"Luck of money to expand my business, scarcity of water- we fetch drinking water from a water pan which is too far (2km) from my compound."

"Receiving this money means safety for me. I have been living under a structure that is unfit for habitation. The house is in ruins. Holes are all over and it is doorless. Being surrounded by bushes, the risk of being harmed by wild animals is very high. I plan to build a new house which will roughly cost 25,000 KES. With a new decent house, life will be peaceful due to the guaranteed security."

"I was married twenty years ago as a second wife. At first, Life was full of pleasure and but as time goes by the situation changed. Later on we had a disagreement with my co-wife and efforts to settle down our differences did not bear any fruit. My husband sided with her and decided to migrate to another place. Since then, I have been living from hand to mouth. I rely on charcoal production as the only income generating activity. The work is involving and in a fortnight I am able to make one sack of charcoal which sells at KES 500. I will be indeed happy when I receive the transfer because I will use it to renovate my house, buy beddings and live a decent life."

"I am a widow and solely rely on charcoal production as a means of earning a living. This is because crop farming does not do well in our area as a result of prolonged drought spells. All the income KES 3000 goes into buying food and education only. Due to this, I have been struggling to feed my family. Sometimes, my kids spend the whole day without food, hence food insecurity is still the main challenge I am facing currently."

"Scarity of food is the biggest challenge that I am currently facing. This is because we rely on casual jobs of charcoal burning and our income is as low as KES 4000 per month. This amount can not fully sustain all our needs. Due to this, I struggle to put food on my table and we sometimes skip meals."

"We people of little means, we do casual works which pay little. The meager wages we get are used to purchasing maize flour since we are food insecure. It is a struggle that we have had to endure for a very long time, we are poor and live from hand to mouth. The situation is worse we are only concerned with what to eat as each day comes to an extent that we lacks decent clothes to wear. My children uniforms are torn and they have become a subject of ridicule in school at times they feel embarrassed and have developed low self esteem. So clothings is the major challenge we face right now."

"The challenge that I am currently facing is little income compared to my needs. I have a family of 5 children, to feed, educate and clothe. This has not been easy given that I depend on charcoal burning to get money."

"The biggest worry that I am facing as the only parent and the sole breadwinner for my family is a shortage of food. Our crops are no longer doing well due to varied factors including harsh weather patterns and depletion of the fertility of our farms. Since we have no other source of livelihood, I am uncertain about how to sustain my family in the future."

"When I look at the incomplete house in my compound, I wish financial doors could open up to finish up the work started. Being a farmer, the farm produce is seasonal and it can be affected by pests, diseases and climatic changes, therefore, lowering its output. With this, my final income is directly affected thus I have almost nothing to save. This is why I have not been able to complete this house and it however pains me."

"My challenges are lack of money to achieve my plans and to buy livestock so I can also gain respect from my community members. It hurst when people look down on me because I lack wealth that I can show. This is very frustrating and stressful."