"We are faced with food insecurity at the moment. This has further been worsened by the ever-increasing cost of living that has weighed on us. The day's meager wages that we get from engaging in casual work are no longer sufficient to buy food for the day since we live from hand to mouth, casual jobs have become scarce and erratic too. It is a struggle to put food on the table and each day present a worry for us about where the next meal will come from. So bad is the situation that we sometime go to bed on an empty stomach , our children bore the biggest brunt and it worries us a great deal."

"I underwent National Youth Service paramilitary training and thereafter I was sponsored by the institution to do a certificate course in Automotive Engineering which I graduated sometime in December 2021. I have tried looking for employment but I have not been successful. I came from a poor background and I thought I would come out of the situation when I graduated and get employment. The certificate so far has not assisted me secure employment and it breaks my heart a lot after the struggle that I underwent. Life in Nairobi was so biting, I eventually decided to relocate to the village where I have been engaging in casual jobs and looking after my goats. So lack of employment drove me into oblivion and back to the trenches to struggle to earn a living, thanks to the life skills I got from college."

"We are faced with many challenges which include the lack of money and food. However, the challenge that is making our life harder recently is the lack of food. This has been caused by the prolonged drought which has seen our farms become unproductive for the past 3 years. We have been forced to purchase foodstuffs from the local market which is very expensive due to the high cost of products. Since we only depend on casual labor to get money for food and other basic needs, it is not enough for us to purchase food. It is very difficult for us because we sometimes have to skip meals and even go hungry without food."

"My main challenge at the moment is housing. After I separated from my husband I came back home to my father who gave me one of his houses. However, he has told me that I need to look for another place to live with my children which is a challenge for me since I'm struggling to provide for them. In addition to this, I don't have enough food for my family. This has worsened because of the high cost of living which has made it impossible to purchase maize and other foodstuffs. We are forced to go hungry sometimes and even eat one meal a day which might not be enough. It saddens me so much to see my children going hungry without food."

"My main concern for the upcoming year and beyond is finding the necessary funding for my children's school fees. They will be starting secondary school soon thus I will need a lot of financial resources to support them while they are in school. I plan to save a portion of my money from casual work and part of my subsequent transfers to reach my goal of $450. My motive behind this sacrifice is to invest in my kids' bright future life."

"Our greatest challenge as a family is food. We depend on casual jobs that pay $2.50 per day. Due to the high cost of living it's not enough for a family of 8. At times we may not get these jobs and we go hungry. The drought made it even harder, for the last 3 years productivity has been low. Thus making it hard providing for our family. Lack of enough food has affected the health of our children. Since they don't get enough quality food."

"It's difficult for being back here at my parents home. I was married for 16 years and was not lucky to have a child. My then husband was not understanding so I came back home. It feels so bad not having a child of my own. This led me to loose my marriage. It has been hard coming to terms with that. In our culture when one does not have a child. There's a high chance of being send back home."

"Financial constraints are the biggest challenge. My husband went on retirement a year ago, and he has not received his pension. Since he has been the breadwinner, I have to do casual jobs to make ends meet. The money I get is only enough to buy food but nothing is left to pay school fees. I instead rely on borrowing loans from financial institutions which has left me which huge debts."

"Recently life has become very difficult because of the high cost of living in our nation. This has made it impossible to live a comfortable life and has also made life very difficult. One of the challenges I gave because of this is the lack of food. We struggle to get food since for the past three years we've not been able to have productive farming because of the prolonged drought. This has been made worse by the high cost of living which has made it very difficult to afford basic food products such as maize and beans. In addition to this, water shortage is the other challenge that I'm faced with. We have a water project that was started in the past few months which we use for domestic needs. However, the water is not enough since it only comes once or twice a week. This makes it very difficult to plant vegetables and other crops for food. These two are the major challenges that make my life very difficult."

"I hope to see myself living in a adequate house free of risk, and have more income ressources that will increase my capabality and ability to save for future without any barriers."