"Before I received the money from GiveDirectly, I was severely affected by floods. The floods destroyed my entire maize farm, which I had been eagerly waiting to harvest, and took away all 14 of my chickens. I felt so embarrassed because I had been relying on that maize to sell and pay for my children's school fees. But I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly because the money I received became a source of hope in my life. My children had accumulated huge arrears at school and had been in and out of school every term. Now, I thank God because they are peacefully studying, and for the younger ones, there is enough food at home when they return from school in the afternoon."

"Currently we do not have any food in our stores, and my family is at risk of starvation. My plan for this year is to continue using a portion of the transfers that I receive from GiveDirectly to buy food for my family until we get good rains and have good harvests that can sustain us. Once we have enough harvests to sustain us, I intend to invest a certain portion of the transfers to buy more chickens, hoping that they will multiply and increase in number and value so that in the future I may be able to sell them and use the proceeds together with some portion of the transfers to help pay school fees for my children as well as take care of my family."

"The shop where I sell vegetables is made of mud and has a grass-thatched roof. Every morning and evening, I have to transport the produce to and from my house, which is very tedious. My goal before the end of this year is to save enough money to buy building stones, sand, and cement. I plan to construct a permanent structure and fix a door. To achieve this, I intend to keep on saving my transfers in a merry go round group so that once I receive the pooled funds, together with the help of my husband's financial inputs, I may use them to buy building materials and construct this permanent structure. This will allow me to store the products in the shop, eliminating the need to ferry them back and forth every day. Additionally, I am in poultry farming, which is quite profitable, and I still intend to gradually use a portion of my transfers to buy medicine for my chickens and make them healthy and more valuable."

"My greatest goal for this year was to establish a vegetables selling kiosk after recognizing that there was a need to generate more income. I therefore was able to start this business using $34 of my recent transfers together with my savings that I had saved from my previous transfers. I am happy to have achieved this milestone and hopeful that my business will grow bigger. I also spent $9 to buy chicken with hopes that they will multiply and increase in number and value so that I may sell them in the future and use the proceeds to invest them in my business and expand it. Additionally, with seven children in school, I had to spend another $44 of my transfers to pay school fees for my children so that they would not be sent back home to collect school fees. Lastly, I spent the remaining $15 of my transfers to buy food for my family so that they would not go hungry."

"Becoming an entrepreneur has always been my dream, and I intend to venture into the Mobile Money Agency business. To make this come true, I decided to use different strategies. One is i used my previous transfers to buy goats and chicken so that they would multiply and increase in number and value so that by the end of the year I may be able to sell them and put the proceeds into my business startup. Another strategy is that I have been saving another portion of my transfers in a savings account. My plan for this year is to continue saving a portion of my transfers in my savings account so that by the end of the year I may use the saved money and the proceeds from the sale of the livestock to start the business. My dream is for the business to grow in value so that in the future, once the program comes to an end, I may have something to rely on that will sustain me and also enable me to help take care of my family."

"I currently live in a two-room house, and with my family growing, I need an additional room for greater comfort and privacy. Adding this extra room will provide my girls with the privacy they need. My main goal for the coming year is to expand our house to three rooms, and I am diligently saving through my savings group to make this happen. Once the house expansion is complete, my next priority will be to build a shed for the chickens. I aim to increase their numbers and generate extra income from them. Eventually, I plan to expand my livestock farming by selling the chickens to invest in goats, with the long-term goal of purchasing cows. These efforts will not only help secure our financial stability but also fulfill my dream of providing a comfortable life for my family."

"I have been having dreams of becoming a livestock farmer, and so I started venturing into it using some of my previous transfers and this makes me happy as I see myself grow. My plan for this year and beyond is to keep on educating my children and to continue buying additional chicken and goats. To achieve this, I intend to keep on saving some of my transfers in our local savings group so that once they mature, I may use some of the money to invest in livestock. I am hopeful these animals will multiply and increase in number and value so that in the future I may be able to sell them and use the proceeds to take care of my family as well as take care of my children's education. This venture aims at establishing a sustainable source of income that I will be able to rely on in the future so that once this program comes to an end, I won't be left empty-handed and vulnerable but elevated from where I was before. I'm truly grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support, as it has been instrumental in uplifting me financially and enabling me to pursue this endeavor."

"I have always wanted to increase my flock and now I am able to to do this thanks to Givedirectly transfers. I was able to use about $34 to buy a goat and $9 to buy two female chicken. Food has also been made available in my home thanks to Givedirectly transfers. I was able to buy food at $23. My child was also going back to school and had worn out uniforms which I was able to replace at $5."

"With the transfers having a specific timeline, I carefully considered how to invest them in a way that would provide long-term financial support once the assistance comes to an end. In the coming year and beyond, I plan to focus on investing in goats and chickens until I build a substantial herd and flock. These two projects will offer me future financial security, as my passion for livestock rearing motivates me to continue expanding my livestock. To achieve this, I will allocate my monthly transfers to purchase at least one goat and one chicken each month, with a goat costing around $25 and a chicken about $3, adding to my current livestock. My ultimate goal is to ensure long-term stability and self-sufficiency for my family by growing my livestock over time. I am confident in goat rearing because goats adapt well to our weather conditions and are resistant to many diseases. By concentrating on these two projects, I hope to one day share my success story and testify to the positive impact of GiveDirectly's financial support."

"Hence, when I received my most recent transfer, I spent $34 to buy food because we did not have enough for family consumption. I also got sick and spent $10 on medication. I invested $23 to buy a goat and $20 to buy chicken. I chose to invest in these two projects because they will act as my future financial security. I also love goat rearing because they are resistant to diseases and can survive in our area, especially during times of extreme drought. With the remaining amount, I spent $11 to boost my mother's omena business. I want to thank GiveDirectly for the financial support."