"As the sole breadwinner for my family of two, it is a constant struggle to make ends meet. I often take up casual jobs like weeding or tomato picking, earning about $2.5 a day. The work is occasional though, and there are days when I do not earn anything at all, stretching us thin. On those days, I have no choice but to rely on credit at the local shops for our basic needs. It is tough not knowing when the next job will come or how much I will earn. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed, but I am doing everything I can to provide for my family."

"I am a lady who sells palm wine for a living. A single mother of three girls and one boy. One greatest challenge I face on a daily basis is being able to provide for my kids. Not everyone wants to go drinking during the day and that's why I have good and bad days in business. Another challenge is having to expose my kids to drunk individuals everyday. It hurts me to do so but I have an obligation to provide. As a mother and sole provider I have to take the risks that comes with palm wine selling headon. The last challenge is the current economy. I am unable to pay fee sufficiently for my kids since I am torn between paying fee and providing food."

"As a man, the society expects you to always provide. They do not care about the struggles you are facing to just make ends meet. One of the biggest challange I am facing is not having a stable source of income. I am a person who does house construction and not everyday people need houses built. I am the eldest in our extended family and I have to put food on the table for both my mother, siblings and my nuclear family as well. That need to provide and make them happy has left me drained and constantly tired. I am not happy at all to be sincere , but such is life."

"My name is Lilian, my husband was arrested two weeks ago,left to fend for myself and my family in a world that seems increasingly indifferent to my struggles. Food has become a luxury that I can not afford.I sell firewood to try and make ends meet although it's draining due to my health conditions. Four months ago I was diagnosed with fibroids, a condition that has made me have constant hospital visits. I swallow my pride every now and then and ask for help."

"The challenge that I am currently facing is paying school fees for my children. I have a family size of 10 members. The first born completed high school and is waiting to join college. The second is in form two, Third is in grade seven(JSS) while the rest are in primary school. My husband is a masonry but getting a job poses a lot of challenge because unless there is construction somewhere thus when he can be sure that he earn a living. His wages of USD 6 is not enough to cater for our needs. Due to this, Sometimes my kids remain at home and miss classes hence affecting their performance."

"I am currently facing challenges of feeding my family because I have no source of income. I depend on my husband who works as a shopkeeper at Tezo trading centre. His wages of USD 46 is not enough for a household of 4 members. The high cost of living has made the situation bad, food prices are beyond reach while the failed harvests as a result of little rains had made it worse. Sometimes, I go to bed without food. Something, that really makes me feel that everything is against me, Especially when my seven months old baby cries all night. The fact that I cannot produce milk to breastfeed him is sad."

"I had promised myself that I will work hard and give my children a quality education. However, financial challenges are making my dream fade away. Subsistence farming is our main source of family income, it is unfortunate that lately, crop farming is performing poorly due to the extreme effects of climate change. We are therefore struggling to meet our ends which is heartbreaking. Most households in my community are shifting to an irrigation farming system since rain is no longer reliable. This type of farming is costly and this disadvantages us since we do not have the financial power. It was in April when our 2 acre piece of land was swept away by the flash floods. The crops that we planted were also destroyed and as a result of this, we are faced with food shortage in the family."

"I was optimistic that my life would take a new turn after investing my savings on crop farming. I had planted maize crops on my six acre piece of land and this cost me about $1200. Things took a different turn in April when we experienced flash floods that swept all of my investment leaving me with nothing. The experience was saddening and killed my hope in farming. It is unfortunate that the incident marked a new beginning of family struggle and financial constraint. I am now struggling to pay school fees for my sister who is in secondary school."

"I'm in a family of seven, myself included as the mother . My husband died three years ago and by that time only two children out of six had finished high school. Since then, I have been struggling to keep the remaining children in school. I don't have a permanent job which leave me sustaining my family with casual jobs with a maximum pay of $3 a day. This situation has led my children consistently sent home due to school fees problem. The situation has affected their performance very significantly to an extent of others wanting to stop going to school. As a parent, that's a very heartbreaking experience since my only hope is them to complete their education."

"I have a two-bedroom house and there's only one room that has a bed and a mattress. So when my husband who is working in Mariakani comes, either he or my three children have to sleep on the ground. This has been a very disturbing challenge for me since our privacy as parents is compromised. The children sometimes pick skin diseases on the ground which turn out to be another nightmare."