"Before the coming of GiveDirectly, I used to sleep on a small traditional bed with some rags and sacks that acted as my bedding. Accessing a mattress or even a comfortable wooden bed was like a dream to me. I could never afford purchase one considering my meager source of income. My life is currently different because through this transfer, I managed to buy a new bed and a mattress. At least I now enjoy a good sleep unlike before, courtesy of GiveDirectly. Apart from the nice bedding, I also own livestock that include a cow and three goats, to me these are assets that I can readily depend on in case of a financial challenge."

"Without GiveDirectly, I would not have managed to build this house. I now live in a better house compared to my previous one. I am in a good status now that I have a bigger house. I used to live in a small mud-walled house. The grass-thatched was already weak and it leaked sometimes during heavy rains. I was never in peace because I always feared it could collapse at any time."

"I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I will have saved enough to pay school fees for my children."

"I expect my life to change in that I will be in a position to improve my business through the savings that I will have saved."

"I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I will have bought a dairy cow. I will cut the cost of buying milk."

"I expect my life to change in that I will have saved some amount to build a better house for my family and the will have a good place to stay ."

"Before the transfers, I did not have any livestock in my life. I was feeling so left behind as many people in the community had livestock. This made me feel the poorest in the village as we consider livestock as a source of wealth in my community. This is why I used my transfers to buy cows and goats after clearing fees arrears for my children in primary school. Anytime I walk into my compound and see the livestock, I feel so happy and proud of the step I have made in life because of the transfers."

"The fact that I no longer ask for help when it comes to ploughing business, makes me very happy. I have my own cows and ox plough which means I can get a contract and carry it out successfully without asking for help from anyone. Before the transfers, I had an ox plough but I did not have the number of cows I needed to use the ox plough. As a result, I had to team up with my neighbour who had some bulls so that we could successfully use the ox plough. This means we had to split the income between us. But now that I have everything I need, the money I get is my own which has increased my income and independence. I can comfortably take up a job without having to seek for my partner's approval."

"The biggest difference in my life is that my children are never sent home for fees again since I received my first transfers. I used my first transfer to clear school fees arrears for my children who are in secondary school. It was very shameful for when on a monthly basis they were sent home for arrears. It would take time to raise money and In most cases, I would have to talk to the teachers to allow them back in school as I look for the money. I am glad I cleared the arrears with the transfers. Secondly, I have not been having a good source of income to sustain my family needs. I have always struggled financially. This is because I have always depended on a small income from casual work. As a result of the struggles, I took a loan to put up a rental house in a piece of land I inherited from my father. Due to other needs, I used part of the money for my personal needs and ended up not finishing the construction. This was another financial burden because I had to find a way to pay back the loan as well as raise money to finish the house. With GD transfers, I was able to finish constructing the houses and I know it will help me raise money for paying back the loan and meeting my needs."

"I was just waking up when I received a message notification. On checking and realizing that it was a message notifying me that I had received from GiveDirectly, I was so happy and gave thanks to God and immediately knew that my dreams of owning my own cow would finally come true."