"On the 14th of December, around 4:00pm, I received a message from GiveDirectly that I did not recognize at first. After reading it, the amount indicated matched what I expected from GiveDirectly. When I noticed this, I was overjoyed because it meant that my plans were about to come true. I added to the excitement by informing the other family members, who were also overjoyed, and collecting the money two days later when I was ready to spend it."

"The biggest contrast between now and before is that my business is now stable as compared to when it almost collapsed because of a lack of capital. All credit goes to GiveDirectly for enabling me to achieve this feat. I can now guarantee my family's income as the business is my only investment that caters to my family's upkeep."

"In all honesty, the biggest noticeable difference we have seen is being able to complete the house after two years. It is one of our major achievements, something I never thought would happen in this lifetime. All the achievement is courtesy of GiveDirectly."

"I am thankful for my first transfers because they significantly lessened the struggles I was going through. I provide all of the household income for my family of five, which consists of one son, four grandchildren, and me. After their mother died, I took the initiative to care for my grandchildren. Given that my primary source of income burning charcoal for sale earns me very little, taking care of my family has not been easy. When I got my transfers, I paid $150 in past-due school fee balances for my son, who finished his secondary education in April of the previous year. His certificates were being withheld by the school administration until he paid the outstanding balance on his tuition. I'm glad that he can now make good academic progress and that he has obtained his education credentials. In addition, I made improvements to my house for a total cost of $20.8, which includes labor expenses. The nice plastering on the walls of my house gives it a nice appearance right now. I spent $72 on three bales of twelve packets of 2 kg maize flour and $33 on a sack of maize to make sure my family never goes hungry. I know that with all of this food, my family will never go hungry. Finally, I decided to set aside the balance of $27 for potential future emergencies."

"Upon withdrawing the money, I contributed $100 towards the burial since we were straining financially as a family and death is an emergency occurrence. After the burial when I returned to my home, I opted to invest in livestock farming specifically goat keeping. I opted to choose goats over cows because goats can resist drought at a higher percentage compared to cows. The second advantage is that goats can give birth twice a year which makes the number of livestock increase rapidly. Based on that, I spent $280 to buy 8 goats. Thereafter, I paid some food debts and other bills which I had amounting to $70. Since my freshwater connection was disconnected due to accrued water bill which I was unable to pay to the water company, I decided to pay for reconnection. This is because buying some water daily was expensive and also the distance to the water point was tiring to my wife who used to fetch the water. So, I paid $91 for the reconnection. Currently, I am happy that the water was reconnected and my wife is no longer facing difficulties in getting some water."

"It was around 4 pm when I left the house for the shop leaving my phone. While at the shop, I heard one of the customers saying that they had just received their first transfer from GiveDirectly. When I returned home, my wife told me she had heard a message tone from my phone in the room but since she was busy she did not check. From what I heard from the customer at the shop, I suspected I had received the transfer too. Upon checking, I realized that GiveDirectly had sent the cash transfer into my account. This news brightened my evening; I was happy. Being advanced in age, at least the money would allow me to fend for myself and also support the family."

"Upon withdrawing the money, the first thing I did was buy some packets of maize flour for my family because we had slept hungry the previous night. Thereafter, I opted to invest in livestock. I bought 7 goats for $210. I chose goats over cows because of the climate condition in our area. Goats can survive in harsh conditions while cows cannot cope. I also bought 7 chickens for $28. These investments are fast selling and they can be easily converted for monetary value when a need arises. After that, I took $100 and paid a dowry for my daughter-in-law."

"In the coming year and beyond, I hope to venture into cash-crop farming growing peas and beans in my firm for sale. This is because they mature faster and require little rain compared to maize. Additionally, I intend to boost my dairy farming by doing artificial insemination of my two more dairy cows. This will increase the milk production from the current 20 litres to 50 litres per day earning me more income to support our family's needs and save money on other development goals."

"I am a trained hair dresser and for the longest time, I have always wanted to start my own business. This year, I am looking forward to save towards the same. Achieving this means that I will be able to support my husband with family responsibilities which gets overwhelming sometimes."

"I depend on temporary house construction as my reliable source of livelihood. Most of the time, I have been staying away from my wife and 9 children which have affected our bond. I had desired to purchase a plot of land closer to my place of work and relocate the family there. After receiving the transfers, I spent a larger part of it acquiring a piece of land that cost $1200 in total. I paid half the cost of the land with part of the first and the second transfer. Additionally, I spent the remaining amount to clear the fee arrears of our 7children who are both in the primary. secondary and college."