"In the upcoming year and beyond, my primary goal is to accumulate enough savings to construct a new home. My present dwelling is in an extremely deteriorated condition and lacks the necessary space. I even fear for my safety during the rainy season, concerned that my current house may collapse. To achieve this, I plan to set aside a portion of my income each month specifically for the purchase of essential building materials like iron sheets and building poles. Saving money had previously been challenging due to a prolonged drought that compelled us to buy food instead of relying on our farms. This placed a significant strain on our finances, with most of the available funds being directed towards meeting our basic food needs, leaving no room for considering a new home construction project. Fortunately, recent adequate rainfall in our region has allowed us to cultivate successfully and secure a good harvest. As a result, I am now in a position to save with the clear objective of building a more comfortable and secure home for myself. This effort will provide me with the peace of mind I need, especially during rainy seasons, as I will no longer have to worry about the safety of my dwelling."

"Teaching is my passion, my intention is to further my education and eventually build a career in teaching. Once I secure a job, I hope to ease some of the financial burdens that my father currently bears. Additionally, I will use the transfers to purchase and raise goats as a source of generating an income, which I currently lack. I am eternally thankful for the assistance provided by GiveDirectly."

"My aspiration is to acquire livestock, which I consider the most valuable asset as a subsistence farmer. Given my lack of alternative employment opportunities that would allow me to invest in assets other than goats, my focus has shifted towards obtaining goats. Fortunately, I have successfully addressed food scarcity in my household, which has created an opportunity for me to direct my resources toward acquiring goats. With reduced food-related expenses, procuring goats has become my primary goal. To date, I have purchased two goats, and I have plans to acquire more in the upcoming months. Owning goats holds a two-fold significance for me. It serves as a means of saving for my children's education in the future while also providing a valuable resource for addressing my other financial needs as they arise."

"At the moment, I find myself living in my brother's house following the unfortunate collapse of my own due to heavy rains. My immediate plan is to save a portion of my income every month with the aim of accumulating enough funds to purchase the necessary building materials, including iron sheets, building poles, timber, and nails. To this end, I've been diligently setting aside $14 each month, in addition to some personal savings accrued from my job. In pursuit of my housing goal, I'm also exploring the possibility of obtaining a loan using my savings as collateral to facilitate the construction process. My vision is to construct a spacious three-room house that will not only provide me with a comfortable residence but also liberate me from the challenges of relying on the generosity of others for shelter."

"For quite some time, I've depended on sporadic charcoal-selling jobs, all the while nurturing a dream of launching a small shop. Over the past several months, I've diligently set aside a portion of the transfers I've received. With these savings, I was able to procure a stock of sardines, sugar, and essential vegetables like tomatoes and onions. Although the earnings from this venture may not be substantial, I'm delighted that I no longer have to rely on unpredictable casual jobs. The modest profits I've generated have been instrumental in meeting our food and other essential needs. My present objective is to utilize these transfers to diversify the products in my shop, with the aim of increasing profitability. I plan to set aside a portion of my earnings each month and work toward expanding this shop in the near future."

"Although my household has numerous pressing needs, I am determined to focus on acquiring goats to serve as my primary assets. There are instances when financial difficulties arise, and due to the absence of a stable source of income, overcoming these challenges becomes quite challenging. Owning livestock, particularly goats, offers several advantages since they can serve as a reliable resource during such hardships. I aim to expand my current stock of four goats, and my objective is to maintain and raise them. As I do not engage in income-generating activities, having these goats will significantly assist me in meeting my various needs, such as covering educational expenses like fees for my grandchildren."

"I am currently working as a house help because I could not land any descent jobs due to my level of education. I completed secondary school a while back, but has not managed pursue further education due to lack of funds to cater for the fees. So as not to stay idle at home and also to have a chance to support my struggling family and also raise some little money for my future dream of joining college, I decided to take this job. With the savings from my monthly transfers and the salary I earn from this job, I have managed to raise enough money and will finally join college next year. I have decided to take a fashion and design course which is more affordable and takes a very short period of time to complete even though my desire would have been to enrol for a course such as Community Health. A course on fashion and design promises a great future as the industry is ever green and a chance at self employment is not such a bad idea. With my savings so far, I will be able to fully cater for the required fees and also most of my personal requirements. The transfers that I will be receiving will also be of great support for my basic needs and I can rest assured that I will complete the course without depending on my already strained family which gives me a sense of independence and confidence that whatever I put my mind to, I can achieve. Once done with the training, I will start saving in order to set up my own business where I will also be selling African fabrics."

"I intend to purchase three goats while continuing to pay my children's school fees, believing that this investment will enable me to generate an income to support their education expenses. My hope is that this additional income will also assist in providing our household needs, including medical expenses when a family member falls ill. Furthermore, I am contemplating saving money to build my children a house since living under the same roof as they grow into adults is becoming uncomfortable. I'm forever grateful for the transfers."

"Once I receive my contribution from the merry-go-round, I will expand my retail shop business by diversifying and adding more stock of items on high demand. Additionally, there's a secondary school under construction in the village, set to open next year. I'm sure I will be fully prepared to supply their needs. Eventually I will have secured a bright future for my children and alleviate my financial burdens. I will then build a bigger house for my family as our current home is quite small and insufficient to accommodate my entire family. Following these plans, I intend to acquire two bulls for the purpose of expanding our ploughing capacity. Currently, we can only plough two acres of our six acre piece of land. We will also provide ploughing services to other farmers, generating an extra income for our family."

"GiveDirectly does well by choosing areas that are extremely needy. Looking at the conditions in which we live in over here, it is only fair that we benefited from the transfers. We were at the verge of dying because of hunger but they came to our rescue with the unconditional cash that they gave us. Giving the support in form of cash was another game changer and something to admire about GiveDirectly. God bless GiveDirectly as they continue to be a blessing to other people."