time and purchased a female cow. The most significant project as a result of the GiveDirectly funds was the construction of my one-bedroom house. I also made a point of including a a verandah in the plans to ensure that I have somewhere to sit on warm evenings and sunny afternoons. The most recent major purchase was food. Growing cassava, maize, and other cereals on a 3-acre farm has been impossible due to the ongoing drought. As a result, I must ensure that we have enough to last as a family."