"With a son in school, my greatest priority for the coming year and beyond is to ensure that he completes his education and I am very much committed to supporting his studies. To achieve this, I plan to continue dedicating a portion of my transfers from GiveDirectly to paying his school fees. Unfortunately, my husband and I have been unwell for some time, and managing our health has become a significant challenge due to financial constraints. To address this, I will use a portion of my transfers to purchase the monthly medicines we need to improve our well-being and lead a normal life just like our fellows in our community. Additionally, the drought in our region has been so bad, bringing hunger and uncertainty into our lives. To ensure my family has enough to eat, I intend to continue using part of the transfers to buy food until the rains come and we are able to harvest enough to sustain ourselves. Also, looking ahead, I am determined to build a more sustainable future. Once we receive rain and are able to secure enough food to last us for a longer period, I plan to save a larger portion of the transfers and invest in purchasing more goats, with the hope that they will multiply and grow in value. This approach is my way of securing a reliable and lasting source of income for the future, especially when this program eventually comes to an end. I am deeply grateful for the cash support from GiveDirectly."

"With my most recent transfer, I first bought a phone for $40, as my previous one was damaged beyond repair. I’m happy that I can now communicate without any issues. I also spent $4 on food for my family. Additionally, I allocated $20 to pay fees for my three school-going children to ensure they wouldn’t be sent home due to unpaid balances. With the remaining amount, I bought a sheep for $20, which will serve as financial security when these transfers come to an end. Finally, I used the last $4 for bus fare to Mariakani to buy medicine, as I wasn’t feeling well."

"I am a widow with four children, and I rely on charcoal burning to provide for my family. With the last three transfers I received from GiveDirectly, I saved $30, as I always try to save at least $10 each month. I am determined to build a new house because the one I currently live in is on the verge of collapsing, and saving up for this goal is crucial for my family’s future. By putting away this money, I am slowly but surely getting closer to building a safe and stable home for my children. After saving, I paid off a $30 debt at a local shop where I had been buying food on credit. Clearing this debt was important, not only to keep good relations with the shopkeeper but also to ensure that I could be trusted to borrow again if needed. I also spent $37 on food to keep my family well-fed, and $5 went toward buying medicine because I was not feeling well and needed to visit the chemist for some tablets. These transfers have helped me cover both immediate needs and long-term goals, making life a little easier and giving me peace of mind."

"I am committed to managing my health condition with care and following my doctor’s instructions to ensure I live a healthy life. To do this, I plan to use a portion of my monthly transfers to buy the medicine I need, making sure I stay on top of my treatment. At the same time, I have always dreamed of owning livestock, so I also intend to use part of my transfers to purchase more goats and ducks. I am hopeful that over time, these animals will multiply and provide me with a reliable source of support, especially when this program eventually comes to an end. I am truly grateful for the assistance I have been receiving,as it is giving me the opportunity to build a better future for myself."

"I am a crop farmer, and where I live, accessing water is difficult due to the distance, which makes farming unproductive without rains. With my transfer, I rented an acre of land for $100, and I plan to plant maize this month. Additionally, I bought three goats for $65, $62, and $60. I didn’t own goats before, and I have always wanted to have them, but money was a challenge, especially since crop farming sometimes fails. I have also been buying milk, which is costly, but with this investment, I will no longer need to buy milk. To diversify my income, I used my first transfer to buy 30 chicks after losing 35 to floods. They used to help me a lot, especially with daily needs. With this transfer, I bought their feed for $30 and medicine for $50 to keep them healthy. Previously, their coop was made of polythene, and they could roam freely, which sometimes led to losses or attacks by animals. To protect them better, I bought wire mesh for $18 and paid $5 for labor to construct a safer coop. Furthermore, my house needed repairs. The back wall was made of mud, while the other sides were iron sheets. I have had to repair the mud wall frequently, especially during the rains when it kept falling apart. Smearing the wall was also difficult. I bought five iron sheets for $60 and spent $15 on labor to replace the mud wall. The remaining money went to food, as we did not have enough. I bought a bag of maize and other food items to sustain us. Thank you, GiveDirectly!"

