"When I wake up in the morning, I am required to fetch water from the nearby water pan and thereafter, I proceed to work in my farm. I come back home in the afternoon to prepare my family's first meal. It is at this time when I find myself happiest because seeing my children enjoying the food considering that it is their first meal of the day gives me the feeling of happiness."

"I spent part of my transfer to purchase six goats. This was a great idea since I can decide to sell the young ones in case of emergencies. The best part is that they can also enable me to reach my long term goals by selling them at once and get a lump sum amount of money when they have increased in number. Besides that, have started building a house since the current one is almost collapsing. I had been saving my income as a saloon but I could still not start implementing this project since the income was little. The transfers have greatly saved me. I could definitely take longer to build this house were it not for the GiveDirectly's intervention. Lastly, I was able to buy a bed. Previously, I used to sleep on the floor. It used to be very uncomfortable especially whenever it rained since it could absorb water. My worries are gone. I can only thank GiveDirectly for financial support."

"As a woman in our culture, one is supposed to take a role in doing a better part of the household chores. I normally do these responsibilities during my morning and afternoon hours. Fetching water, collecting firewood and also working on my farm are among the chores and these usually drain much of my energy. It is in the evening when I find myself relaxed and get a better sleep that makes me refreshed."

"I spent part of my transfer to purchase five goats and a donkey. The donkey has been really helping me to fetch water from the river. I have been using my brother's but I felt that it was time to buy my own. The idea of having a long-term solution to financial need made me purchase hens and that is how I started a poultry project. Today, I can proudly say that I handle my emergencies well by using the money that I get from selling eggs. Apart from that, I also bought clothes for my children and a solar lantern. It has really changed my life since my house is well lit and I no longer have to buy paraffin every time like I used to do before I started receiving these transfers."

"I recently constructed a new house and the amount that I had was not enough to complete it. Receiving this transfer means that I will be able to use the first amount to furnish it with household items and buy water storage tank. Additionally, I will use the second transfer to pay the school fee for my wife who is in the final year at one of the leading University."

"We rely on water pans as the main source of water for drinking and other domestic use in our community. This poses a serious health risk as this water is shared with livestock and the area is characterized by poor sanitation. My concerns about the health of my family led to a decision to use my transfers to provide safe drinking water for my family. I spent part of my transfer to buy a water tank to be able to harvest rainwater. My wish to own a water tank was long overdue as I had to prioritize my children's education and household needs. I am happy and thankful to GiveDirectly for restoring our family pride and dignity."

"Dairy cattle is the main source of income in this community. When drought strikes every year, it results in scarcity of pasture and water for our animals. Consequently, milk production adversely declines and education and food security is jeopardized. We are at rimes forced to sell these cattle to buy food for our family. This is the biggest hardship I've faced in my life. "

"My life has change in a big way given opportunity to explain at times I lack words to say . Having peace of mind and joy that I never expected at this particular point in time after acquiring a decent spacious two roomed house tells it all . Before, my house had big cracks and when it rained at night we could stay at one safest corner of the house to avoid being soaked up with water. The instability of the house made me worry of jeopardizing my family's safety but unfortunately I had no option due to limited resources at hand . I am happy since I have gotten a house I was dreaming of for a long time . Coincidentally, with the heavy rains my old house collapsed recently after we had evacuated to the new one . Thanks to GiveDirectly you are a life saver ."

"I spent part of my transfer to purchase a water tank. I wanted to harvest a lot of water during this rainy season since I did not want to go back to using dam water that is normally unclean. Besides that, I also bought two sacks of maize and rice. We have already planted and really waiting for the harvesting season which will be April next year. I had to buy a good stock which will sustain as for a long time before the harvest. Having an investment that will steer us towards our future plan was also our priority and so this saw us buy a cow. We finally used the remaining amount on an introduction ceremony. I have stayed with my husband for four years but we had never taken this important step due to lack of money. I am very happy that we chose to do this. It has really shown the commitment that my husband has for our marriage. I thank Give Directly for the financial support because through them we have been able to achieve a lot."

"I am a farmer, I normally plant vegetables. It has been my source of income for a long time . Due to unpredictable rain patterns and insufficient rains in general, farming has become a game of chance in our area. Before, I didn't have the necessary equipment to facilitate large scale farming despite living 200 meters to the river . Therefore in dry season , I had to make several trips to fetch water to water my vegetables which was time consuming and tiresome. I limited the plantation of vegetable in a small piece of land that would server my household's consumption . My life is different after purchasing a water pump since I employed irrigation where I can now farm even during the dry season. Today, I am a smiling farmer because I cultivate enough vegetables in large scale for my family's use and sale the rest to earn an extra source of income whether in dry or cold rainy seasons."