"I had been saving in my informal savings group with the goal of building my own house. I have now been set back a bit due to joining school. I still have the goal of building a house and I aim to achieve this by continuing to save in my savings group and buying goats that will reproduce and I can actually sell to get money to actualize this dream. This is because I still live with my siblings and since I may want to start a family I would want a home of my own."

"I have a young family, myself my husband, and my child. My husband is a mechanic while I engage is some small scale farming. I also have a few animals that I started rearing as a result of the transfers. I have been able to increase the number further and even now own a goat thanks to this last three months transfer. I bought a goat at $30 in August and in September I got one chick at $5. I am also now a member of an informal savings group where I saved $20 in July and September. I was also able to by myself some shoes at $2 in August and in July due to the state of my current clothes and those of my child I used $10 to add a couple more clothes."

"My house has had a leaking roof that makes it unbearable during the rains which have been a blessing to us in terms of food but a curse since our house is leaking on most parts. I needed 12 sheets of iron to replace this roof. In July I got three iron sheets at $30 and 2 iron sheets in August at $20. I also used part of the cash to buy goat in September at $25. Food which is also a key necessity in my house was purchased using this transfers I bought sugar in July at $4, $14 in August and $9 in september."

"I am a single mother of five. All my children are school going. My only means of earning money is by burning charcoal. This kind of work can only make you $5 weekly which is not sufficient to take care of all the families financial needs or even investing. Being a recipient of Givedirectly transfers makes life more bearable. I spent $20 in July and September to take care of school fees for three of my five children. I was also able to buy a few animals in this period, in July I bought a single chicken at $5, and a kid goat at $23, while in August and September I bought four chicken each at $5. I bought shoes for three of my children for school in July at $4.5."

"As I said am one of the lucky ones. I am privileged because I am in a place of being able to think about setting up investments. I have mentioned that I am part of an informal savings group where we make contribution for savings to. We are able to request loans from this group for investment purposes, I mentioned I was able to buy a goat as a result of being part of this group, my hope is to venture into business one day as much as I haven't thought about what business, it is a possibility I can explore thanks to this group. So I plan to continue making my monthly contribution and grow my savings which will allow me to take a big loan when the idea comes my way."

"I decided to invest in the future by purchasing two young goats at a cost of $15 each. Fortunately, we recently experienced a bountiful harvest of maize from our farms, which provided me with the opportunity to allocate the funds towards acquiring the goats. Since the harvest, I have significantly reduced my expenses on purchasing food, as we now have an abundant supply. The goats represent a practical and strategic investment for the future, as they will eventually multiply and expand our livestock, thereby creating additional wealth even after the transfer period has ended. Prior to the bumper harvest, I faced the challenge of having to purchase most of the food for my family, leading to accumulated expenses of $92. The high cost of food was particularly burdensome, considering that my main source of income is my son, who works as a casual laborer in the village, constructing houses for others. However, I am grateful that with the assistance of the transfer, we no longer go to bed on empty stomachs. The financial support has alleviated a significant burden and ensured that our basic needs are met."

"Being a single parent, I have encountered numerous challenges when it comes to meeting the basic needs of my family, consisting of five members. Among them, two of my children attend boarding school, while the others are enrolled in primary school. Unfortunately, the secondary school fees for my two older children remain outstanding, leading to frequent instances of them being sent home until the fees are settled. Given my occupation as a caregiver at Mnazimumwenga Primary School, my income is not substantial. In order to address these pressing concerns, I allocated $38 to cover the school fees of my two daughters, thereby ensuring their uninterrupted education. Additionally, I made a strategic investment by purchasing a goat, which holds the potential for future wealth accumulation. As the goat breeds and multiplies, my initial investment will grow. In the event of an unforeseen emergency, I have the option to sell the goat and utilize the funds to address any urgent issues that may arise."

"The past 3 months, we were at the climax of a famine period that lasted over a year due to failed rains for three consecutive seasons. During this period, my transfers played a massive role in keeping my huge family afloat and away from hunger. If we were to rely on my charcoal making and selling business alone, my family would have seen the worst of the dreadful season. These transfers were instrumental in providing basic needs for the family, taking care of my children's school needs hence ensuring they consistently stayed in school and also helping to purchase quality farm inputs and hiring labour. It is through these transfers that we were able to realize a bumper harvest as we were able to cultivate a bigger portion of land that we could have managed on our own. This month of September however, I purchased a goat to fulfil a promise I made to ensure a year does not end without me investing part of the transfer in any project, preferably long term."

"Due to my vulnerable health condition, I am unable to engage in strenuous work to support myself and my two children in the sixth grade. Since being diagnosed with the condition, I have relied on my son's income from riding a motorcycle. However, his earnings are inconsistent, and providing daily meals can be challenging at times. I'm grateful that the cash transfers have helped alleviate some of the hardships in my household, particularly the issue of hunger. However, I understand that the cash aid will not last forever, and my goal is to create a source of income that can continue to support us even after the transfer period ends. I am particularly interested in raising livestock like goats. So far, I have obtained three goats from previous cash transfers, and I aim to acquire at least five more and allow them to reproduce to grow the herd. With this, I believe that in the future, I will be able to support my children's education without any difficulties."

"This quarter, I finally managed to achieve my long term dream of owning livestock. I Combined my transfers for the months of June and July which I managed to use to purchase 2 goats. I also used part of my August transfer to purchase a sheep bringing the total number of livestock I own to 3 and hopefully, this number will soon increase as my goats are already expectant. The desire to own livestock was driven by the need to have a back up plan in times of emergencies. It is also a good investments as such animals are easy to manage, reproduce very fast and also have a readily available market. I am relaxed now because I know that whenever I have an urgent need for cash, the goats can easily be sold to raise the money within a very short period. With the livestock dream now accomplished, I also decided to join hands with my spouse in the construction of a new house by purchasing 3 iron sheets with part of my most recent transfer. The rest of the money helped in paying part of my child's tuition fee."