"Before receiving GD's transfer, life was yough and as a farmer, it was even tougher because the weather had been sunny lately. My field was not as fertile as it should be but with the manure that I collect, the harvest is very promising and I think I will have enough to consume and spare enough to sell at the market. Buying a cow and renovating my house's roof was what bothered me the most."

"I bought a cow worth 280 $, I paid a 40 $ debt and bought a piglet for 10 $. I always pray for everyone in GD because owning a cow had always been my dream. Not only will we keep working in our field but we will also have a secondary source of income from the milk and manure we get."

"I had many plans when I received the first transfer. I bought a goat worth 70 $, a mattress for 30 $, utensils worth 10 $, clothes worth 20 $, food for 17 $, invested in a saving group a total amount of 50 $ and kept the rest of LS1 on my bank account. I saved most of my transfer because I plan on buying a spacious piece of land when LS2 comes in."

"I was very poor before receiving LS1. The harvest had not been good in our sector and we were all in need of food, we did not have clothes and had stopped thinking of projects and plans due to extreme poverty. All thanks to GD, I was able to buy what I needed and renovated my house. I am planning on starting a farming project once I receive LS2."

"In the coming year and beyond, I plan to concentrate on building a new house. I live in a house that was built when my husband was still alive. Its walls are frail. It is not only small, but it is also old. Even though it is only a two-room house, I have been living in the same house with my co-wife for those years. I am hoping to finish my house before the end of the year. It will be possible once my son Kazungu and daughter Pendo, who is in form four, complete their O'levels."

"Currently, I do not have any viable investment that my family can depend on. Whatever wages I get are always little hence unsustainable to my large family. I, therefore, hope to invest a portion of my transfers in acquiring some goats since I aim to venture into raising livestock. I want to buy five goats before the year ends. I consider this a lucrative venture that will heavily reward my family. Consequently, when my herd increases, raising additional money from the sale of goats will help me to pay school fees for my children."

"The lack of a stable source of income is a challenge since I am not able to meet my basic needs and that of my daughter. Casual jobs earn me $ 8 each week, with the rising cost of living for basic commodities like food that are hard to afford. I hardly save any money for future emergencies and this has left me with huge school fees in arrears. If I had a promising income stream, I would be able to comfortably cater to the needs of my family."

"We are now people of old age and we are not able to engage in any meaningful economic activity and so it is hard to put food on the table safe for a few goats that we sometimes sell to buy foodstuffs and household needs. Indeed food insecurity has made our lives very difficult. This has been worsened by the drought that had persisted and also the ever-rising cost of living. We depend on our children sometimes for help whenever they have a surplus. At times we feel like we have become a burden to our children. We used to receive government transfers for the but it has been a while since it was last released, subsequently it has made our lives hard."

"Life is full of adversities and we have not been spared as a family. The high cost of living has affected us a big deal since we are people of little means. We are struggling with the serious challenge of food insecurity. The situation was worsened by the prolonged drought that has had devastating effects on our crops and livestock. Currently, we are buying a Kg of maize at $1 up from $ 0.6 which is high and sometimes unaffordable. So bad is the situation that we survive on just a meal per day or other times we only cook porridge for dinner just to sustain us to see the next day. It is so hurting and my children have been most affected by it."

"Talking of life challenges, I have faced a multitude of them. I am blessed with 3 children who are studying at Senetwo secondary schools, they solely depend on me to provide for them. My wife passed on sometime in 2016 and my life changed since then, I have metamorphosed through loneliness and the fear of raising my children without their motherly support. My wife was a backstop and non judgemental witness to my various shortcomings in raising the children, she was a vital source of sanity.I am sometimes moved to tears when I see our family photo hanging on the wall. I have been driven to worry and isolation.As a sole parent, I always fight my depression not to fail in the role bestowed upon me. From looking for food to school fees is a tall order but I have no choice but to struggle even when ends don't seem meet."