"For years, I have struggled with issues related to my waist that prevent me from standing on my own, forcing me to rely on my wife for help with daily tasks. When I received the cash transfer, I used about $20 for my monthly medication. This allowed me to purchase medicine that has improved my ability to move around, although I haven't fully healed yet. Thankfully, I am no longer in as much pain as I was before. Understanding that this program will eventually end, I decided to buy a goat for $46, which I am now keeping at home. My hope is to raise more goats over time, providing me with a sense of security and support when the program concludes. For the first time, I have assets at home that serve as security, something I never had before. Additionally, with $36, I bought enough food to last us for a while, as we currently have no other source of support due to the drought, which has left our farms unproductive. I am incredibly grateful to this organization; I can hardly imagine how my life would have been without their support."

"When I received my latest transfer, I spent $10 on goat medicine and also purchased two more goats for $68. I have a strong passion for goat rearing. In our area, goats thrive and adapt well to harsh weather conditions, especially since we often experience prolonged droughts that cause other animals to perish. I love goats because they multiply quickly, and I intend for them to provide financial security for me once my transfers come to an end. With the remaining $14, I decided to buy clothing for myself and my children. We wanted to look presentable as we prepared to visit my husband’s place. I truly appreciate GiveDirectly for their financial support."

"My health has been a constant challenge, and I rely on monthly medicine refills to manage my condition. Recently, I used $30 of my transfer to restock my medication, hoping it will help me feel stronger and healthier. Currently, things have been made much more challenging by the season's extreme dryness. The terrain is dry, almost everything has dried up, and food and water are limited. I, therefore, spent the remaining $72 to buy food and pay for water delivery. We have to fetch water from a very long distance, and the only way is by hiring a motorcycle to bring it to us. With no harvest this season due to the drought, most of my transfer goes toward making sure my family has enough to eat. Despite these tough times, I am deeply grateful for the support from GiveDirectly. It has been a lifeline, helping me care for my health and meet my family’s basic needs in such a challenging season."

"When I received the unconditional cash transfer, I carefully planned how to use it for my family’s needs and future growth. First, I spent $50 on kale seedlings because I had already prepared the farm for planting vegetables. Kale is a good investment since it grows for a long time, and I’ve already started harvesting, which helps us sustain our income. I also bought a bag of maize for $30 to make sure we had enough food to be secure, so we don’t have to worry about our basic needs. I wanted my wife to feel valued and appreciated, so I encouraged her to use $32 from the transfer to buy new clothes. I also used $15 to buy two plastic chairs since we didn’t have proper seating, and we had been sitting on stones for too long. Now, we finally have something comfortable to sit on at home. Additionally, I used $20 to pay school fees for my sister-in-law, who had been sent home because we couldn’t afford it. I also spent $8 on deworming medicine for our goat, which needed urgent care. Finally, I used the remaining money to manage the kale farm, ensuring a healthier yield. This transfer has truly been a blessing, helping us meet immediate needs and invest in things that can improve our lives in the long run."

"The floods took everything from me, leaving my family in despair. Five goats, twenty chickens, and even my clothes were swept away, and one of our houses collapsed, dragging my life down to zero. I felt hopeless as my generator was also destroyed, and with five children to care for, the burden became unbearable. However, when I received the unconditional cash transfer, it felt like a new beginning. I used $350 to pay a down payment on a plot of land far away from the floods, where my family could finally settle and rebuild our lives.Furthermore, I allocated $50 for my children's school fees because education is crucial for their future. I want to ensure they have the opportunity to learn and grow despite our struggles. The remaining money went towards buying small essentials like food and medicine for our remaining livestock. My wife and I work casual jobs and farm to make ends meet, but it has been challenging since the floods caused sickness and forced us to relocate.This support from GiveDirectly has been a blessing in our lives. We were overwhelmed by the difficulties we faced, but now we have hope for a better future. I feel grateful for the chance to start anew and provide for my family again. With this help, we can focus on rebuilding our lives and ensuring our children have a brighter future."