"I am planning to start building my dream house soon as I have already acquired the necessary materials. Our current one-room house is too small for myself and my three children. Once I complete this project, which I believe won't take much time, I plan to start buying goats. I don't own any goats at the moment, and I want to work hard and save through our merry-go-round group to ensure that I can buy at least one to start with. Goats are a good investment as they are resistant to many diseases and multiply very fast, which is a great advantage. Since I have school-going children, having goats will benefit me as I can sell some to support my children's school fees. Additionally, in case I face any financial crisis, I can sell some goats to address any financial issues. Lastly, I want to ensure that my children can attend school without any issues, so I also want to make sure that I pay their fees promptly to avoid them being sent home due to fee balances and to allow them to concentrate on their studies."

"I am currently in secondary school doing my third year, my dream is to attend college after completing my secondary education. To achieve this goal, I need to use my transfers wisely as they will soon come to an end. I have managed to join a merry-go-round group where I save $20 every month. Receiving support from GiveDirectly has been a life-changing blessing for me and my family, allowing me to dream bigger and plan for a brighter future. My ultimate goal is to maintain my poultry farming. I am glad to say that I currently have 30 healthy chicks, and in the coming year, I hope to expand my poultry farm. With this growing flock, I envision building a thriving business that will sustain my family by providing fresh eggs and meat for sale. Once my flock reaches fifty, I will start selling them. The income I generate from this will be used to buy goats. I decided on goats because I will need some of them in the future in case I need money to support myself, my family, and to pay my college fees. Additionally, we experience frequent droughts in our area, and goats survive well in dry areas. Therefore, in the coming year, I want to focus on poultry and goat rearing project."

"While working a casual job harvesting maize on my neighbor's farm, I heard my phone beep. Checking the message, I confirmed that I had received my transfer from GiveDirectly. A wave of happiness washed over me, but I kept my excitement to myself, not sharing the news with anyone else in the field, just to be safe. I was relieved because I had been struggling with school fees, and in that moment, I knew I finally had the money to pay for my child's education."

"With about an acre of maize ready for harvest, I decided to buy 20 bags for storage at $6 each. We were harvesting as a family due to a lack of capital. As soon as I received the money, I hired workers to help with the harvest, which cost about $9. Afterward, I transported the maize to a drying area, which cost me $18. Unfortunately, I experienced low yields and lost some of the maize to floods, resulting in losses from about an acre. Determined not to give up on crop farming, I decided to try again. I spent $77 on land preparation and $11 on vegetable and green gram seeds, and we planted as a family to cut costs. Additionally, I bought a flask for $5 since I had been using a plastic jug to serve tea at home. My daughter needed a warm jacket for the cold season, so I bought her one for $3. I also purchased shoes for her and my husband for $5. I spent $20 on food items because, despite having maize, we lacked other essentials. Since we rely on charcoal production and casual jobs, which are not reliable, I also repaired my generator, which had been damaged during the rains, at a cost of $36. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"I was at home milking my goats when I heard a beep on my phone. I ignored it, thinking it was just a promotional message. About two hours later, my neighbor came to ask if I had received something. I asked, "What do you mean?" She replied, "Money from GiveDirectly." I hurriedly checked my phone, and, to my surprise, I had received the transfer. I was so excited! When my husband returned from the farm, I told him, and he was happy as well. We then budgeted the money and began spending it two days later."

"I opened a kiosk last year to sell food items. When I received my first transfer, I used it to add stock, but the shop felt cramped and lacked space for additional inventory, causing me to occasionally run out of items for my customers. With my second transfer, I decided to expand the shop, spending $280 on the expansion. I then used $150 to add more stock and saved the remaining $20 for emergencies. I had been wanting to expand but lacked the funds to do so. Previously, I relied on the shop and occasionally did charcoal production, but now I fully focus on the shop and no longer engage in charcoal production or casual jobs. I now have a well-stocked shop and no longer lose clients due to a lack of some items."

"After relocating my family due to losing everything in the floods, including crops, our house, and household items, life has been tough. I plan to take out a loan to rent land and plant short-season crops like beans. The size of the land I rent will depend on the amount of the loan I receive. I will use the proceeds to repay the loan and use the remaining funds to continue crop farming. I am hopeful that, sooner or later, this will help me get back on my feet."

"Before the floods, my maize crop was thriving, but unfortunately, the floods destroyed most of it. Fortunately, a small portion survived and was ready for harvest, but I lacked the funds to harvest it and was unsure of what to do. Any further delay would have meant losing the remaining crop, especially since the farm was still damp. Thankfully, GiveDirectly’s first transfer arrived just in time. Additionally, the floods had damaged my generator, and with the transfer, I was able to repair it. This repair will be a great help as I continue my crop farming, especially during the dry season."

"I used to own goats but lost some to disease and sold others to meet family needs. From my experience, goats multiply quickly and provide milk that I can sell to address my financial requirements. They are also easy to manage. I plan to start with about four goats: three females and one male. I am confident that as they grow, they will help me meet my financial needs in the future."

"I currently have about twelve goats. I started this investment with just three goats about nine months ago, and watching them grow in number has been very motivating. The last time I bought milk was in February, but since then, I’ve been getting milk from my goats. With my final transfer, I spent $250 to buy an additional five goats. My goal is to eventually sell some of them to cover expenses like my children's school fees in the future. Additionally, last year, we constructed a three-bedroom block house, but our funds ran out before we could complete it. We moved in with the floor still unfinished, which left the house dusty. I had to sprinkle water on the floor every day to keep the dust down, which was a tedious and difficult task. I’ve wanted to cement the floor for a while, but money has always been a challenge. My vegetable business brings in limited income, and my husband's construction job has been inconsistent. I used the remaining transfer to cement the floor, and now our house is free from dust, so I no longer have to sprinkle water. Thank you, GiveDirectly."