"Subsistence farming which is my main source of livelihood has been greatly affected by the prolonged drought. To make ends meet, my husband takes up plumbing jobs around the village whenever there is a need. Since it is inconsistent, I cannot account for his income but on a good day, he gets up to $5. This amount is not sufficient to meet the needs of a family of 10 hence we struggle to get food and school fees. My family is facing a financial crisis which stands out to be my main challenge."

"Being a widow and a very old woman, I face hardships to raise money for medical bills which has kept alot of pain whenever I fall sick. I also find it hard to pay school fees for my grand daughters who are always sent home for schools requirements yet l am unable to clear for them in time hence making them attend school irregularly and register poor performance in class."

"I used my initial transfer of $100 to purchase two goats, one for $60 and the younger one for $40. In addition to the native breeds I already had, I needed better ones. I have been milking one of the freshly acquired goats, and I am happy to report that it has been giving my family of four at least a cup of nutritious milk each day. In addition, I spent $55 for a sack of maize that my son, who recently got married and moved into a new home, and I split in half. In addition, I spent $5 on two chickens that will soon start laying eggs. I also used some of the remaining money to celebrate Christmas with my kids and to pay off some debt at local stores. As a single mother, I am pleased with the advancements I have made thanks to GiveDirectly. I am grateful for the current helping hand because raising my children alone has been difficult."

"The prospect of protecting my plot of land, which has always been overrun by my neighbors' animals, as well as the peace and harmony with my neighbors, have made the biggest differences in my daily life. I had been attempting to fence it off, but I kept putting it off due to a lack of funds, allowing stray livestock to trample my developing trees that has caused disagreement with my neighbors who are also struggling to restrain their animals."

"It was in the evening at around 5 pm while I was fetching some firewood. On returning home, I heard my neighbors saying they had received their first transfers. Since I do not know how to read, I asked my helper to check whether I had also received mine since we were registered on the same day. Upon checking, he informed me that I had received $550 from GiveDirectly. I was overjoyed for receiving the money and I allulated in happiness for receiving a huge amount of money at once in my life."

"After receiving the funds, I made construction my top priority. I spent $208 on 15 iron sheets to add to the five I already had, and I built a cubicle room that I moved into immediately after the roof was replaced. To pay the labor fees, I had to sell one of my five goats. I had to utilize the only material that was readily available—iron sheets—on both the walls and the roof, despite the fact that our climate is characterized by a scorching sun that maintains the temperature high throughout the whole year. I am relieved that the very cold evenings are behind me, as well as the annoying mosquitoes that used to keep me up at night. I no longer have to worry about having a higher risk of contracting malaria, and I will have better protection from an invasion by crawling animals. My standard of living has increased to that of other villagers. I am hoping to buy some land in the future and also assist my son's beekeeping pursuits, even though I am still dependent on the illegal burning and sale of charcoal to feed my family of four and am still residing on my neighbor's property."

"When I got a message from GiveDirectly confirming the receipt of the first transfer, I was at home with my husband and our two kids. We initially believed it had been sent to the wrong account, and my husband insisted that we leave the money there since occasionally people believe the account owner will initiate a reversal. We received confirmation that it was from GiveDirectly the following day from a neighbor. I told my spouse about my excitement and then, on the third day, I withdrew and spent."

"Since I got my first transfer from GiveDirectly, a lot has changed. I had been sleeping on the floor the entire time I had been married. I made buying a bed and quality bedding a top priority after receiving the money because I needed a comfy bed to reduce my back pain and get a decent night's sleep every night. The creepy, crawly critters, which include poisonous snakes, make sleeping on the floor a terrifying experience every time. In addition to the danger I was in, sleeping on the ground without a mattress was difficult because I was using rags as a mattress."

"Since I can now simply clean my home's previously dirty floor, I am currently quite satisfied about this renovation. Since getting the transfer, my sleep has improved. I appreciate the help from GiveDirectly and am eager to raise the standard of living for my family."

"The biggest difference in my day-to-day life is the cost of my child's schooling, who recently started her studies in medical school. She had given up because she couldn't afford the tuition, and she had also faced personal struggles that had led her to settle down. She returned home from her maternity leave, forcing me to hunt for money before returning to school."