"In 1992, this area experienced the worst drought of the century. Our maize was destroyed and we were left with only a little millet. Even those with much land lost their crops, so there was no work for us. There was emergency food, but it came so late . . . There was much hunger in our villages, some children died from dysentery. My husband used to send money because he was working in Harare. He worked in a factory. But he came home because there was no more work. We had even less money to buy food. Our three children ate only one meal a day. For many weeks we just had sadza (boiled maize meal) with no meat or vegetables. Last year we could not afford to buy seed or fertiliser, and so we planted less. There was no money to hire oxen, so I ploughed the land by hand. I will have to work on other farms for food. If the rains are bad again, I don't know if we will survive." Dorothy Chiredze, Masvingo, Zimbabwe

"It is a tradition that you do not push people away from your home. You share the limited food, you finish it, and you starve together so the suffering comes to all of you. Before the war started people were settled: we had no need to move from place to place, no insecurity. We planted sorghum and finger millet last year but, because we still all feel insecure after the raid on Akot, we did not plant enough. Then the rains were not very good, and the crops have been poor. People will not go off and fish, because of the insecurity. Now people are hungry, they are full of discontent, they no longer abide by the laws. All this is because of the war. Peace is the priority." Chief Dut Malual, Akot, Sudan

"I left home. I went to one of my mate's houses. Then I got put in foster care. Came out of foster care, put into a children's home . . . was too old to be in there, so they took me out, put me in bed and breakfast. 'Cos I had no money and no food, I was taking food from the cupboard and like, just to feed myself . . . An' I was caught and I was moved out of there. I moved into another bed and breakfast after than one and 'cos I didn't get on with the people anyway . . . I was getting the blame for everything basically . . . I decided to go on the streets." Steve, aged 18 from the UK (reproduced with permission of Crisis).