"After completing my secondary education at the end of last year, i got married to Vivian who was already pregnant for me. This meant more responsibility for a jobless 22-year old and I started to feel the pinch when we received the new born 3 months ago. My wife and i have had to contend with 2 meals a day due to lack of a source of income."

"My wife and I parted ways about 3 years ago. Her parents took her back due to pending dowry payment of $200, and left me our 5-year old daugter to raise alone. Without a constant source of income, bringing her up alone has been so taxing emotionally and financially. My challenges heightened when I dislocated my knee from a motorcycle accident 3 months ago. This is worrying because my daughter cannot get all the care and attention she needs."

"House construction is what I have relied on in my life. This is a seasonal work because my customers are not reliable due to poverty in the community. Considering this job, it's not a venture to fully depend on it since its income is unpredictable. This means my family more specifically, the spouse is also forced to engage into other casual jobs like charcoal to supplement my little income in a bad month. This has made us to live a miserable life since sometimes we miss some very basic needs. Thus, the lack of a stable source of income stands out as my biggest challenge."

"My firstborn son has been suffering from chest pains for over 6 years. Though his health has improved, the sickness has been the biggest challenge to our family of 6 because we have spent almost everything on his medication in different hospitals. I have to start afresh looking for something to sustain us."

"School fees for my children is the current challenge I am facing in life. I am a single mother of three and I do casual jobs making approximately $50 per month which caters for food and school fees. I have two children schooling and they have fees arrears of $50 and this has made them miss classes thus dropping in their performances."

"My priority is to ensure my school-going children receive a good education, so I continue to allocate part of my transfers for their schooling. It is also essential to provide them with nutritious meals because a full stomach makes children happy and I intend to achieve this using part of the transfers. Additionally, I plan to use my transfers to expand my livestock, both chickens and goats, and ensure they are well cared for to multiply in number. This investment in livestock will provide a future income source to support my children's education. Ultimately, my children's happiness revolves around having access to food and education, and ensuring these needs are met brings me great joy."

"My dream was to join college and study journalism, but my parents said it was too expensive and they couldn't afford it. So, I changed my plans and chose to pursue something else meaningful to my life. I enrolled in a two-year tailoring training program, which my parents are paying for. My plan is to save some of my transfers so that, after completing my course, I can purchase a sewing machine and other items necessary to start my own tailoring shop. Additionally, I have been saving in a local savings group, intending to use the matured funds to start a vegetable selling business. I have also been buying goats, hoping they will multiply and increase in number so that I can sell them and invest the proceeds in my tailoring business. Having my own business and achieving financial stability will make me happy."

"I live in a small one-room house with my children, and my plan is to use the transfers to gradually buy building materials until I have enough to build a two-room house for my family. This new house will fulfill my long-time dream and make me very happy. Additionally, I plan to use part of the transfers to buy goats. I hope they will multiply and increase in number, providing a valuable resource for the future. By selling the goats, I will be able to fund my children's education."

"My house was in dire need of renovation, as it had collapsed on the sides and was no longer suitable for us. My immediate goal is to complete the repairs so that we have a good place to live. To achieve this, I plan to use the transfers to buy the necessary building materials and finish the renovation. Additionally, once the house is complete, my long-term goal is to ensure that my children continue their studies without interruptions due to unpaid school fees. I intend to use the transfers from GiveDirectly to support their education. I am grateful for the assistance we are receiving and very happy with the support."

"My house was swept away by fierce winds that struck our village, leaving me devastated as I had no immediate plans to build a new one. As a result, I constructed a small one-room structure where my husband, children, and I now sleep. My plan is to gradually use the transfers to buy building materials and eventually build a bigger house for my family where we will sleep comfortably. I will be very happy once this is achieved. Additionally, I hope that the goats I have will grow healthy and multiply in number. In the future, I plan to sell them to fund my children's education. I am very optimistic about the plans I have for my family, and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for this opportunity."