Ward No. 6, Lamkichuha Municipality,Kailali district, Sudurpashchim Province
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Nepal, I fed my family through daily wage work which was breaking rocks. The devastating pandemic and lockdown drained me both emotionally and financially. I could not go outside for daily work. I remember my children screaming with hunger. I could not perform domestic work as people feared that I would bring COVID-19 into their houses. Not to forget, I belong to the Dalit community. In such a situation, with no option left, I decided to go back to beating stones at the riverbank during the hot April/May summer, without caring about the pandemic. However, the pandemic didn’t allow stones to be sold in the market. That added salt to my wounds.
That was one of the most difficult times in my life. Feeding my family was a big challenge and I was mentally stressed. The government did provide some relief support during the first wave of the pandemic. However, we did not receive any relief support during the second wave. I was very happy when the Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) arrived at my house and my household was selected for receiving relief support. I’m not as much as worried about the second wave of the pandemic and lockdown now, because I have received considerable relief support from FEDO.” I also received a gas stove. Now, I can cook food easily. I won’t have to inhale smoke while cooking food and suffer from health issues. I also have more free time to engage in other work because I don’t have to go collect firewood.
