"The new goal I have for my life in the next four months is to build a decent house and buy a water tank. I live in a mud-walled old house that requires regular maintenance. I am growing old and attending my house regularly is tiring thus build a new one will reduce the burden. I wish to also buy a water tank since this will help in harvest rainwater thus will have clean water at my doorstep."

"The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving these transfers is that I have my own cow. This is a dream come true in my life since I am a widow and I only depend on income from farming. I had given up in buying any kind of livestock since it was my dream with my late husband and I could not accomplish it myself. My income could not support me to buy livestock considering the financial expenses I had. When I started receiving my transfers, I started paying for a cow on a monthly basis from one of my neighbours. Right now I have finished paying for the cow and I own it. I always find pleasure in taking it to the river to take water and even feeding. I feel I am not as poor as I used to because in my area, livestock is a source of wealth and now I have one so am also wealthy."

"During prolonged droughts here, water becomes a major challenge. Receiving this money will allow me to buy a 3000 litre capacity water tank using my first transfer, at a cost of about $230. I will use about $150 of the remaining amount to build a better and raised shelter for our goats and sheep."

"I always begin my day in the morning by fetching water at the nearby water pan, then doing my household chores like sweeping, cooking breakfast. In the afternoon I open my shop to attend to my customers, the interaction with them gives me pleasure as I always love serving them also It is through that I earn a living. Hence, afternoon is the happiest part of my day."

"Receiving this money means finishing my house to a standard that I desired it to be. As for now, we constructed a permanent house but we could not finish it due to the financial crisis and my plan was to spend the first transfer to do this. On the other hand, I intend to buy a 10,000 liters water storage tank to store water to use during the drought seasons and also to sell to the community in order to earn an extra income."

"We have been aspiring to build a new house since water oozes from the one we are living in. We are planning to spend approximately 400 USD from the first transfer we get from Give Directly to build a better house in a better place (not swampy). Receiving this money mean will be able to build a better house in a better place."

"I spent my first transfer to pay my college fees. We depend on casual jobs in the village to get money. The money from these jobs was so small and could not gather for all the basic needs including paying the fees. I also bought clothes, sky blast for storing clean water, food for the family and the rest of the money I used it to build a kitchen house."

"I spent the money I received on building an extension of my house. This is because I have a large family. We were not comfortable anymore living in the house we had but I could not afford to build one. I then bought some plastic water tanks. I needed this because I had already an iron roof from which I could collect rainwater for domestic use. I finally spent the rest on farming. I plowed the land and bought some farm inputs."

"The biggest difference in my daily is the availability of a water tank in my compound. I harvest and store rainwater that I use for about three months even there is no rain at all. I, therefore, manage to go through the longest drought here without suffering from a shortage of water."

"The look of my day is occupied by the household chores that I always do as a housewife. When I wake, I prepare my children to school and thereafter, I clean my compound before leaving to fetch water from a water pan that is 4 kilometers from home. When I come back, I start preparing lunch and rest shortly before I go to collect firewood to be used in the evening. It is only in the evening when I find time to relax and this is my happiest part of the day."