"I used to eat once in a day but now I eat 3 meals a day, I did some shopping as a lady as I had taken long without buying anything for myself, I also did some shopping for my unborn baby."

"I bought a cow, paid school fees for my children, I've also bought a piece of land as well."

"The challenges that we are having mostly include not having an assurance of where the next meal will come from. We are peasants and relay on subsistence farming and casual labour. In cases where it's a dry season or the food is not ready in the garden, we hardly get enough food for the day, thus sometimes sleeping hungry. Also, the area that we are sleeping in is risky and surrounded by stones where some roll from uphill. We there fore sleep in fear and worries, thinking anytime rolling stones may cover my home. Recently, in May 2023, a rolling stone came from a few metres up and destroyed the kitchen that i was constructing. This has gotten me worried as anytime they may hit my house, and yet i do not have anywhere else to go to."

"Before withdrawing the money, my wife and I sat to deliberate on how we could utilize the transfer on. Since we have been practicing crop farming for several years now, we opted to use the whole amount of $450 in tomato farming. Therefore, we prepared a one-acre piece of land and invested the transfer in it. The aim of doing this was because the season we were in favored tomato growth compared to maize crops. This decision was also derived after serious calculations which we saw will work well in our favor. We usually sell tomatoes in bulk, and one pickup of tomatoes goes for $600. If the tomatoes do well, one can sell up to two pickups of tomatoes per week which gives out $1200. As of now, I am happy to report that my tomatoes did well and in the next two weeks, I will be harvesting hoping to get a good market for them."

"GiveDirectly's financial support program, in my opinion, is continuously dependable, allowing its recipients to make wise selections. Additionally, to enhance its operations, the organization continuously assesses how the transfers affect its recipients. So far, so good; I'm happy with the way GiveDirectly conducted its operations."

"GiveDirectly, in my opinion, did a great job by accepting every candidate who met the criteria without any discrimination. By dividing this funding into two stages, we were able to plan and make up for the shortages. We were fortunate because we would not have had the chance to dream big. These transfers have given us some dignity. We see a better future for our neighborhood. On the other side, I don't see any issues that GiveDirectly might improve upon."

"As soon as I get some money, I want to purchase a dairy cow. I decided on this investment strategy since the cow will not only provide milk for sale but also family usage. I estimate that I would need at least 20 liters per day to support my family, and a liter costs $0.5, therefore selling would help me to raise some money to do so. I'll be able to easily meet my family's necessities thanks to this, which will make me about $10 every day."

"I was unable to construct a kitchen while still taking care of the family's necessities because I was a motorcycle rider. Thus, using my house as a store and a kitchen simultaneously did not make me feel at ease. Consequently, after receiving the current transfer, I put aside $80 for food, using it to pay for foodstuffs for my family, $90 to purchase three goats as an investment, and the remaining funds to construct a kitchen. This has made it easier for me to go to bed at a reasonable hour instead of staying outside my house until very late at night to wait for the smoke to dissipate after cooking in the evening. Furthermore, it has stopped the iron sheet from accumulating soot, which lessens the visual attractiveness of the property."

"When I received the second transfer, purchasing food was my primary priority. This is because I am unable to defend myself. I mean, my spouse suffered for a time and eventually went blind, but I'm unwell and getting older. Apart from that, we never had kids, so our only source of support is from well-wishers. When I received the second transfer, I spent half of it to construct a modest, safe house for us because the one we had was about to collapse. I utilized the other half to maintain the household. Despite my gratitude for the help given by GiveDirectly, I regret that there was no place for savings or investment due to the current state of poverty."

"On my way to school at approximately 3 p.m., I got a message on my phone. I used to have trouble paying tuition fees as a married university student. The community used to provide money for my schooling, but as time went on, it was harder for them because of our area's poverty rate and the protracted drought that devastated us. When I checked the message, I saw that GiveDirectly had sent me some money. My heart was filled with gratitude and joy. Although I was unable to ululate because of the circumstances, I did so loudly within. The fact that I had discovered a solution to some of the issues I was experiencing was what caused all of this joy."