"I am a housewife who depends on subsistence farming and my husband is just a casual worker. It is three years now without rain in our village. This has caused famine in the community. My husband earns approximately $ 50 per month from his work. This is little for the family expenses and mostly it caters for food only. Children have not been going to school always due to the lack of fees. Lack of a reliable source of income is the current challenge I am currently facing."

"I have accumulated so many debts that sometimes I think to myself and wonder how I am surviving. I have five children in school, I owe two different schools $320 and $120. I also belong to a women's group where I also took a loan of $180 to settle some school fees arrears. I am in so much debt that I have become the talk of the village and it is affecting my mental state."

"The scarcity of food is my major challenge. The drought is affecting everyone but I think some people are receiving the heat more than others. As we talk, I have not eaten anything for the past two days, today I am hopeful I might because one organization is in the village handing out food. How I wish that the heavens would open up and we would receive rain."

"Givedirectly is empowering us financially and making us self dependent"

"I was able to Purchase additional two bundles of zinc for $ 160 USD for the construction of my house and pay those contractor that are sawing my planks."

""I used some of the recent transfer I received to purchase cement in order to build my house, used some to buy food and save the balance. This is something (building of house) my woman and I have decided to do over months. I am now ecstatic that the issue about owing house as a full grown man like me with huge responsibilities can now come to an end, because it hasn't been easy to admit. Currently, I am left with $5,325LRD in order to add to my next transfer so that I can start the construction works of my immediately before the end of this year"."

"In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a commendable job by ensuring that they visited every household without discriminating against anyone. Their mode of operation was very unique starting from the enrolment day, it was free and fair, also upon receiving the cash we were granted the freedom to choose what to purchase according to our desires. Therefore I do not think there is anything that has to be changed so far."

"My husband and I only depend on farming for survival. But now that I started receiving money from Givedirectly , I have hope that my life has changed for the better. I am able to pay my children school fees in time and buy their school materials, something I was finding difficult before. My husband and I decided that we keep the remaining money so that when the balance transfer comes, we will use it to renovate our house. I am overly exicted and I appreciate Givedirectly for this great help in my life and that of my family because we were really suffering."

"GivingDirectly succeeded in improving our lives. Given that some of us hadn't handled more than $100 at once since birth, the police who visited our hamlet educated and informed us on how to use the money. They did not separate us either; they treated us fairly and equitably. I would like to encourage them to continue the good work because I do not see anything that needs to change."

"I spent $50 of my second transfer on clearing my college fees. I enrolled in a tailoring course some months ago and I am so glad to finally be able to accomplish one of my dreams. I am positive that I graduate, I will have sufficient key skills and knowledge for me to grab for job opportunities. Apart from that, I also bought a sewing machine for $160. Since I haven't graduated, I have decided to hire a machine for my friends and generate an income. By the time I will be done with school, I will have a starting point. To add to that, I sent my firstborn daughter to a nursery school. I had to purchase uniforms and stationeries and cleared her tuition fee for the whole year almost $50. I hope that God will be with us throughout her stay in school till she finishes. Being a single parent of two, my life has been of ups and downs but I am always positive that God will make it happen sometimes. Currently, I can already see some light at the end of the tunnel through the steps I have made. With the remaining amount, I bought food for my two family members."