"Livestock farming is lucrative farming in my community. Most families rely on rearing and keeping of goats to provide for the family. When I receive my transfers, I will buy twenty goats and kickstart business. This will cost $470 of the transfers from GiveDirectly. I am happy that in one year my goats will have multiplied and earn me a profit. Two months ago, a well-wisher drilled a borehole in my village. The borehole has been providing us with water for domestic use. When I receive my transfers from GiveDirectly, I will spend $150 of the transfers to buy conduit pipes to supply the water to my household."

"The biggest difference in my life is the improvement in my living conditions and my family's well-being. Before receiving the cash from GiveDirectly, I lived in an old traditional manyatta with a leaking roof that put my family at risk, especially during the heavy rains. Water entering the house caused us a lot of discomfort and worry. By buying construction materials and cover labor costs, I was able to fix the roof and protect my home from further damage. Now, I can sleep peacefully without the fear of leaks, which has greatly improved our quality of life. Additionally, spending the remaining money on food has ensured that my children have enough to eat. This support has made a significant difference in our daily lives, allowing us to live with dignity and security."

"When I received the $450 transfer from GiveDirectly, I used $400 to buy a plot of land in a safer area because floods had caused me many problems. I no longer want to face the threat of flooding. My goal is to build a home for my family, so my five children can have a secure place to call home, free from the fear of floods and the health risks of stagnant water, like colds and malaria. I also used $50 to pay school fees for one of my children. I want to make sure my child stays in school without any interruptions. Before this transfer, it was difficult to pay school fees since I had to rely on casual labor to cover the costs. Thank you, GiveDirectly, for this timely support."

"Looking ahead, my primary goal is to invest in planting green grams. Given the limited water supply from the river, large-scale farming isn't an option for us, but green grams are ideal because they need minimal water and grow quickly, taking about two months to be ready for harvest. My plan is to use the next transfer to plant and care for the green grams until they’re ready for harvest. After selling the crop, I aim to use the profits to buy goats, which will provide an additional source of income for my family. I also want to make sure I can pay my child's school fees with the earnings. This approach will help us secure both a better livelihood and a brighter future for my child."

"My main goal for the coming year is to repair my house, which is in urgent need of attention. The iron sheets on the roof are old and full of holes, allowing rainwater to leak inside whenever it rains. To make this happen, I’m planning to grow maize on my farm, hoping for a good harvest. If all goes well, the maize will provide enough food for my family, which means I won’t need to spend as much money buying food. With those savings, I plan to purchase a few iron sheets each month until I have enough to start the renovations. Once I’ve gathered all the materials, I’ll be able to fix the roof and improve our living conditions. I’m incredibly grateful for the financial support, which has given me the stability to not only meet my family’s day-to-day needs but also work toward long-term improvements in our lives."

"My house is currently in a very poor condition. Without realizing it at the time, I built the house on a pathway where water flows. When the rains came earlier this year, the house started sinking into the ground, and now it is on the verge of collapsing. To make matters worse, the roof is leaking, making the house uninhabitable whenever it rains. My goal is to construct a new house on raised land, away from the water flow. To achieve this, I plan to start by purchasing one piece of iron sheet at a time over the coming months. Once I have collected the necessary number of iron sheets, my next focus will be on acquiring other building materials, like building poles. After gathering all the required materials, I will begin the construction of a new and safer house for my family. I am deeply grateful for the financial support that is helping me care for my family during these challenging financial times. The assistance is not only providing for our current needs but also enabling me to work towards building a safer, more secure home for the future."

"We have been living without a latrine for about two years since ours was destroyed by floods. We have been sharing with our neighbor, but sometimes they lock it, and we have to beg for the key, or they are not home. We have been unable to build a new one due to a lack of funds. Although we have been doing crop farming, we face losses from issues like water shortages, and this year we lost 5 acres of crops to floods. We also have other needs for our family of six. When we received the money, we decided to buy building materials for a new toilet, costing $100. Unfortunately, we couldn't construct it at that time because my daughter, who is in high school, had been sent home for fees and had stayed home for two weeks. This situation was stressful, so I decided to use $100 to reduce her arrears, leaving $300. I plan to use the next transfer to clear the remaining fees and continue the construction of the latrine. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"I drilled a borehole at home, but I don’t have the funds to pump the water yet. I plan to install solar power to operate the pump so I can use the water for crop farming and sell it to neighbors. Water is often difficult to find, especially during the dry season. I’ve already invested in storage materials and plan to add more. I will sell the water at a low price to support community members. With the income from this, combined with crop farming and my current shop business, I will create financial stability. This will help ensure that my children and my wife won’t struggle when I get married."

"Following the recent floods, our house was submerged since we lived near the lake, and the area remains completely covered by water. With my second transfer, I purchased a plot on higher ground to protect against future flooding. When I received my final transfer, I used it to build a one-room iron sheet house on the new plot, costing $270. I repurposed materials from the old, flooded house and bought additional ones, ensuring we now have a house free from floods. The floods had destroyed everything, including our bedding, bedclothes, and household items. Using the transfer, I bought a mattress for $45 and a bed for $40 for my wife and me, and another bed and mattress for the children, costing $38. I used the remaining funds to buy food. Losing my crops was devastating and made it nearly impossible to put food on the table for my family. Thanks to GiveDirectly, we were able to secure food items worth $50, which sustained us for some time."

"Before receiving my first transfer, my wife and I had already planned our budget. Buying furniture had been one of our goals for two years. We wanted to purchase a sofa set, but our reliance on crop farming proved unreliable due to frequent droughts and floods, which limited our yields and income. We had only two plastic chairs for our family of six. With the transfer, we spent $55 on a three-seater sofa set and $21 on three additional plastic chairs, giving us more than enough seating. The floods had damaged my generator, so I spent $30 to repair it. My maize, which survived the floods, was ready for harvesting, so I spent $20 on harvesting. I used the remaining money to pay off a $20 debt for food items and spent the rest on groceries. Getting food was a challenge, especially during the rainy season, as crops were destroyed and the surviving ones were difficult to harvest due to excess water. Thank you, GiveDirectly!"