"We have struggled against odds under very difficult circumstances to advance our education up to college level. I am trained as a P1 teacher and graduated in the year 2021 while my husband is a graduate of Bachelor of Education degree from Rongo University. We were so optimistic and full of live that our lives will change for better but things has been hard on us. We have not gotten employment by the government, my husband used to teach in Radat secondary school under the Board of Management terms but he never received any salary for the whole term and had to leave it since it was not sustainable to continue with the job.We are worried and broken, bringing up our two children without a stable income is a tall order. As we continue to navigate with life challenges we worry about uncertain future, unemployment is what pains us to the core."

"Life is full of uncertainties, we are faced with a myriad of challenges from food insecurity to school fees. We are blessed with 4 children, and 3 of them are in primary school. Providing them with school fees and school uniforms is an uphill task for us. We live from hand to mouth since we depend on casual jobs which are erratic and pay little just enough to buy foodstuff. Lately, the cost of living has shot up and made life difficult for us. Our only hope is our children, we want the best for them and therefore we struggle to make ends meet to provide for them and pay them school fees. The schools are due to open in a week's time and we have no money to pay their school fees. Our lives has largely been decided by fate, we have no idea what tomorrow holds for us."

"We are old and as such life has become so unbearable for us. My health has deteriorated too, I am battling chronic ulcers that has weigh me down for sometime. At the same time I have a lower back pain that does not allow me to bend, I used to do casual works like charcoal burning for a living but I cannot do at the moment because I am incapacitated. We therefore depend on my husband's cash transfers for the elderly which is meagre and unsustainable , at times our elderly son support us to get foodstuff. We are hit by food insecurity since we are not economically active and only depends on the support from my son and the government.I am also selective in terms of the food I eat because of the ulcers, the food I need can be expensive."

"We live in a semi-arid area, and there has been a prolonged drought for the past three years. As a result of that, we do not do crop farming, therefore relying on the market to produce to get food. Secondly, we trek two kilometers to access salty water from a canal that we use for cleaning and cooking but we purchase drinking water. Our lives have become more difficult due to the lack of water directly leading to food insecurity."

"My husband is a casual laborer and I am a housewife. He earns approximately $60 per month and sometimes he gets a lower income than that. This money is not enough to sustain the family for the whole month. Sometimes the family goes without food and mostly we take one meal per day. My children have grown weak due to malnutrition. Lack of food is the challenge I am facing in life."

"My husband works as a driver at Malindi but he has no permanent vehicle to work with. He sometimes goes without work for a week. He earns approximately $30 per month which caters for food only. I am just a housewife doing domestic chores. Lack of reliable job has affected my children's education. I have three children at primary school and they closed school last year with a fee balance of $20. They are supposed to clear the balance and pay half the first term fee before they are allowed to go to class when schools open next week. The first term fee is $220 for all three."

"I separated with my husband 20 years ago. Life's not easy being a single mother of 4. My biggest challenge now is paying school fees. I have one girl in secondary school and another studying in the university. I need to clear fees areas of $200. I am worried about this year. I will have to raise another $800 to support them fully. I depend on farming to sustain them. This year has been difficult because of the drought. I normally plant maize for sell to support my family. Now I cannot do irrigation because the river source has dried completely."

"Charcoal work being a job that is not favorable to many people due to its intensive nature has been the main source of income that I have depended on for a long time. This job being tiresome and energy-draining has affected my health and I am no longer productive a situation that has compelled me to majorly depend on my son who is a casual laborer. Since his support is inconsistent, sometimes I forfeit meals and this has equally made me look emaciated. I, therefore, consider myself to be facing a financial crisis, which stands out as my main challenge."

"Subsistence farming which is my main source of livelihood has been greatly affected by the prolonged drought that we have experienced for 3 consecutive seasons now. This has compelled me to depend on my son who is a casual laborer to send us some cash. Since the support I get from him is inconsistent, sometimes I am forced to seek help from my neighbor, a situation that has exposed me as a beggar. What a life! Since meeting the needs of my family is a challenge due to the financial crisis, I, therefore, consider this to be the main challenge that I am currently facing."

"I have a family of three and we are living in a one-room house with a grass roof. The house is not spacious and it leaks during rain seasons. The wind also affect the family thus I suffer flue every now and then. Lack of spacious and well-built house isn't he challenge I am currently facing in life. I work as a casual labour at the nearby quary earning approximately $100 per month which caters to food only. It is not sufficient to build a house for the family."