"I have been suffering from ulcers for three years now. This has affected me such that I cannot engage myself in any work. This has caused my children to have accumulated school fee balances. I feel bad sometimes seeing my children out of school due to lack of school fees."

"Lack of employment has been a challenge for me. I do charcoal burning as my job which is tedious and it is illegal. The forest department in the country birds charcoal burning. I take the risk because I have no any other job and have a family to take care of."

"For over forty years of marriage, I have been living in a small temporary hut with grass-thatched roofs. During those days, life was not that easy since I could hardly sleep at night, especially during the rainy seasons. Apart from that, I had to change the grass roofing yearly, which was very costly, and sometimes I couldn't afford it since I depended on my cousin for all our needs, considering that my spouse and I are old and ailing. I was not lucky enough to bear my kids, and this was the beginning of all the troubles that we were experiencing. Therefore, the moment I received my first cash transfer, my first thought was to put up a new building and live comfortably like the rest. Currently, I am a happy soul, together with my spouse, for finally being able to sleep in a semi-permanent, spacious iron-roofed house. I will no longer have to renovate the house yearly like I used to do previously, hence saving the money given and catering to some other daily needs."

"I started working on a project to build a rental house in my village a few months ago. However, it came to a point where I could no longer afford to purchase the necessary materials, so it had to stop. I used to worry a lot about this because I had no idea how I would get the money to complete my goal. Therefore, I spent the entire first transfer on buying the materials such as sand soil, hardcore, bags of cement, and metal doors. I am hopeful that once it is finished, I won't have to struggle to provide for my family's necessities, notably the issue of increasing school fees for my three school-age children. For the time being, my money from odd jobs is never sufficient to meet all of our demands. The difficulty is now over because I'll be collecting rent every month, paying all the expenses, and starting other initiatives with the money. I'm grateful to GiveDirectly for the money because it has enabled me to start my own business and has made my family happier and more peaceful."

"Courtesy of previous cash transfers, I obtained two goats that I have managed to keep to date. In the coming few years, I wish to have grown this herd so that it will be easy for me to sell some to support the needs of my family. Currently, I rely on casual tasks such as making charcoal and working on people’s farms for a living. The money I get from these activities barely puts daily bread on the table. I am confident that if I own livestock, hunger will no longer be an issue as I could sell the animals to buy food."

"When I was building my house, I did not have enough funds to acquire iron sheets to cover the entire space. So, I borrowed some pieces from an old structure, which had been around for years. Following the ongoing rains, I noticed that the roof lets in rainwater. With the help of the cash transfers, I intend to replace the iron sheets in the coming years. Other than that, I also want to rear goats as a source of wealth that I could sell anytime to obtain money for my household's needs."

"My goal is to actively contribute to the needs of my family and support my mother. However, my epileptic condition hinders me from doing any job to raise an income. I believe that rearing livestock is the surest way I can generate money and help cover some household needs like paying school fees for my three siblings and buying my medication. In the coming years, I wish to have bought goats that will help establish substantial wealth for meeting these needs even after the transfers cease."

"After struggling to provide enough food for my family for a long time, I was relieved when I received the money from GiveDirectly because it enabled me to lease a piece of land that I plan to continue farming on in the coming years and beyond. In our community, farming is one of the main economic activities, and I intend to focus more on it to ensure a continuous supply of food for my family of three. With no significant bills to pay at the moment since our child is not yet in school, I can save a lot for future farm operations by leasing more fertile land. The current projects on my farm are promising, and I am hopeful that they will yield good returns."

"Once I accomplish a lot, that's in the pipeline. Using the next transfer, I still have some exciting plans that I am eager to initiate. Over the next year, my goal is to establish a small retail shop in the nearby shopping center. Not only will this venture provide me with a source of income, but it will also enable me to ensure that my household has a steady supply of food on the table. I am already taking steps towards this dream by setting aside a portion of my earnings from my current farming activities. With enough savings, I will be able to secure a rental space and stock up on inventory to sell to the local community. I am grateful for the steps I have taken so far and looking forward to this new chapter in my life."

"There was a significant difference in our lives once we received the transfers because when I was offered a part-time position as a primary school teacher, we had no idea how we would settle down and get started because the school was so far away. So the transfers aided in the relocation, acquisition of necessary items, and provision of sufficient food for the new home in which we will reside for at least two months. We spent $130 on food supplies and we got a bed, and baby clothes worth $420."