"I have always hoped to help my 2 children to finish school, not just finish but also be successful in their studies so that they secure jobs in the future and relieve me of the responsibilities, which I believe will one day come to pass through the help that GiveDirectly gives me"

"The house we're currently living in is small and it cannot accommodate us comfortably. Despite it being a two rooms house, the rooms are so small. Currently, we have a goal of building a more spacious house as a family. We're planning to buy building materials in bits every month once we get our transfers using a portion of it. Though it will take us a longer time to achieve this, we have hope that we will finally complete the construction process. My husband provides taxi services to people using his motorcycle. With this work, he is able to pay school fees for our children and cater to some of our needs. Without GiveDirectly, I will not be able to help my spouse achieve this goal and it will take us more time since we will be depending on only one source of income to cater to all our needs."

"Being that I am still a student, I have so many things that I wish to achieve in life. The most important one to me is to become a doctor so that I can help people by treating the sick. I know that I can only achieve this by working extra hard in school so that I can be able to continue with my studies. Currently, my aim is to continue supporting my brother in paying for my school fees using part of my transfers. This will always enable me to concentrate with my studies since I will not be in and out of school due to fee arrears."

"Catering the cost of education for my children is what has challenged me at the moment. This is because, I have 8 children who are still schooling two in colleges while the rest are in both primary and secondary schools. Since I do not have a reliable source of income, I purely depend on selling my livestock but as I speak, I only have 10 goats which can not support them to finish their studies. My recent biggest worry is when my husband who has been a pillar to the family, got an accident which led to the loss of his job as a security officer. I am currently the sole breadwinner of the family since my husband has not secured a job and he is involved in small casual jobs. Thus, I consider financial constraints as my biggest challenge."

"Housing is the current challenge I am facing in life. I have a family of eleven members and all live in a two room house without bedding. Two of the children seek shelter from neighbors. This is very risky for a girl child to walk alone over night looking for a shelter. I lack the capacity to build a spacious house to accommodate all the family."

"A reliable source of income is the challenge I am currently facing in life. My husband and I do casual jobs making little income that caters for food and school fees. I have eight children at school and most of the time they miss classes due to lack of school fees. This affects their performances."

"I appreciate the support from GiveDirectly, especially because of its unconditionality and the fact that not paying it back. The education provided by the officers was great; they explained clearly about the source of the finance, which helped me join without any doubts, and ensured I understood everything about the organization and the support before I was enrolled. moreover, the enrollment was not forceful I was given the chance to decide. I hope GiveDirectly continues with this approach."

"Before I received the last transfer, life was a real struggle. I used to work tirelessly, making charcoal manually, which was not only tough but barely enough to support my ten children and my old husband. Earning just $10 from two bags of charcoal after weeks of hard labor, every day was a battle to make ends meet. But then, everything started to change when I got the transfer. I immediately thought about the future and decided to invest wisely. I bought four goats for $200, aiming to grow them into a larger herd that would eventually help pay for my children's school fees. To tackle our immediate needs, I spent $67 on food, ensuring we had enough maize and beans to last us, and I didn't forget some extra shopping. I also managed to pay $40 towards my daughter's school fees, knowing education is the key to changing the future. With a dream of building a house where my girls could have their own space to sleep and study saving them our current situation where we all have to sleep together in one room, I bought iron sheets worth $47.5 planning to buy the remaining materials and commence construction with my final transfer. Additionally, I saved $95.5 to address any arising unplanned needs. This support has restored my hope. I could see a brighter future for my family, moving from tough days of charcoal to planning for better days ahead with my growing herd of goats. Thank you GiveDirectly."

"My husband works as a mason, and his little earnings are crucial for supporting our family, which consists of six school-going children. As a Community Health Promoter, I work on a voluntary basis, earning very little, which is not enough to significantly contribute to our family's expenses which makes it challenging for my husband to cover school fees and support our household as well. Our children in secondary and elementary school had unpaid school fees totaling $225. Additionally, two who are in college required assistance with accommodation, which amounted to $70. Thus, I used $295 of the transfer to settle the school fees and provide accommodation so that they could all settle in school and focus on their studies. Also, our home, constructed with mud walls and lacking a concrete floor, was constantly dusty, posing health risks and leading to frequent illnesses for us. Despite my desire for a dust-free environment, financial constraints made it seem unattainable as our little earnings were focused on our children's education and providing food for our family. However, I allocated $110 to renovate our house, resulting in a dust-free environment that has significantly reduced the frequency of illnesses. Furthermore, I spent $100 to purchase mattresses for our children, as their discomfort while sleeping on mats troubled me deeply. Witnessing them now sleeping peacefully and free from frequent illnesses brings immense happiness and joy to my heart."

"Financial instability is what stands out as my biggest challenge. This is because, we live in a polygamous family and my husband is jobless due to his old age. This has forced me to engage in casual jobs like charcoal burning to support the family. Since the income from this activity is low and can not be estimated due to the random nature of my activities, my children's education has been affected the most. My two daughters completed their senior secondary studies but they are yet to join college. This has worried me a lot because it can trigger them into unexpected early pregnancies due to the idleness at home. What a challenge!"