"Approximately two weeks before receiving the second transfer, my two sons who are in secondary school were sent home for fees. I tried to lobby with the teachers so that they could be retained in school as I find ways of paying their school fees but my effort was futile. This gave me sleepless nights and deprived me of my peace of mind because seeing your children stranded at home every morning with little help to offer them is not an easy thing. Upon receiving the second transfer, the priority was the school fees for my children. I saw it prudent to pay for the whole year so that they could settle and focus on their studies. Therefore, I paid $360 for them; that is $180 each. By so doing, I felt so happy and relieved because their faces were brightened by the fact that they were going to resume classes. Their happiness gave me peace of mind. Thereafter, I opted to use the remaining amount of money for the family's expenses."

"I am a peasant farmer and I am among the few in my community who have not been fortunate enough to own a dairy cow. Although I have been dreaming to own one someday, I have not been able to raise the money to buy one. I have been buying milk for my two children everyday and this money would have been saved towards some other needs if I had a cow. When I was enrolled in the program, I saw this as a dream come true because I knew I would own one in the near future. I spend $200 of my second transfer to buy a dairy calf, $80 to buy two goats and I have been spending the balance to buy food for my family and other basic needs."

"I intend to start building a new house on my newly purchased piece of land in the next month, now that I have purchased the majority of the construction materials. I am still trying to gather all of the necessary construction materials as well as enough money to pay the labor force who will be assisting with the construction work. I am currently running a fast food business, traveling from market to market and stopping at any location where I can make a better sale on a daily basis."

"A couple of years ago, my husband and I bought a piece of land in the nearby market and we were able to build a shop on half of it. We have not been able to build the other half because our children joined tertiary institutions and all our income has always been channeled towards paying school fees. When I got my first transfer, I was able to build the foundation and build the structure and I was able to do the roofing and other finishing with my second transfer. I ma looking forward to start renting it out at $3 per moth and this money will be enough to cater for my basic needs. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support."

"What GiveDirectly does well is empowering people living in poverty by giving unconditional cash transfers. I couldn't imagine my live without the cash transfers some few years to come. It has changed my life in so many ways than I can imagine and the same applies to many more. We are so grateful for the support, continue doing the great work."

"At my old age, I live by myself and I can not do much to earn income. I was afraid that in the next few years, I will have nothing to depend on and I will become a liability to other people because I did not have a better job during my early years and so I don't have pension to rely on. When I received my transfers, I invested them on buying dairy cows so that I will be able to sell milk in few years time and earn income to sustain me. I spend $150 of my second transfer to buy a dairy calf, $90 to buy two goats and I have been spending the balance on daily needs."

"My business is not doing well at the moment. The last profit I made from the fish business I used to pay school fees for my grandson who is in university. Now I can only manage to buy a stock of $8 which cannot afford me meals in a day. I survive on a cup of tea and a meal at night, which is sad."

"GiveDirectly lifted me and changed my life in so many ways that I could have never expected someone to. This means that, so many people have experienced the same impact and generally, what GiveDirectly does well is uplifting the less fortunate in the society through the unconditional cash transfers. Honestly I have not seen an area that you need to improve on and I will urge you to continue doing the good work."

"I am planning to save towards opening my own local restaurant by next year. This will mean that, I will become financially independent and I will be able to pay school fees for my children and provide basic need to them without much strain as it has been. Since I was able to buy some goats with my first transfer, my wife will focus on taking care of them so that they multiply and we will be able to sell them in future and cater for other needs."

"I am a teacher and I am looking forward to save my salary towards building a rental shop on a land that I bought. Accomplishing this means that I will be able to rent the shop out and I will be able to get the money for basic needs and when I retire, I will also have it as a source of income."