"I don't have my own cow, I herd others cow in order to get compost to fertilize my land, we are building another house because where we used to live is a risk zone area but it is not finished yet, no good clothes or shoes for me and my family"

"I am living in poverty for long time, I eat once a day and the food is not sufficient, I have to work hard in others farm for $1 per day in order to get food , My house is very old, my roof is destroyed, I have no bed, no matelas, no bed sheet, I don't sleeep well. I always cook in my room and that makes my house very dirty."

"Since 2003 I have been suffering from arthritis which has hindered me from working. I have to depend mostly on my children and house help. This greatly frustrates me since I cannot work and support my family. In addition, I'm also faced with the challenge of drought which has led to a lack of water and food. It is really difficult since we are forced to go hungry some times or walk long distances in the search of water."

"We have experience the longest drought for the last on year. The rains have not been forthcoming. Even if it rains, it has been very inadequate. To get water for domestic use we must purchase water at $0.05 per 20 litres. There's a village water kiosk about 500 metres from our home. When you lack money, you're forced to go about 15km to and fro, carrying the water on your back. It's difficult. Lack of water and no rain has affected us a lot. We have 5 cows and 20 goats. It's really hard feeding them during this drought. I am worried that we may lose our stock. This has affected our ability to provide for our children or pay school fees. We've depended mainly on our livestock for sustainance."

"When my parents passed on in 2015, I was devastated and dropped out of school. Being the last born, I was left to take care of everything at home. I had to do casual jobs to make ends meet up to date as a result I have been living a very bad life. I stay alone, and this made me frustrated because I do not have any financial support apart from the unpredictable casual jobs."

"To support my daughter's education as a single mother, I have been considering the most feasible venture I can start. I have set a goal to buy and raise two cows and seven goats by the end of 2024 from monthly transfers. I am confident that if I am successful in that venture, I will be able to sell both cows and goats to generate additional income because they are valuable and have a ready market. As a result, it will not be as difficult for me to support my daughter's education as it was before I started getting my transfers. I will be able to supplement our diet with free milk from cows apart from selling the cows to raise money."

"Lack of a stable source of income is the greatest challenge. My husband and I rely on casual jobs to earn a living which is not sustainable. Most days, we get an average of $3 which is only enough to purchase food and clothing for the children. We have never saved any amount to use for future investments and living hand to mouth year in and out is not something we are happy about."

"Food insecurity is a major problem that has caused us untold pain. We are people of little means who depend on casual jobs which are erratic and hard to come by. The situation, therefore, makes it hard for us to put food on the table and some days we go to bed on an empty stomach. Recently there was an outbreak of fall armyworms that ravaged our maize crops and exposed us to the food insecurity we are currently faced with. We are therefore forced to buy the rare commodity at a nearby Kapkwen market at high prices of $ 2 Per Kg which we struggle to afford because we do not have a sustainable income-generating activity. Life has indeed taken a bad trajectory from bad to worse, it worries us a lot, and we do not have hope to face the next day since the cost of living has gone high almost threefold."

"In may 2022/my daughter Mercy developed a complication in her right leg which became swollen and we had to take her to several hospitals for medical assistance. However, since then she hasn't been able to recover and she has been forced to stay out of school. Her condition brought about alot of challenges for me since I was forced to sell most of my goats to cater for her medical needs. This led to a lack of school fees for my children. My two elderly children, Allan and Hilux have been sent home severally for tuition fees which I do not have. In addition to this, I don't have food for my family since I depend on occasional casual labor. I feel so stressed up because of the things that are happening in my home."

"The biggest challenge I'm facing at the moment is the lack of money. I depend on menial work which is not enough to cater to my family. This has led to a lack of food for my family and we go without food sometimes. I lack school fees also for my children and this has forced one of my daughters, Mercy to finish school without getting her certificate since we could not afford it. Additionally, the lack of money has forced me to sell almost all my livestock which makes my future uncertain because it's all I depend on."