"I invested my third transfer on improving my farm and also improve my house."

"The families in our community who were previously living in poverty have seen a significant improvement in their living standards since GiveDirectly began their operations. With the cash transfers they received, many were able to acquire livestock and construct new homes, addressing their immediate needs. We are satisfied with the way GiveDirectly manages the program because they do not involve community leaders in the disbursement of funds, and the process is consistently timely with no delays or problems. We hope that other villages will experience the same level of success, and we would be delighted to have GiveDirectly return to our community in the future."

"Currently, my main source of income is agriculture. The prospect of receiving cash assistance from GiveDirectly has brought me immense joy and renewed hope, especially at my advanced age. I have never encountered a program like this before. When I received my transfer, I immediately decided to invest in my farming by using some of the funds to fence my land and prepare it for planting millet, which cost me $300. With the remaining funds, I was able to purchase enough food for myself. I am amazed at how much progress I have made in such a short period, and I am extremely grateful to GiveDirectly for this incredible opportunity to improve my life."

"I have long harbored a desire to construct a spacious and comfortable home for my family. However, financial constraints have prevented me from realizing this dream. In order to overcome this obstacle, I have decided to focus on expanding my goat rearing project, with the intention of breeding more goats and eventually selling them to raise the funds needed to build my dream home."

"Due to my old age, I am no longer able to work on the farm as energetically as I used to, and thus, I rely on goat rearing and my children to earn a livelihood. Presently, I live with my grandchild since all my children are grown. After receiving my transfer, my top priority was to fence my land to protect my crops from animals. Additionally, I purchased enough foodstuffs for myself, but I cannot estimate the exact amount spent. Nevertheless, I trust my son, who assisted me throughout the process. For many years, I was unable to meet these needs, and therefore, I am extremely grateful for the support that significantly improved my living standards."

"Upon receiving my second transfer, I deemed it appropriate to invest in building materials to construct a retail shop and launch a business that would greatly benefit my family and me. Though I had longed to own a shop, financial constraints hindered me due to my children's education. My husband and I are both farmers, and we have nine children, making for significant expenses. As a result, I spent $150 of the transfer on building materials, followed by $30 on books for my children who were joining Form 1. Finally, I spent $65 on purchasing a bag of maize and 20 kilos of beans at $24 and the remaining amount on other foodstuffs. The support from GiveDirectly arrived just in time, as we were amidst a drought, and I'm overjoyed that we could receive it."

"In the coming year, my main goal is to ensure that all my five children across all levels of education have their school fees cleared. I am determined to put in the necessary effort to improve our farming practices on our pieces of land, which will help us produce more crops for both domestic consumption and for sale. To further increase our income, I plan to sell the mangoes from our trees to earn additional revenue. Additionally, I aim to work hard on the casual labor opportunities that come my way to earn more income and support my family's needs. I believe that achieving these goals will help me provide a better life for my family and ensure that my children have access to quality education and a brighter future."

"At approximately 5:00 pm, I received a message from the mobile money service, which upon reading, I promptly recognized as being from GiveDirectly because of the specific amount received. Despite the delay in receiving my payment due to the delayed enrollment, I was overjoyed and grateful to have finally received it, as promised during the initial meeting with the staff who enrolled me. Since I reside alone in my home, I took my time to carefully plan and only withdrew the funds on the third day when I was ready to utilize them."

"My objective for this year is to pay off my school fee arrears and pay the whole amount for the entire year so that my three secondary school children can attend school on a consistent basis. School costs have been one of the biggest restraints in my family, and I have been unable to do much other than try to settle school fee arrears, which has been extremely frustrating for us and even more so to my children."

"When I received the second transfer from Give Directly, it was the happiest moment of my life because I was able to use $300 to build a two-roomed permanent house; the reason I chose to build a new house, is because  our old one-roomed house was too old and already too small for 5 people; and with the remaining $230, I was able to buy a few house essentials to make us more comfortable in the new house."