"After investing everything I had into establishing a 2-acre maize farm, it was tragically swept away by floods, leaving me with nothing to rely on. Adding to my distress, I have a loan of USD 231 from a microfinance institution for the project that I am unable to repay without any income. Additionally, funding my son's university fees has become incredibly difficult. Depending on sporadic casual labor jobs, which don't cover even basic necessities like food and essential items, poses a significant challenge for me and my family."

"Living in a single room with my wife and 5 children poses a significant challenge for me. I lack the funds to build a larger house for my family. Additionally, I own a piece of land that remains idle because I don't have the capital to make it productive. The farm lacks essential infrastructure such as pipes, a water pump, and other necessary inputs. If operational, the farm could have supplied us with food and generated income to meet our other basic needs."

"The floods devastated our village, including my own home. One of the houses where my children used to stay was washed away. I don't have the funds to rebuild it for them. Additionally, our 1.5-acre farm land, which provided our food and income for school fees, was also destroyed by the floods, leaving us with nothing to rely on. Now, we struggle to survive by taking on sporadic casual labor jobs. Paying school fees for my two secondary school children is a major hurdle. There are times when they are sent home due to unpaid fees, further complicating their education."

"Floods are disruptive here, last April we were displaced and moved to live with our neighbors. We lost ten chickens and an acre of maize plantation. This hit us financially and worried about the future months. Food shortage is inevitable.The rains have been continuing and we're worried that it may recur again. We're always on the lookout at night to avoid fatalities."

"This is a lucrative farming area, we depend on crop farming. Crops such as maize, beans, onions, vegetables or even tomatoes. They do well here although it needs a lot of capital to pump water and general farm supplies. Since we depend on irrigation, we can farm at any time of the year. In order to succeed in farming, we need funds. I have enough farm area but cannot utilize it due to financial constraints. This has affected my ability to provide for my family. I have about an acre of unutilized land."

"The rain has been plenty recently, it came with floods albeit and swept away my 2 acres maize plantation. I had hoped to make profit from selling to a local seed company. The devastation caused by the floods has left me with no hope. I am worried about how to survive as a family in the coming months. We live in a dry area and experience extreme weather patterns. When the dry season starts, it'll be difficult feeding my family."

"Being the sole breadwinner for my family of four is incredibly challenging, especially when relying on casual jobs that can be scarce. Some days, I struggle to find work, and it can go on for days without earning anything. When I cannot find a job, I dip into my savings, but lately, I have had to use all my savings to pay for school fees and feed my family. It is a constant battle to make ends meet, and the pressure weighs heavily on me. I am determined to keep going, but it is tough when there is no financial cushion left."

"Running our family's retail shop has been incredibly tough lately. With four of us depending on it for our livelihood, the pressure to keep enough inventory stocked is overwhelming. On good months, scraping together a $50 profit feels like a small victory. We use that money for basic needs like food and my son's preprimary school fees, with the rest going right back into the business.But recently, our sales have been disappointingly low because we have not been able to afford enough stock. It is a constant struggle, balancing our limited finances between daily needs and investing in inventory. There is a sinking feeling when we see empty shelves that could be filled if only we had the resources."

"Raising school fees for my three children is really tough for me right now. As the breadwinner, I am doing it all alone through farming and running a small business. It is a constant struggle to come up with the $500 needed each year. There are times when they have been sent home from school because I could not afford it, and it breaks my heart to see them miss out on their classes. On top of that, putting food on the table is another daily challenge. I am grateful that despite everything, my kids have never slept hungry. It is a constant balance between their education and meeting our basic needs."

"School fees is the biggest challenge that iam facing at the moment because I have 4 children in high school level 2 are mine and the other 2 are for my young sister. I use to depend on farming to provide for them but recently a flash floods cleared my five acre piece of land leaving out around 2 acre with crops which is not enough for my family needs. And due to financial challenges iam not able to recultivate it again."