‘We make one call home per fortnight’

Sharda Tandukar and Kamala Kumari Giri, both from Lalitpuram, near Kathmandu in Nepal, are friends and work as a cleaner and office support staff respectively. They earn a monthly income of Dh1,300 each and are provided with accommodation and transport. So they scrimp on their needs, setting aside Dh200 for themselves and sending Dh1,100 back home to support their families.

“I am not married,” says Tandukar, who is 44, “but I support my sister who has a son and daughter. I want them to have a sound education and a happy life so that they can be educated enough to have better jobs.”

Giri, who is in charge of the photocopy machine at a school, is unmarried as well, but supports her entire family. The women, who share the accommodation, share their food expenses, surviving mainly on lentil curry and rice that they cook for the entire week. “Sharda and I share the food money so we spend about Dh50 each on rice and lentils for the month. We allocate some money for some vegetables. The other Dh100 is spent on WiFi, phone card and toiletries,” Giri says.

“It is impossible to afford the app that can give us access to Skype so we are happy to hear the voices of our loved ones on WhatsApp. Both of us make one call per fortnight home,” she says wistfully. Occasionally, the two set aside an additional Dh50 for an outing. “We go by bus, have some street food, shop for something small and that keeps us cheerful,” Tandukar says.

Tandukar is also completing an education module provided free by the charity, Smart Life, which works with blue-collar women workers.

“I completed my first level of education in etiquettes and conversation and have graduated to Senior II,” she says with pride.