"Receiving this money means food security to my household, since am planning to upscale my farming. This is because I commonly farm only 1/2 acre of land producing a 50kg bag of maize which is sustain my family of 3 for one month. I am planning to expend a maximum of $400 on my first transfer to buy oxen and ox plough which will enable me to farm 4 acres of land. This will ensure I get more harvest of 8 bags of 90kg each, which will sustain my family of 3 for 10 months. The rest amount of my first transfer, I will buy iron sheets to renovate my house which is now leaking. I will spend the utmost $300 of my second transfer to buy 10 goats which will act as a long-term investment project for the household. I will use the remaining amount of my second transfer to buy food for my family."

"The only way to earn some money for me was from contributions of fellow community members. This was so as I volunteer to teach their kids in the local kindergarten school. Hence,the main challenge for me was finding a source of income to achieve my dreams of owning a business."

"In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well for fulfilling the promise of sending cash aid to the poor households in the society. In addition, they provide us with enough training before sending out the cash directly to our phones."

"My life is different than it would have been if I had never received the transfer in the I am living a better life. Through the transfer, I was able to use $120 to start a grocery and dry fish business a reliable source of income for the family, I now earn a profit of $30 from the business every 2 weeks. With this income I am able to meet my daily needs easily. Previously, I use to do charcoal burning which was very tiresome and risky since the government had restricted the use of charcoal due its negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, I was able to improve the livestock rearing through the acquiring of more livestock using $400 of my transfer."

"For all those years I have been sheltering under a small temporary hut with a very old roof. I have been aspiring to construct a modern one but because of financial difficulties could not afford to purchase the necessary materials. Being a widow and a family breadwinner has not been easy at all. I have been straining to make ends meet which was not attainable most of the days. Therefore having a spacious house would take years for me to accomplish this goal. For all that time some of my children had to seek shelter from their friends since they are adults and they needed privacy as well. Also according to my culture, it is taboo to share a room with your children who are mature. This situation frustrated me alt as the parent but then I had no option. I am happy and proud own because I managed to construct a decent spacious house that can accommodate all my children and even host a visitor and I feel it makes the biggest difference in my daily life."

"The biggest hardship I have faced in life is unfavorable climatic conditions in our region. Over the past 10 years, we have been unable to harvest enough crops on our farms due to unknown diseases. Initially, we used to rely on maize to cater to both education and domestic expenses. This has become something of the past due to unknown diseases which affect our maize. We used to harvest 22 bags of maize on our 1.5 acres of land unlike today, we harvest only 8 bags which is not enough to sustain a family of 5. Life has become intolerable and this has led to sleepless nights. Thanks to Give Directly for their timely entry into our village."

"I spent part of my first transfer on buying several building materials such as iron sheets, building poles, nails, and timber. This was for the construction of a new house since the initial one was in critical condition and almost collapsing. In addition to that, I paid school fees for my son who on his third year in university. Also with the remaining amount of money, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family and some other household items such as plastic chairs."

"GiveDirectly is like a life saver, with these transfers that they're giving out they have been able to save and upgrade our families so much. Our dreams are now becoming a reality and we are so grateful to be a part of this amazing organisation."

"The biggest hardship that i have faced and I usually face is that, most of the times i fail to provide the needs for my wife and children as a man of the house. I fail to generate alot of income which leads to not having food and clothes for the family."

"This money will mean alot of things. I sleep on the floor, with the transfer i will be able to sleep on the mattress. I will also able to buy enough food for the house since my husband is away. He left for South Africa 10 years so i provide everything for myself."