"Not being able to provide all the needs ( education, food, clothing, medication) of my family of seven saddens me. My husband is a cook at a nearby secondary school but he earns $60 only in a month. This is enough for food only hence we are forced to borrow loans to educate our children. I do casual jobs to supplement our family's income and repay the loans which take us years to complete. If we had a better source of income, we would live a better life than now."

"We live in a semi-arid area and due to scarcity of rain and unproductive land, we cannot do any farming. We have one meal a day and two when we are lucky to get casual jobs. Since my only child is three years old, I had to allow my mother to help me raise him because I cannot afford to give him balanced and nutritious food which is vital for his growth and development. I feel discontented when I am unable to provide basic needs such as food for my family hence food insecurity becomes a big challenge."

"The difficulty I'm having is a lack of water. There was water in the river when I purchased this plot of property in 2020, and I planted a lot of crops, which brought in approximately $500. However, the river has dried up since 2021, so I've been unable to grow anything. We occasionally receive piped water, but it is insufficient for irrigation. Since I rely on my farm for income, I am unable to buy some necessities like milk."

"During the past 3 years, my late husband was sick. He passed on 7 months ago, we experienced a lot of financial challenges. He needed special medical attention. We bought an oxygen cylinder for $150 after selling a plot of land. We also sold 3 cows and 3 goats to meet his medical needs. This has affected us up to today. I am sad since then we've not been able to till our land. This has affected our food supply."

"My husband Joseph, 39, fell down on a rocky and hilly terrain while heading to the forest in 2020. He had gone to cut trees for sell. Due to the impact of the fall, he dislocated and injured the right hand. We did not have the $600 hospital bill required to treat him. The arm healed that way without correction, this affected him. I was very sad since he could no longer do the normal jobs he used to. Before the injury my husband could make up to $3 a day. Now he can only manage $0.50, which is small. I am the only one who can work fully to provide for the family. I cannot always be able to get enough money to feed our family."

"In the last 3 years we've had very inconsistent rains in this village. Our farms have been mostly dry and getting food is hard. This year I planted one and half acres of land. I used $100 to prepare the land, buy seeds and plant. I grew maize, millet and groundnuts. I was very sad when I lost it all. This has made my life very difficult since I have to depend on my son's and daughters for support."

"My two children are about to sit for their end year examination and I am yet to pay their school fees. My son who is in grade 5 keeps reminding me of the same and I wish I could pay as soon as possible. I am working under pressure to be able to settle the arrears. I would not want to disappoint them, education means a lot to us."

"I have been thinking of starting a poultry business and raising livestock but I am stuck due to financial constraints. I recently spent all I had building my house and now I need to invest in something else, especially with the current economy (times are tough). My mind is fixated on this project and I wish I get the funds to accomplish it."

"Pain has become part of me, I am talking of my ears. They have very painful sores and discharge pus but instead of going through the ears, it comes out from the mouth. You would not want to be around me when it happens because the smell that comes from it is awful. This has affected my sight making it difficult to see. My movement is limited since I have to be assisted to go too far."

"I get so frustrated by the fact that I have to buy water yet water is in surplus in our village. A can goes for $0.1 and every day I use 5 cans. This is expensive for me since I am only a subsistence farmer."