"On the withdrawal day, I bought a mattress for $50 because I had poor and unpleasing bedding which was not worthy to sleep on. Currently, I am very happy because I sleep in a better place. Initially, I used to pile some torn mats put together thus this attracted bedbugs. I also opted to invest in a cow that will in the future produce milk both for sale and for family use. I cannot remember how much I used in buying the cow but I guess it was around $350. For the remaining amount, I paid some school fees for my two grandchildren and bought some food for the family."

"Building a decent house was my major priority. This is because the house that I was living in was old and small to fit a family that comprises four children and two parents. This was not easy before due to financial constraints caused by school fees responsibilities, since what I earn is barely enough to cater to our basic needs. I work as a cook at a nearby primary school and my husband is jobless at the moment. Upon receiving our second transfer, I thought of finishing the house that I had started constructing using my first transfer, where I spent $200. Secondly, I thought of purchasing a dairy cow to cut down on the cost of buying milk which I used for $250. Lastly, I used the remaining amount on foodstuffs. I am happy that I was able to accomplish so much with the aid that I received in a short period."

"I plan on venturing into business to supplement my income. I desire to start dairy goat farming for milk production. This will fetch more returns compared to cow's milk because of its high nutritional value. I will also purchase barbed wires. fencing my compound to enhance security."

"My son Calistus joined a boarding high school last year and paying for his education at the school has been a big task for me. I do casual jobs and earn $3 at most when I work and nearly all of this goes into buying maize flour daily. This, therefore means that I cannot provide quality education and food for my family with the money. My plan for this cash transfer is to buy a dairy cow with $350 which will be another source of income. I project to get 5 liters of milk daily from the cow which translates to an extra $2 for my family. I will be able to save some money weekly and pay school arrears in bits and also buy some of the foodstuffs that I could not buy with the money from my casual job."

"Receiving this money will be a major boost to our family.The cost of living has gone up, everyday is a struggle.The financial situation has been dire.First things first we will clear the outstanding fee of $350 for our son in college.We have been hoping against hope and praying that God will open away for us to raise the fee. Our prayers has finally been answered and we are extremely happy about it.We will use the rest of the money to do fencing around our farm and if the remaining amount will be enough we will add a dairy cow to our stock."

"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."

"I am a broker and I sell goats and cows at an open market which happens once a week. I also slaughter cows and goats at a fee of five at $30 and $20 respectively. I have eight children, five are in school and three are married. Food has been a challenge for me because every day my family consumes three packs of maize flour that costs $4.5. Receiving this transfer has helped me buy food without strain."

"In my family, we are eight in number, six children, my wife (Kabunda), and I. Since I do not have formal employment, I resolved to raise livestock. I am a farmer who raises livestock, both goats and domestic fowl. Immediately after I received my transfer, I spent the whole of my recent transfer on buying two goats. Both were young hence I spent less. At the moment, I have twenty-seven domestic fowls, fifteen goats, and two cows. The animals will help me to meet the emergency need of my four school-going children."

"I have used $ 20  of my recent transfer to pay my children's fees while for the remaining $ 10, I  bought more food for the family. I am a mother of 10 children, with 8 already enrolled in school while 2 are yet to start. My biggest challenge as a widow is raising fees for my children due to a lack of a  sustainable income. I have been jobless for the past four years only depending on my in-laws for financial support. Nevertheless, whatever support I get from them, is never enough to support the entire family's basic needs such as fees and It pained me so much how many times my children had been off and on to school due to lack of fees. The struggles to make ends meet began immediately after the death of my husband in 2015 when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I had to sell all my livestock to raise his medical bill, including 15 goats and 5 cows. However, all the sacrifices bore no fruit, he succumbed to cancer eventually. Therefore, receiving my last transfer became of great help as it brought happiness and enhance good relationships among my children unlike before, the family can now enjoy decent meals which had improved their health and they currently attend their classes without fear of being sent back home for fees."

"For most of the seasons, I am a farmer growing maize, cowpies leaves, and green grams. But during the drought season that we are currently facing, it is expensive to get water for irrigation. I have ventured into a new business, burning timber for charcoal and selling it at $5 a sack. I have eight children that depend on me and it has been difficult to pay school fees for all of them at once. Most days the school sends them home and they miss a lot in school. I use Givedirectly money to buy food for them as I save money to pay other bills."