"Now that I am in my final year of secondary school, preparing for my transition is very important. After secondary school, I want to join college and study education, as I have dreams of becoming a teacher by profession. To do this, I have been buying goats and chickens, and I hope that they multiply in number so that in the future I may be able to sell some of them and use the proceeds to pay my school fees. Additionally, I also intend to continue using a portion of my transfers to pay school fees for myself and assist my parents, as I know this is very heavy on them since they do not have a stable and reliable source of income. I am very grateful for these transfers from GiveDirectly, as they have been very helpful in my educational journey, and I am hopeful that I can achieve my dreams."

"I remember being at my farm, weeding the maize when I heard the familiar tone of my phone. I quickly put down my tools and pulled my phone from my pocket to check the notification. When I saw that the message was from GiveDirectly and it was the cash transfer I had been hoping for, my heart leaped with excitement. I rushed to tell my children, barely able to contain my joy, and as we stood together, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Finally, I was going to pay the school fees for my two children in secondary school."

"I was sitting outside my home, enjoying the fresh air. At eight months pregnant, I was feeling a bit tired, but it was a peaceful moment. Suddenly, I heard a notification on my phone. Curious, I reached for it and saw a message from GiveDirectly. They had sent me $200! Excitement rushed through me, and my heart filled with joy. The first thought that came to mind was how I could use this money to pay school fees for my children. With this, they could open the term on time, and their education could continue without  interruptions."

"I used the recent transfer to purchase $30 worth of food. Having enough food at home brings me peace of mind because it keeps my children happy and energetic for their studies. In addition to this support, I also do casual jobs to further provide for my family. Life was tough before these transfers, and providing for my family was a challenge. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial assistance. With the remaining $54, I used it to pay school fees for my five children. Since I have five children, I divided the amount among them to ensure they wouldn't be sent home for fee balances. I also saved the remaining $18 for any future financial emergencies."

"Since receiving my recent transfer, I used $60 to pay off my school fees. I'm currently in my second year, and ever since the transfers started, I haven't faced the issue of being sent home due to fee balances, which used to happen before. Life has changed for the better, as now I can easily afford to buy my books and any other school necessities. I also spent $5 on food for my family. With the remaining $27, I purchased some new clothes and a pair of shoes, as my old ones were starting to wear out. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support."

"In our home, we have never owned any livestock, while almost everyone around us does, which has always made us feel left out. The dream of diversifying our income through livestock seemed impossible due to our financial constraints. However, after receiving GiveDirectly's first transfer, that dream finally became a reality. As we speak, we now have a sheep! I am hopeful that it will multiply, allowing us to sell some in the future and address arising needs like our children's school fees. Thank you, GiveDirectly, for making this change possible in our home."

"I used to live in another village where I was married, but sadly, my husband and I separated four years ago, and I had to start over again. While I previously did both crop farming and livestock keeping in my matrimonial home, I returned to my parents' house, determined not to give up. I continued with my crop farming activities and have been eager to venture back into livestock production, particularly with sheep, but I unfortunately lacked the means to do so. When I received my first cash transfer from GiveDirectly, my top priority was to purchase two sheep, one costing $57 and the other $60. My goal is to manage them well and sell some to help pay for my five children's school fees in the future, especially since my ex-husband only contributes a little due to his struggles with alcoholism. Additionally, I had only one bed, and my children were sleeping on the floor, which was risky because there are many snakes in our area. To improve their safety and comfort, I decided to buy them a bed and mattress, which cost $83. Thank you, GiveDirectly, for your support."

"When I received my cash transfer, food was a big problem. My motorcycle job earned me $300, but my siblings depended on me to meet our daily needs, especially after our mom passed away 13 years ago. Our dad remarried and moved away with his new wife, only helping by paying my sister’s school fees. Unfortunately, my sister and I had to drop out of school because we couldn’t afford the fees. With the transfer, I bought food worth $60, and I also used $32 to pay our overdue electricity bill, which had been disconnected for three months. I gave our youngest sister, who is in high school, $20 for pocket money and another $20 to reduce her fee arrears of $300. The remaining $60 went toward buying clothes for all of us since the ones we had were worn out."

"I had left my phone at home and went to look after my goats, not knowing good news was waiting for me. When I returned home that evening, my daughter excitedly told me that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I was so happy, and the first thing that came to my mind was paying my son's school fees at the university. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"After losing our crops and livestock to the floods, paying school fees became a major challenge, especially for our daughter, who had just joined high school. Her fees for this term were a huge worry, and I didn’t know where I would even find the money for her arrears from the previous term. Fortunately, GiveDirectly’s support came at the perfect time, and I was able to reduce the arrears from $126 to $26. I also rely on my vegetable business, and the cash helped me restock as it was running low due to overdependence. Now, my business is thriving, with daily earnings increasing from $7 to $20, and I no longer worry about school fees. The knowledge of the next transfer gives me even more hope. Thank you, GiveDirectly."