"I recently began a small business selling cooked food in our village, and it is currently doing well. Previously, I sold vegetables, but I had to stop because it was not profitable. With my husband working as a casual laborer, we faced financial difficulties as he was not making enough to cover our expenses. However, our fortunes changed for the better when GiveDirectly reached our village. Now, I have a thriving business, can afford my child's school fees, and have even invested in chickens and a goat with the help of these transfers. With $20, I bought clothes for my children for the New Year holiday and then spent $10 on buying household essentials like soap, sugar, and oil which had run out and needed replenishing. I then allocated $48 to start and expand my business, gradually increasing its stock and boosting its success. Additionally, $15 went towards my child's kindergarten fees, while $9 was utilized to purchase chickens for rearing. I am genuinely thankful for this assistance, as it has transformed our lives for the better."

"My biggest concern is building a new house. The current house is in poor condition, and it has been damaged over time. The mud walls have weakened, and the iron sheets have corroded, letting in water whenever it rains, making the space damp. I have been saving some funds from the transfers for this purpose, and I hope I will have achieved a substantial amount in a year. I have also started rearing chickens, and I hope they will have grown a bigger flock in one year so that I can sell them to support the house construction."

"Receiving transfers from Givedirectly has changed the way I think. I am an animal herder hired to take care of people's animals. I make about $30 monthly from my work. This usually contributes to the different house needs. I however would like to to buy an additional piece of land for my family so that we can increase the number of fruit trees in our home. I have saved $64 of my recent transfers to a local savings group in the village which I plan to use in purchasing land. I also got at $30 goat which has increased the number of my goats to 12 and two additional chicken which increased them to 15."

"In the month of December, 2023, I started a small poultry project to act as my investment that cost me $10. I started with 6 chickens and currently, four of them have chicks. This is a promising project to me and I am guaranteed of some income in case my husband fails to send me money. Therefore, I consider this project as my source of joy."

"My main goal is to acquire two bulls to enhance our farming operations. Currently, we are utilizing four acres of our family land and the cost of preparing it is high because we have to hire a tractor at $10 per acre. This expense has limited our farming capacity prompting the need to purchase the bulls that will allow us to till a larger portion of our land that is currently unused. Each mid-sized bull costs around $200, so I need $400 for two. From the sales of some chickens from my poultry project last month, I managed to raise enough money for one bull, which I plan to purchase next month. Then, I intend to use the payout from my savings group to buy the second bull. In addition to enhancing our farming endeavors, these bulls will serve as an additional income stream for my family as we intend to offer ploughing services to fellow villagers at a slightly lower fee compared to tractor services. This initiative not only benefits our farming activities but also provides a valuable service to the community, contributing to agricultural sustainability and economic empowerment."

"On receiving the cash transfer, I used $200, to boy some goats and chickens. It feels good knowing I have them, like a little safety net. My kids are still in preschool, so thinking about their future, it's a relief. Then, $80 went into my wife's tailoring classes. She had to quit because of money issues, but now she's back at it. I hope once she's done, she'll be able to work and help support us. With $150, I built a kitchen and a storage shed for our maize. It's a small step towards making things easier. I'm a rider, but the money I make barely covers food. My wife doesn't have a job, so it's all on me. But with these changes, I'm feeling a bit more hopeful about the future."

"Whenever I receive cash transfers, I usually channel them towards different kinds of needs depending on the urgency. These include school fees for my five children, saving through a merry-go-round group, and buying livestock and other household items like food. Sometimes my husband supports these needs, but only when there is a pressing issue. He sells traditional herbs in town and his income can be quite unpredictable. So recently, I spent $35.5 to pay school fees for my son in secondary school and $7 for the four in primary school. There have been accruing debts for years back, and the funds have helped reduce the balances. Only that I have other needs like food in the household, but if it were not for that, I would have spent everything on the tuition. I also used $20.5 to buy five chickens. Right now, I have seven chickens. I am rearing them so that when they reproduce, I can sell them to cater to the needs of my children, particularly school fees; for instance, I can sell two and get $10, which can cover one primary school child for the entire term. I also spent $39 to buy a goat as well for rearing."

"While my primary focus remains on providing my children with quality education by ensuring their school requirements are promptly met, I am also aware of the cultural and economic significance of livestock ownership in our community. Despite my age, I am disheartened by the absence of livestock in my possession, as it is traditionally regarded as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. To address this, I plan to start with chickens since they are the most affordable option for me. I will rear them and then sell them once I have a good number, using the proceeds to eventually buy a goat. I will continue this process until I can afford to purchase a cow. While my children's education is a significant achievement made possible by this project, owning a cow at the end of it would also be a valuable investment in my eyes."

"My primary goal is to ensure my children have no debts in school and attend school consistently without any disruptions caused by delayed fee payments which usually lead to them being sent away from school. This is why I plan on continuing to use the transfers to pay their school fees and also take care of any other school requirements. Besides this, I also aim at continuing to expand my livestock herd by buying more goats and chicken whenever possible. This is to cushion myself against the high fee requirements that I will experience once my children join highschool. I currently have around 50 chickens and 20 gees which I intend to sell and use the proceeds to buy a much larger and easier to manage livestock such as a cow. In future, I can sell the cow to raise any money in times of financial emergencies."

"I am currently in high school, but my parents can not afford to pay my fees because they rely on occasional construction jobs, which are hard to come by in our village. To make sure I can stay in school, I decided to use $30 of the monthly transfers I receive to cover my fees. This has made a big difference because I no longer miss school due to late fee payments, which used to happen often. As a result, my grades have improved. After I have cleared my fees, I usually use the remaining money to invest in things like livestock. Right now, I have 4 goats and 3 chickens thanks to these investments. Sometimes, I also use the money to buy things we need at home, like clothes and shoes. During the December holidays, I treated myself to a new dress and a pair of shoes with some of the money. I also bought a mattress for $25 and added another goat to my herd, which cost $30. Through these endeavors, I am not only securing my education but also actively building a foundation for financial stability and personal well-being."