Making batti...making a living

It is even harder now than ever before to earn a living if you are a single mother in Nepal.  But our ladies are resilient and resourceful. They keep trying to be independent and strong.  For as long as possible, Samunnat Nepal is paying the ladies a small COVID-19 allowance to help them with expenses and we are so grateful to those of you who have donated money to support us as we do this.Our ladies who are living in the Samunnat house came up with a way to earn a small income and it is making batti...the cotton wicks that we use in our lamps and temples for doing puja.  There are a few different ways to make the batti and our ladies are using cotton thread which they twist and spin into the wicks.  These photos show the wicks being made and used!Our tailoring ladies were relieved and delighted when one local supermarket ordered 300 shopping bags. They had not had any work during the lockdown.Our lockdown is over but the virus rages on and there is a lot of dissatisfaction with how it is being managed by the government. Nearby towns get locked down for short periods when case numbers increase and we are all still very scared about how things will go. We know we are not alone in that. We send our love to you all and hope that our dear friends stay well. Basnuhos.