‘If the pandemic doesn’t kill us, hunger will’, say Badi in Kailali

People from the Badi community living in Mudha-2 of Kailali's Bordagoria Rural Municipality expressed the problems faced by them during the on-going pandemic. Yamuna Badi a resident of Mudha said, "We don't have any work. Not everyone is involved in prostitution anymore. We have run out of 15 kg of rice given by the local government. We are in a state of starvation. How do we believe that we have a government for us? Our local government had given us 15 kg of rice, some pulses and salt. Thereafter, we haven’t seen them. The youth of the village is unable to go to India to earn. Who will look after the women and  children here?”

Sunita Badi who started a tea stall in the vicinity to leave prostitution complained about how the pandemic has affected her livelihood. She said, “I realise that I will be unable to sell tea for a long time. After a long period of struggle and realisation, some people from our community had developed the notion that prostitution is not ethical and that we should switch from our old profession to labour or small businesses. But the current pandemic has left us in a predicament. There is no greater crisis than hunger. The government should either provide us with employment; otherwise we should be allowed to practice our old profession.”

While Sitala Badi of the same village said, "We are more concerned about our half empty stomach than the pandemic around the world. Our children don't get enough to eat. We go to bed hungry for many days. If the government doesn't look after us, who will? I haven’t eaten in two days. For how many days can one stay hungry?”

However, chairman of Bardagoria Municipality Baliram Chaudhary said, “The Badi community has already received the first phase of relief on behalf of the municipality. In the second phase of relief distribution, we will scrutinise their situation and provide them with whatever is necessary. We are trying to ensure that no one dies of hunger in the village.”