Ram Rajbanshi and his family relocated from Urlabari Morang to Daleli seven years ago, with his wife and two children. Despite his disability, Rajbanshi used to work in the nearby Chisang River, but due to his physical disability, moving sand bags on the river bank was extremely painful for him. After leaving that job, Ram and his wife opened their own tea and snack shop in a nearby marketplace. Despite the fact that the Rajbanshi couple had a disability, they made around NPR 15000 per month from their shop and their family’s needs were easily met.
But the nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19, the Rajbanshi couple had to shut their shop-the only source of income to feed their children. Months passed in the hope that the lockdown would end and the market would resume, but the lockdown did not end. Now the couple started to get worried as their saving was almost spent in foods during lockdown. Both the husband and wife have physical disability that restricts them from doing labor work, they could not operate their shop due to closure of the market during lockdown. It was getting hard to feed their children two-time meals.
Rajbanshi couple could not resume their shop after the lockdown was lifted due to lack of investment. They had to use their savings during the lockdown that left them with no money to re-open their shop. Considering the couple’s economic and physical condition, LCWS supported Rajbanshi couple with NPR. 20,000 with financial support from LWF Nepal under LICED Project. They restocked their shop with the support received and started to operate their shop in the marketplace. The couple is now happy that they can re-start their business so that they do not have to worry to feed and send their children to the school. Ram Rajbanshi said, “The corona virus closed our business, but LCWS and LWF supported us to revive. Now we do not have to worry to provide two-time meal tow our children.”