"Food insecurity is a major problem that we face at the moment. This was occasioned by the prolonged drought, we have never received adequate rainfall for the last 3 seasons, we had planted maize and millet last season but they ended up drying because of distress from lack of water, the livestock too was affected and quite a number of them died from starvation due to inadequate pasture. We have been forced to buy the foodstuff from Marigat town, sometimes we cannot afford more so when the cost of living rose to unprecedented levels. Life has really been hard for us and we have nowhere to turn to, we are hoping against hope that things will be better this year now that we have started receiving rainfall."

"Food access has been a big challenge. Most of our income is channeled towards food which is also expensive. In this village, growing food is hard and especially because of the drought. This has also led to water shortage making it difficult to grow. All this has made it hard getting food, affecting our ability to get adequate food. We mainly depend on the casual job my husband acquired outside the village. This a times may not be enough for our sustainance."

"I currently have one goat and my biggest prayer is that I buy more goats so that I can have something to take care of. I currently do not have a job and my husband buys and sells goats and the time he gets money we use that money and when he does not have any, we all suffer. I want to support him and lucky enough, it has started raining this month of March and it is giving us hope that the goats we buy will have something to eat and water to drink and they will grow big. When they multiply, I can easily sell them and be able to pay my children's fees and keep my house on track."

"The current structure that accommodates my two children is in a bad state as the roof has been letting in rainwater over the past week. This prompted them to move into my house, where they have been sharing space with my husband and me. I feel like this has deprived everyone of their private space, given the age differences between our children and us. Building a new house for them will be the best solution. I hope that I will be able to save to buy building poles and iron sheets to construct a one-room structure for them."

"I wish to thank Givedirectly for the efforts they pulled into uplifting people from poverty through the transfers. I am grateful for the transfers, I have connected water to my compound, constructed a pit latrine and bought assets. To this point, I love the way they work and I do not wish anything to change."

"I bought a solar panel on hire purchase terms at the start of this year. The solar panel has greatly aided me in charging my phone whenever it runs out of power and has improved the lighting in my home, which I am happy about. Along with better lighting, I no longer have to pay extra for phone charging and paraffin purchases. I therefore spent $10 on paying the remaining balance for the solar panel's purchase when I received my March transfers. The expensive food and water in our village is another problem I've been dealing with. Increased food prices are significantly influenced by the lack of rain. I purchased food and water for $14. I'm thankful that spending such a sizable sum on food was sufficient to ensure that we won't skip any meals. In order to complete the payment for the goat I had purchased the month before, I finally spent $10. I was still owed $10 by the goat's owner. Knowing that I now possess the goat completely makes me smile."

"I went back to my birth home to restart my life after divorcing my husband a year ago. I rely a lot on part-time work, like selling charcoal, to make a living. My eldest son is currently in his senior year of college. Despite the difficulties I face every day, I was able to educate my son to that level. The change in climatic conditions that prevents us from growing crops on the farm is making life more difficult by the day. I spend a significant portion of my monthly allowance on buying food and water. I am unable to sell any charcoal because so many customers choose to use other fuels. When I got my March transfers, I spent $1400 on food and water. The high cost of food presents a significant hardship for my family and I. Along with purchasing food, I paid off a $10 debt that I accrued from purchasing food on credit in the middle of the previous month. Since I was short on cash, the shopkeeper was kind enough to give us food with the understanding that we would pay later. We never went to bed hungry because of the food we purchased with credit, which makes me happy. Finally, I made a $10 home savings contribution. When I have enough savings, my main goal is to be able to construct my own home."

"By the end of the year, I would love to have started a small kiosk business, but due to the hunger we are currently experiencing, this is proving to be challenging. As a result, I am compelled to spend my entire monthly transfer on purchasing food and water to ensure my survival. If things stay the same, I'd be content to save enough money to pay for the right treatment for my health condition. I'm now concentrating on starting a business that will give me financial security once my health gets better."

"In the next year, I hope to enroll in a diploma course in water management. I have been aiming to acquire skills that help me earn a living since life is challenging for those who do not have formal employment. The skills will enable me to secure a job hence supporting my family will be lighter for my father unlike in the previous years. Therefore, as I continue to receive my transfers, I shall use part of my transfer to help me build my savings for school fees. As a result, my education will no longer be burdensome to my father."

"Receiving GD transfers have been such a relief. My kids had been home for three days since they had been sent away from school due to a lack of school fees. They are required to pay $6 each, monthly, to continue getting an education. My January transfers were sent on the third day of their staying home. I took out $10 and paid $5 for each of them so they could go back to school. I also spent $10 on food since my house did not have food and I bought water and vegetables at $4 and bought 3 chickens worth $10. In February and March I got sheep and a got at $25 each, I also paid out $9 for my children in school fees and in February I spent the $9 to restock our food supplies."