"The challenge that Iam currently facing is lack of money to cater for the basic needs of my family. I depend on my spouse who is a watchman at Sokoke primary. He earns $ 61 per month. All the money is spent on buying food for a family of 11 members. This leaves other necessities such as education and health care unaddressed. As a result, it has been impossible to finance the education of my 2 children who are at secondary school. As we speak they have a huge balance of $153. They have been on and off of school. Last term they stayed at home for 3 months because I had nothing to give them. I am afreaid that if the situation continues, their academic performance will be greately affected. The second one is in sufficient place to sleep. The house that I live has two rooms. The walls are week and the roof is old and leaking. It is uncomfortable at this time that is raining. Children have been affected by cold. Sometime they cough the whole night due to persistent flue."

"The challenge that I am currently facing is food insecurity. My spouse and I depend on farming as a source of livelihood. We plant mainly maize, cow peas and grean peas that when we have surplus we sale and Cater for the education of my kids. Last year when rains were sufficient we harvested 6 bags(50kgs) of maize, a bag of cow peas and green peas (50kgs). We sold 3 bags of maize at $19 each, and kept the balance for home use. It lasted for a period of 11 month until early last month when we finished. Since then, we have been buying from shops because the long rains have failed. Due to this, It is hard to afford 2 square meals a day for a household of 6 members. Sometimes, my children go to school without breakfast which pains my heart."

"Currently, unemployment is my biggest struggle. I work as a taxi driver in the village. The motorbike does not belong to me. This means the job is often unstable since the owner sometimes takes it for his own routes. Earlier this year, I asked my wife to go to town to find work and help support our family of five. Unfortunately, after securing a job, she chose to separate from our 12-year marriage. This situation has made it difficult for me to meet basic family needs like school fees which weighs heavily on me."

"In the upcoming year and beyond, my main goal is to focus on the education of my two children. I know that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty in our family. I want to ensure they have everything they need to succeed in school, from uniforms to books. I plan to set aside part of my monthly income to cover their school fees and other expenses. I know it won’t be easy, but I am determined to give them the best. As they grow and move to higher levels of education, I will continue to support them, knowing that their success will not only benefit them but also uplift our entire family. This is my priority, and I am ready to work hard to make it happen."

"In the quiet village where we live, our family of five grapples with a daily struggle that’s woven into the fabric of our lives. My husband, a dedicated motorbike rider, is the backbone of our household. Each day, he ventures out, navigating the rough roads and uncertain conditions in hopes of earning enough to sustain us. Yet, despite his tireless efforts, his earnings can be as meager as $4 in a day—a sum that barely covers a fraction of our needs. We have three children, each bright and full of promise. Our eldest is just 9 years old, and like his younger siblings, he is in school, where education comes with its own set of financial demands. Every term, we are required to pay $30 per child for school fees—a burden that, while seemingly modest, adds up quickly when multiplied by three. This recurring expense feels like an anchor, dragging us further into financial uncertainty. The weight of these challenges bears heavily on us. Each term, as the school fees loom, we find ourselves scrambling to make ends meet, prioritizing between essential needs and educational expenses. The joy of seeing our children learn and grow is often overshadowed by the anxiety of how we will manage the next bill or how we will stretch our limited resources just a little bit further."

"Lack of a reliable source of income is the challenge I am facing in life. I am a retired teacher living with my family. However, my wife has been sick for the past 15 years. I have used all my savings for her medication but in vain. This has made me unable to raise school fees for my children at Magogoni Secondary. The little pension of $100 caters to food and school fees though not enough. My daughter has been out of school for two weeks now."

"The challenge that I am currently facing is fiod insecurity. I am a widow and very old relying on my brothers son. We have been living together since he was a kid. He completed his primary school education 4 years ago but did not get marks to that could enable him join secondary school. He then turned to buying charcoal and sell them in Mombasa. In a month he can make two trips and can earn $ 23 each. However, due to the ongoing showers of rains the roads are not passable. As a result it has been difficult to put food on the table for the entire household of 5 members. Besides, there are no longer big trees to produce quality charcoal due to most bushes being cleared for farming. This has worsen the situation that sometimes we eat once per day which breaks my hear."

"One of the greatest challenge I am facing is lack of finaces for development. I am a teacher and I would love to establish myself further in life, therefore the lack of enough finances for development has hindered my life goals. The other challenge is food insecurity.We are at an area where there are harsh climatic conditions.Therefore there is no harvest at all. Making us lack food due to lack of rains."

"My spouse, Stephen, and I have divided household responsibilities based on our daily income so that one person does not bear too much of the burden. I own a tailoring business that pays well during the holiday season, particularly in December and January. But most of the time, I can go for up to a month without earning a single penny. My husband, on the other hand, works a casual job and earns $31.07 per month. Lack of money to support our family, as our combined resources are not always enough to meet the majority of our needs, is what is making my life difficult."

"Karisa, my husband, owns a barbershop and earns $1.55 per day when there is power. However, this has not always been the case due to the frequent power outages in this area. The limited income he earns from his business makes it more difficult to provide a good life for our family. What is currently making my life more difficult is that, as a young family that is still expanding, we are not in a position to ensure our children's future because of financial difficulties."