Lalitpur, Nepal 2 September 2020 – An EU-funded project  to support Nepal’s informal sector workers hit hard by the COVID-19 prevention measures has provied them with work producing facemasks.

Immediately after the COVID-19 lockdown, the UN-Habitat led project, Parya Sampada, was repurposed to support women in the project area to make face masks and other personal protective equipment. The project, which is funded by the Switch-ASIA Programme of European Union, provided raw materials and skill trainings.

“My source of livelihood has completely stopped since the lockdown. I would have been left with no income if Parya Sampada project of UN Habitat had not initiated and provided me with the opportunity to produce emergency safety gear items during this pandemic,” said one of the informal settlement workers, Bidhya Narkami, who had lost her work due to the pandemic.

Bidhya is working with 13 other members from the Bungamati community,to produce the face masks and other material.

 “If this situation persists with no income generation activities, it will be very difficult for us to bounce back to our normal life after the lockdown” she said. “We don’t have control over what is happening so everyone should join hands together to provide opportunities and plans.”