"We were purchasing food for my family of seven with the proceeds from the casual labor that my husband and I were doing in the village. My husband works as a chef at a nearby secondary school, while I work on people's farms in the village, where I am paid only after the job is completed. Even though job availability has never been consistent, getting at least one a week would supplement my husband's earnings and allow me to feed my five children. Receiving the first transfer was a relief, especially since a large portion of the money had been spent on food. I paid $55 for a sack of maize and $28 for 20 kilograms of beans, which we are still using to date. I also spent $20 on new clothes and other household items for my five children. We were previously reliant on mango sales from our farm, and we are now establishing a banana venture that will provide food for my children. I paid $8 for 8 banana tubers that I just planted and hope to plant more in the future. I am grateful for GiveDirectly's assistance, and I am looking forward to doing a lot more in the coming weeks when we receive the second and third transfers."

"Sleeping hungry at the moment is a thing of the past in my household because we purchased enough maize, beans, and other foodstuffs that we are still using with my family of three. I am grateful for the immediate transformation, which has made the biggest difference in my daily life since receiving the second transfer. We are also focused and confident that we will be able to build a new house in the coming weeks because we expect more support, which will propel the purchase of construction materials and the payment of labor costs."

"So far, the investment of a portion of the first transfer on livestock has made the biggest difference in my daily life. Our region's dry weather does not allow for active subsistence farming throughout the year, so livestock farming is the best fit. The purchase of goats that feed on both grass and shrubs is a simple investment that I had hoped to begin, but a lack of funds has always held me back. I live on my grandparents' property, while another part of my family lives on my father's property. I am hoping to do a lot with the remaining subsequent transfers from GiveDirectly."

"After enrolling in the program, I was eager to begin spending the money on the goals that my spouse and I had set for ourselves. When I got the first transfer, I went to the list we had and made sure I spent it in the order we had set. With the first $100, I bought a chain link fence and used it to keep out stray livestock that had been invading and feeding on the growing grass. I intend to bring in at least a dairy cow and a goat to provide milk for my family of three, but first I need to ensure that I have enough grassy grazing grounds. I also spent $11 on a horse pipe, which I plan to use to connect piped water to irrigate my land. Irrigation is completely dependent on farming in our region, and I hope to venture into irrigation-aided farming to ensure food security and reduce food purchases. I also spent $35 on food, which included dry maize, beans, and rice, all of which we still use. In addition, I purchased other household consumables and saved the remainder to inspect and replenish any depleted household items."

"I purchased five rolls of chain links, each costing $24, as soon as I received the first transfer from GiveDirectly. I am yet to use them to construct fencing around my farms to keep livestock out. Our crops have always been destroyed by the goats belonging to our neighbors. I also have goats, and it has been difficult to let them go without a fence restraining them since they get into the garden and destroy veggies. Additionally, I spent $24 for fencing poles that I will use for the same fencing project. In addition, I dewormed my 14 goats after spending $10 on medications. Furthermore, as I currently live alone, I used the leftover money to purchase groceries and household items that I still use. Additionally, as I currently live alone, I used the remaining money to purchase foodstuffs and household items that I still use. My sons and daughters have all left the house to start their own families after my spouse passed away two years ago."

"I was relaxing on the bed since was not feeling well, suffering from malaria coupled with Tuberculosis. I had taken the antidote and was in the bed resting. It was around 3 pm when the phone rang, I was with my grandchild who checked and realized that I had received the transfer. I felt extremely happy and relieved for receiving the transfer because all our neighbors had received the aid except me."

"For quite some time, I had been taking risk of sleeping in a half-collapsed house. I took the risk since I had no alternative. During the rainy season, there was no difference between staying outside and being in that house; it was all the same. Upon getting the first transfer, the priority was the house. Therefore, I used $243 to put up a simple decent house that could comfortably accommodate me and my family. I am very humbled and happy for GiveDirectly because as we speak I am in the house you enabled me to build. Thereafter, I bought a bed and a mattress for $85 and $65 respectively. I did this because I had none at all and I used to sleep on some pieces of boxes. Since I depend on subsistence farming, I used $100 in tilling my piece of land and buying some seeds. Poverty had made me take some food items on credit so I paid $85 to a shopkeeper who used to give me some foodstuff. For the remaining little amount, I used it to buy some food for my family."

"Upon getting the money, I decided to renovate the roof of my house since half of the iron sheets were old, rusty and leaking during the rain season. Therefore, I bought 8 pieces of iron sheets for $76 and 6 ridges for $8. As I speak I am in a well renovated house and very happy about getting a new roof. This has seen my life changing for better. Since food was another challenge I was passing through, I decided to by a sack of maize for $70 on the withdrawal day so as to have food security at home. As a mother of eight, my husband and I are both casual laborers and fending for the family has been a big challenge. I also paid $110 school fees for my children so that they could be retained in school instead of being sent home for fees as how the trend was before. Thereafter, I opted to use the remaining amount for the family's upkeep because we had no food since we did not harvest any crops due to the scarcity of rainfall."

"The house and hunger fulfillment are the two key changes brought on by the GiveDirectly transfer. At first, our family would go up to three days a week without eating. Charcoal burning, which was unstable, was the main source of our revenue. We currently have access to food thanks to GiveDirectly. In addition, we previously slept in a home with poor security. We had no choice but to cross our fingers and sleep uncomfortably in the house while it collapsed. I was able to build a decent home that is safe to sleep in thanks to the transfer. If not for GiveDirectly, none of these would have been able to occur anytime soon."

"Owning a decent shelter for my family has always been my desire in life. The transfer from GiveDirectly came at an appropriate time when our house was almost collapsing. I spent $137 of the first transfer to renovate it by purchasing the required building materials like iron sheets, and poles and paying for labor costs. At the moment, I am happy that we reside in a better shelter something that has restored our joy in life. Additionally, I used $120 to purchase three gala goats a future investment for the family. With the ongoing drought in our area, the remaining amount assisted me in acquiring enough food. The charcoal and firewood vending job that I depended on could not earn me sufficient money to feed the family and save for building a good house."