"I have always wanted to have cows and now that I have successfully acquired them I have decided to redirect my goals toward strengthening my living situation and enhancing my personal development. First, I want to reinforce my house to ensure it is stronger and more durable. To achieve this, I plan to save a portion of my transfers through a merry-go-round savings group. Once I receive the pooled funds, I will use them to purchase building materials and reinforce my home. After completing the house reinforcement, I will then shift my focus towards personal development. I have always had a passion for beauty and cosmetics, and I would love to join college to further my skills in this area. To make this dream a reality, my plan is to continue saving a portion of my transfers to enroll in college. My goal is to complete my education and eventually open my own salon, allowing me to become self-employed. This venture will provide me with a sustainable source of income that I can rely on to support my family, especially when the GiveDirectly program comes to an end. I am excited about these new directions in my life and look forward to building a better future for myself and my family."

"I am currently using a portion of my transfers to help my parents pay for my younger sister's college fees. She is nearing the completion of her course, and I am excited to embark on my own educational journey next year. Next year, I plan to join college and pursue a certificate course in mechanical engineering. To make this dream a reality, I am diligently saving a portion of my transfers. By the time I am ready to enroll, I am confident that I will have accumulated a substantial amount to cover my tuition fees and other expenses. In addition to saving for my education, I am also planning to invest in more goats using another portion of my transfers. By next year, I expect these goats to have increased in value whereby I will sell them to generate additional funds for my college. Joining college has always been my dream, and I am happy to be on the journey of making it a reality. I am very grateful to GiveDirectly for providing me with this life-changing opportunity and I am hopeful and confident that all my plans will come to fruition as I look forward to a future filled with success and personal growth."

"When I first received the cash from GiveDirectly, my main goal was to complete paying for a piece of land that I had already placed a deposit on. Although I wasn't able to achieve that, something truly unexpected happened—I was able to afford to buy a cow much sooner than I ever imagined. Owning a cow has always been a dream of mine, but I never thought it would become a reality this quickly. Thanks to GiveDirectly, that dream has come true, and now I look forward to the day it calves so that I can start selling surplus milk and improving my family's income even further."

"Upon receiving $180 from GiveDirectly, I took time to carefully plan and prioritize my needs. I allocated $90 to buy food, a timely relief, as the transfer came just after I had been severely affected by the floods. I wasn't alone—almost everyone in the village suffered losses. Personally, my farm and chickens were swept away. When we returned from the camp where we had sought refuge, I found there was no food, no farm to harvest from, and no casual jobs to earn money. We were starving. Thanks to the money from GiveDirectly, I could buy enough food to last my family for two months. Now, we eat three full meals daily, something we couldn’t do before. After securing food, I decided to invest in a sheep, spending $55. I see this as a long-term investment that will multiply over time, ensuring that when my children advance to secondary school, I will have something to rely on for their education. With the remaining money, I bought chairs, as we previously had nothing to sit on, not even for visitors. Now, I live comfortably, full of happiness and gratitude."

"It was after church when I was walking home with friends, and they started receiving messages from GiveDirectly, notifying them that they had received money. I felt anxious and eager to get home so I could check for myself, as I had left my phone charging at home. As soon as I arrived, I rushed to my phone and was thrilled to see that I had also received $180 from GiveDirectly. In that moment, I knew it would be the last time I slept on a torn mattress. The very next day, I was determined to buy a new, comfortable bed and mattress for myself."

"I was at home alone one evening when I received $180 from GiveDirectly. I was so happy that I immediately gave thanks to God before rushing out to share the news with my neighbors. This transfer came at a time when my home was experiencing a severe food crisis, so my first thought was to use the money to address our immediate food needs."

"It was evening when I was walking home with my friend, who is also a recipient of GiveDirectly. We were coming back from the farm, but I was feeling very stressed because my three kids had been sent home from school due to unpaid fees. Then, a message popped up on my phone, and at the same time, my friend's phone also received a message. We both checked our phones, not knowing what to expect and to our surprise, we had each received $180 from GiveDirectly. I was so excited and relieved. The journey back home suddenly felt lighter, as I couldn’t wait to get there and tell my kids that they could return to school because I now had the money. It was an unforgettable feeling."

"The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving transfers from GiveDirectly is my ability to shift from rain-fed to irrigation agriculture. With the money I received, I was able to buy pipes to pump water, something I couldn’t afford before. This has allowed me to cultivate my land more reliably, regardless of the weather. Another significant change is in my livestock. Before GiveDirectly, I had five sheep, but now I have seven. This growth is a great achievement for me, and these sheep will serve as an emergency resource. If a need arises, I can sell one to address it."

"In the five months before receiving the transfer, I rarely smiled. I often went hungry due to the stress of not having food at home, and the floods had destroyed my maize farm, which was almost ready for harvest. This was incredibly disheartening. However, when the money arrived, it brought me immense joy for the entire week. I used $90 to invest in agriculture, preparing the land, planting, and weeding my beans. I anticipate that when they ripen and are harvested, I will yield around 540 kg, which I plan to sell at $1 per kg. Additionally, I have struggled with the high cost of buying milk daily. To reduce these expenses, I allocated $40 to purchase a goat that is close to giving birth, so I can have milk at home instead of buying it from the shops. I mostly rely on casual jobs for food, so to focus on farming with peace of mind, I used $50 to ensure we have enough food at home. Finally, with the remaining $20, I bought clothes for my three children and my husband, who is also a charcoal burner. The floods had completely destroyed all our clothes, leaving us with only what we were wearing that day."

"I have a chest problem that prevents me from doing hard labor, making life extremely difficult. I struggle to feed and provide school fees for my seven children. My husband is polygamous and often absent, leaving me without support. This situation has been so challenging that it feels overwhelming. When I received the cash, I immediately spent $90 on food, purchasing two 90kg bags of maize and other essentials to ensure we have enough until the next transfer. I can only earn a small amount from selling charcoal—about $4 per bag, and I manage to sell only two bags a week, which isn't enough for us. I also used $65 to pay part of my children’s school fees, covering some arrears from a total of $400. I usually pay fees by selling our goats or using our harvest, but we haven’t had any crops for the past two years because of drought seasons. Finally, I used the remaining amount to buy clothes for us, as many were destroyed by the floods."