"I sell charcoal for a living though on small scale and my husband does a casual job to support our family. We are blessed with three children though still young. The little income we get from our hustling, we spend on taking care of our family but still not enough. Due to unreliable daily income, at times we are forced to sleep hungry due to a lack of capital to buy foodstuffs but not occasionally. When the Give Directly staff came to our home and reveal to us that we are going to be beneficiaries of their transfers, I was very excited and told myself that God has seen me. I was still doubting but decided to think about how I was going to spend the transfer since we were informed of the amount. When I received my transfer I spent $ 5 on food, just to make sure that my children had enough food that day. Secondly, I spent $ 15 on my children's school fees to help prevent him from being sent home. Finally, I thought of buying four chickens at $ 1 for rearing. I thought of starting a chicken-rearing project because it is less costly to maintain and I will sell some once they multiply to get money to support my family."

"I had started a project of rearing livestock using my first transfer in which I bought 5 chickens.  When I received my second transfer, buying more livestock was my first priority item. I bought 1 goat worth $ 30 because I believe goats and chickens can easily multiply within a very short time and hence make more profits. The profits that we will make from the chicken and goat-keeping business shall be used to help pay fees for my younger siblings who are still school-going and meet other immediate needs of my family such as food. I come from a family of 11 children, 5 boys, and 6 girls. My parents survive on small casual laborer jobs within the village with a daily pay as low as $ 3. I have also decided to continue with livestock rearing so that I can pay my own college fees as I plan to go back to school. I am a standard 7 school dropout and I can't wait to quench my thirst for education with the opportunity provided by GiveDirectly. I am so happy and grateful for the support provided by GiveDirectly, it was dream come true."

"My wife and I make and sell charcoal at the nearby market. I have ten children, nine are still in school and one is married. Taking care of them is a challenge but the money from the charcoal business mostly sustains us. I used the recent transfer to buy maize flour at $19, school fees at $4.6, and two chickens at $6."

"I sell charcoal for a living. The profit I get from the business helps me buy food for my family. I also have five goats and 1 cow at home and whenever I need school fees for my children, I can sell them. My husband owns a shop and most of the time he provides for our five children and me. I spent the last transfer to buy food for $3, paid school fees $19, and bought two chickens for rearing for $8."

"When I got the second transfer, I used $10 to purchase two chickens so that I also start keeping because I had none. Since they have a short breeding period, I am optimistic about having several chickens soon. Thereafter, I used the remaining $20 for my upkeep. I am an aged widow who cannot do any kind of demanding work for survival like making charcoals. Therefore, I solely rely on the monthly GiveDirectly transfers as the assured source of money."

"When I received the money, the season we were in was a drought season. Water and food were scarce. Therefore, I opted to use $25 in buying some foodstuff and water, and for the remaining $5, I bought a hen to start with as I plan to do poultry farming in the coming days. I discovered that poultry farming using the local breed of chicken is not demanding and it is cheap to do."

"I spent $12 of my recent transfer on paying fees for my three children in primary schools. It is my pleasure to see them continue with their studies with the rest since they have been staying home for almost two weeks because of the arrears. This has been demoralising and demotivating them for so long and sometimes affecting their performance. I was so worried that they might even drop out which would be a big blow to us as a family. To add to that, I purchased nice clothes and shoes for them so that they can replace the old ones which were torn. Also, I purchased a chicken at $5 which I am currently rearing on my homestead. With the remaining amount of money, I decided to buy foodstuffs for my family of six."

"I spent part of my recent cash transfer on paying fees of $20 for my three children in a nearby primary school. I am happy to receive the cash in good time because they would miss their exams which were just around the corner. I knew this would demoralize them as well as affect their academic performance. They have finally been able to continue with their studies without any hiccups like before. To add to that, I bought a chicken which I am currently rearing in my household and I am positive that in a few months to come, I will have many of them. Also, I used the remaining $5 to buy a lamp which has been of help, especially at night. Initially, we were using candles which were quite expensive and sometimes we would stay in the dark."

"I spent my transfer to start poultry rearing by purchasing 3 chickens for $10, this is a reliable source of income for myself. Previously, I was a housewife depending on my husband who is a casual laborer doing house construction. Starting poultry rearing has transformed me into being self-reliant, I can now cater for any small financial challenge without depending on my spouse's earnings. I also used $10 to support the education of my firstborn who is in junior school. With the remaining amount, I bought food and water for the family."

"I spent $20 of my recent cash transfer on paying fees for my four children in the nearby primary school. It has always been my pleasure to see get a better education but this was sometimes in vain because of the financial hardships that I have been undergoing for years. I am now thankful to GiveDirectly for empowering me in achieving my dream. Additionally. I bought a chicken worthy for $2 which will now serve as an asset that I can rely on at any time. With the remaining amount of money, I opted to buy foodstuffs for my family and other household items that I was lacking during that time."