Background: The global pandemic of COVID- 19 has created immense amount of fear among the people. To control the transmission of COVID-19, physical/social distance should be maintained, cleanliness should be promoted, especially, hand washing or sanitizer must be used, and wearing mask is a most. To regulate the social distancing, Government of Nepal had imposed lockdown which hampered the day-to-day life of the general population. It had affected schools, businesses and other economic activities. Uncertainty seen in the treatment of COVID-19, and mutation in form and dimension of the virus has left both health workers and workers at local level in vast confusion. Similarly, a lot of people from Nepal are working in foreign nations. Families are dependent on them for their basic needs. A huge sum of tax enters the country through remittance contributing to Nepal’s economy. The family members of people working in foreign countries are stressed due to COVID-19 situation. In such situation, there are cases where the laborers who have returned from abroad are socially discriminated and stigmatized, while the state of mental health has not even been mainstreamed.
In this context, the story ‘Paredeshi ko Katha’ is an attempt to highlight what is COVID-19 and what can be done to prevent this disease along with how to cope with the fear, stress, tension and hopelessness created due to the pandemic. The story is created by TPO Nepal with the support of USAID’s Strengthening System for Better Health (SSBH) Project.
We extend our gratitude to everyone involved in this endeavor including the following members;
Writing and editing: Sabina Maharjan, Pitambar Koirala, Dr. Pawan Sharma, Suraj Koirala, Dr. Kamal Gautam, Jyoti Bohora, Bharat Gautam, Dr. Ajit Karna, Thaneshwor Koirala and Nagendra Bhanadari
Art: Binod Guragain
Layout: Ram Adhar Thakur