"I am the sole breadwinner of my family earning a living through raising livestock. I earn $25 a month for raising other people's livestock. This amount is very little considering the high prices of food commodities and the numerous family's needs. I have a farm but I can no longer work on the farm because of the hot weather conditions. I mostly rely heavily on livestock buying and selling to earn a living. Currently livestock in the market fetch little prices and they are affected by the weather conditions. This has made me struggle in providing for my family. So upon receiving my match transfers, I spent $24 to purchase food for my family. Before receiving the transfers we survived mainly on one meal a day because I didn't have money to buy food enough to feed us three times a day. I'm grateful that I now have plenty of food for my family to feed on. Besides buying food I saved $10 which will go towards purchasing more livestock and expanding my livestock buying and selling business. That way I can make enough profit that I'll use to take care of my family."

"For the longest, I rely on livestock to earn a living because it is the only farming that does well here. The prolonged drought has unfortunately reduced my income as goats fetch very low prices at the market. In extreme cases, I have lost countable heads of cows. As a result, my children have to support me financially because my husband and I cannot do any hard jobs to earn money. I am thankful because the transfer has come at a time we needed it most. It will enable us to add more goals to the five that I have and also buy food for a few months. I am happy that it will ease the burden on those I relied on and they can do other things with the money they used to give me."

"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."

"Being elderly, both my husband and I rely heavily on our son for financial support. My husband and I both have health issues that prevent us from working. I have had constant leg pain and swelling for the past three years, which has kept me from working. I've gone in and out of hospitals looking for medical assistance, but so far, nothing has come of it. It has proven to be very difficult to prepare meals without going to work. I therefore bought food and water with the money I received in March transfers. All of our water sources have dried up, which has severely impacted us due to climate change. It takes more than 30 kilometers of exhausting walking just to get water. Since I am unable to walk due to my health, I must purchase water from vendors at exorbitant prices. Given that he has a family of his own to support, my son, who works as a fisherman, is also having financial difficulties. Additionally, due to the rivers drying up as a result of the extreme heat and lack of rain, he may lose his sole source of income."

"When my water meter was disconnected in January 2023, I had to purchase water from the neighbourhood at $0.1 for a 20-litre jerrican. This was expensive for my family of 4, which depends on my husband's bodaboda business to earn a living. Unfortunately, the cost of living increased and the fuel prices were also affected therefore, the business generates only $4 on a good day. All this caters for household use hence no surplus for water reconnection. I am excited that the transfers came at the right time as I used $50 to reconnect the water, $70 towards food and clothing for the household and an additional $15 to clear school fees for my children in primary school. As an alternative source of income, I enrolled on a tailoring course at Matano Maiine centre which I usually pay $15 a month using the transfers I set aside. Once I graduate, I will gladly assist my husband financially in raising the family."

"Given the current tough economy, where commodity prices are rising by the day, my income as a motorbike-taxi operator barely secures enough meals for my family. Besides, there are no longer many passengers in my village as people prefer to trek rather than use a motorbike service. This has made me think about raising livestock as an alternative form of investment and source of income. I plan to secure more goats to increase my herd of ten, then later trade some for cattle. "

"I usually spend most of my cash transfers to pay tuition fees for my three children (one in high school and the others in primary school). This is because my charcoal-making job, which earns me around $35 per month, can hardly meet any need beyond food. Besides, with the rising commodity prices, sometimes my income is also never enough to put regular meals on the table. So, I am grateful that the financial assistance supplements my earnings and allow me to support the education of my children. I spent $30 from each of the three recent transfers to settle the unpaid fee balance so that my children would study without interruptions. Gladly, they have remained in class to date. I used the remaining $4 to fulfill other household expenses like buying water and more food. "

"I have depended on livestock all my life. When I get the transfer, I plan to replenish my stock. Goats do well here and can be sold at good prices when they're healthy. In that regard, I will buy 20 goats. That will cost at least $700. The goats will expand and can be sold one by one in the future. I believe they will sustain me for a long time. One well-fed goat can fetch up to $50. I will also buy a calf for $200. A cow can be milked to provide milk for domestic use. When their numbers grow, a cow or bull can fetch $400. This can support our income as a family."

"Food insecurity is the greatest challenge in this area due to drought. For the past three years, we have not harvested any food staff from our farms due to inconsistent rainfall. My husband and I rely on casual jobs to earn a living, and because of the inconsistency in income, it is hard enough to afford three meals a day but only two. Food prices have relatively gone up recently and with the rising cost of living, we use all our hard-earned money to buy food for our family of five."

"My only source of income is making charcoal, which earns me approximately $40 per month. It is hard to get by and provide for my wife and three children with this amount given the rising commodity prices. Food is the only need I can mostly meet through my income; nothing more. For a long time, I had wished to build a more spacious house for my family but it had always been in vain since I lacked enough funds for the procedure. Gladly, the cash transfers revived my hopes, so I spent $28 from each of the recent three cash transfers on three pieces of iron sheets. I plan to buy these materials every month until I have enough to start building the new three-room house that I have so long desired. Also, as my household constantly runs out of food at least five times a month, I figured it right to spend the remaining amount on maize flour. "