My husband is physically sick and cannot do much more official work. I am the only working person in my family. I am a 42-year-old mother of three. My name is Lila K.

After more than nine months, we were finally able to do the “regular chores.” But the country again went under complete lockdown for the second time. I used to work in the handicraft business. We make handmade toys,  decorating items through stitching and sewing. And these items are sold in the market near major tourist destinations. Some of the clients are from foreign countries, they order crafts on a large scale.

Since the emergence of COVID-19 cases in Nepal in the second wave, the tourism industry was highly affected. The markets completely closed and the destinations shut down. Because of fewer demands for our crafted items, the handicraft business has been closed for now.

I am jobless nowadays. I used to earn around 13 thousand Nepalese Rupees per month on average. Nobody else earns in my family. We have started using our savings. It has been hard for me to make ends meet. But thinking about this coronavirus situation in the world scares me a lot. We do not know when life is going to be normal again. I know we are in this together and I hope everything goes normal very soon. We can fight this pandemic!