"Upon getting the transfer, I started construction of a new house using interlocking blocks since the one I had was collapsing and I wanted to get a permanent solution. The house is three-quarters complete. Since the collapsing house still has good iron sheets, I intend to use the same iron sheets to roof the new house which is still under construction. As of now, the amount I have spent on the house is $230. Despite my house being incomplete, I am happy for GiveDirectly for the far I have reached with the construction. If it were not for the organization, I would not have done this wonderful work. Living with an extended family of 16 and the breadwinners are casual laborers, I opted to buy two bales of maize flour for the family. Thereafter, I bought two goats for $70 so that I also start an investment because the future is unpredictable. For the remaining amount, I saved $150 for the ongoing construction process."

"Since the drought has done us badly, GiveDirectly came to our rescue. When I withdrew the money the first thing I did was buy two sacks of maize for $120 to ensure that there is food security at home. Investing in rental houses is what has been my main mission. I have an incomplete three-room house specifically for rentals. The perimeter wall is still incomplete. Therefore, I used $384 to buy building sand, cement, and building blocks plus the labor charge inclusive. I am happy that the $384 covered a bigger part and I am working out to finalize the remaining part. I opted for this kind of investment because rental houses are long-term investments and do not disappoint in terms of income generation when well managed. I also bought a goat for $40 to mark the presence of GiveDirectly at home. This is because with time the goats will multiply."

"Upon getting the transfer, I opted to do some finishing of my house. What triggered me to this, I wanted to have a decent house courtesy of GiveDirectly. Therefore, I used $170 to buy plastering and flooring materials like cement, and sand including the labor charge. Currently, I am very happy and confident because I live in a decent house. Thereafter, I bought a variety of foodstuffs so that my family could be able to change from normal meals to taste the goodness of GiveDirectly. I bought some maize flour, wheat flour, rice, and sugar. For the little amount that remained, I saved it for the upkeep of the family."

"While grazing my goats at around 3 pm, a message popped into my phone. Since I do not know how to read I had to wait till I return home for the message to be interpreted to me. On reaching home, that was the first thing I wanted to know because for once the message tone rang twice rapidly. I gave the phone to my daughter-in-law for interpretation and she confirmed to me that I had received the first transfer from GiveDirectly. My heart melted at thanksgiving for receiving a such huge amount of money at once."

"Due to my old age, I do not carry my phone when leaving home. I remember it was around 3 pm when I followed my grandchildren to the river where they were going fishing. Upon returning home, my helper informed me of a message on my phone from GiveDirectly confirming that I had received the first transfer of $550. I was overjoyed and ululated in happiness to learn that the registration was a legit thing since I initially thought it was just a scam like the other organization which came with empty promises."

"I would love nothing more than for my children to complete their education, graduate, and potentially have better lives than me and their father. It would fill me with pride to know that the children I raised have aspired and achieved more than their father and I ever did."

"Nothing would make me happier than to work as a full-time teacher. The satisfaction I get from molding young minds is unparalleled, and I hope to train and become one soon. I'd also like to broaden our revenue sources. I want to open a hardware store in Ganze Town with my husband and work hard to provide a better life for my children than I and their father have."

"I currently face a problem of getting food for my people where I go the forest to fetch firewood and sell in order get what to eat. When I don't collect firewood from the forest, the chances of accessing food becomes very minimal and all this comes as a result of landslides that occured just mitres from our home and destroyed almost all the gardens we had hence leaving with no reliable sources of food to survive on."