"Will I be able to work?"
Angina Kumari Sada, Trainee, Project Awasar- Dhanushadham
 

Due to the lockdown, various problems have come not only in the training I had been receiving on tailoring but also in my personal life. If there would not have been any lockdown I could have learned more from the trainers and also asked them about the market condition and if there seems any possibility of being able to open a shop. This last one month of training was done in my own home just by practicing the items given by the trainers. I don’t know if the products I have prepared are correct or incorrect because my trainers won’t be able to check them. Now that I have completed stitching what I was given for the last month of my training I have started to see if anyone needs anything stitched or made. As my village is very small and COVID-19 has created fear amongst all I get very few orders. I really don’t know if I will be able to work as I want as a tailor. Looking at the current situation I am scared that I won’t get enough orders to make a living out of.

                                   Kritishma Karki, Executive Director, SAATH

"How much is too much?"
I guess we are reliving the answer at the very moment. I always liked the uncertainty, the unknown but this is different. 2020 was more like what is going on? Whereas 2021 is a constant reminder that it's real and it's not leaving us anytime soon. So yes this year it’s definitely been harder, with more losses, more grief. Positive reinforcement is needed, however, I am more akin to the fact that everything has its time and place and we should let it take its course. So I am not exactly on a very optimistic mood board but I am completely aware and awake. I am giving time to my personal challenges. Like for anybody else Working from Home is an alien concept, for me, my home has always been my resting nest mostly, so to confine oneself to a room and stare at the laptop is not exactly encouraging but yes I am dealing with it.

On top of that when you see the projects come to a complete halt, shops closed, challenges in finding new projects, no sales, it's not a good feeling at all. I can cover it up and say it’s all right but it’s a white lie, just trying not to hurt my own feelings, not going to work. So I am pretty open about mental space while working from home, as in it's not easy when some might be going through losses and grief and physical pain and a lot more. So it’s pretty much a flexible working environment where it's more task-oriented than 9-5 routines. We do check in with one another every once in a while, we let the conversation go in all directions, we let it loose. And like said earlier, it’s a difficult time for every one of us and we are no exception. However, when we find ourselves in a situation where our actions affect many other people, we have to work towards getting out of the situation or at least, minimize the effect. 

We are exploring every possible source for funding, expanding networking areas, revisiting our strategies for organization, programs, and social enterprise. And the idea of “sustainability” is one corner most visited where we are relentlessly asking ourselves as an organization and an enterprise “how we can build a sustainable model in terms of both finances and programmatic”. We are coming up with a proper model for “Home Based Workers' with the enterprise, which also directly links to the concept of more output with less input like in terms of finances.

So there are times we feel a little lost and confused, but again this is completely normal. It’s just that we also need to know how to get out of it and move forward. Most importantly I believe, the power of “a good team” and like-minded people supporting one another. There is no escape to this situation, but if we think there is and we start running away from it, we will be tired at one point and understand this is not the solution. And when we do realize that we can definitely pull ourselves together and move on.