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We were asked to write a little something about how we, a trekking and adventure company, are managing during these hard times. So this is what we are doing.

Firstly let us set the scene. This year started out as a year of hope. The Government of Nepal had announced Visit Nepal 2020. We, like a lot of others in the tourism industry, were optimistic about the country’s aim to bring in two million visitors this year. Again, like many trekking and travel agencies and hoteliers we made plans, expecting a bumper year. And certainly the pre-bookings were higher than those for 2019.  Then, at the end of January, the world was alerted to what was happening in Wuhan district in China. On 11 March, WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic. 

We realize the world’s economy has been affected, but let us update you on what is happening in Nepal right now. Nepal’s tourism industry generated $240 million in revenue and provided one million jobs in 2019.  Tourism is one of Nepal’s biggest sources of revenue. So we watched in horror as not only did Covid-19 spread into Europe, but cancellations for trips to Nepal started coming in. At the start cancellations came mainly from those who had confirmed but not yet paid for their trip. But as the world came to realize Covid-19 was going to be here for the immediate future, cancellations started to flood in. 

For us at Magical Nepal this was our first experience of mass cancellations. Having been established in 2015 with more enthusiasm than experience, we have grown and matured at an unexpected rate. Like the rest of the industry around the world once a pandemic was declared we knew the ethical thing was to give 100 percent refunds to our clients. This, or the option to change the date of their trip to a coming season. At first we said, ‘next season’—this being September to November in Nepal—but as we stand today, at the end of March, we do not even know if this is possible. 

So what are we doing right now? Like the majority of tourism offices, we have temporarily closed. But we are still working from home. We are in touch with existing and past clients to give them updates on what is happening in Nepal and check in on how their country and family are doing. Yes, there are a few who state they will visit Nepal this coming season.  This is provided of course that the world recovers from the pandemic and the economic losses it is causing. But we believe Nepal will come back even stronger, if not this season then in 2021. Meantime we do have a few clients who require our assistance in getting home. So we have been coordinating with embassies to find them flights, and if that is not possible, to find them places to stay.

And what can you, other tour operators, do right now? We know everyone is concerned about finances. And many of us have taken out loans based on the promise that VNY2020 gave. So discuss with your bank manager and increase the loan terms. Similarly, both you and your landlord will be worried about rent payments. Sit down and come to an amicable agreement.  With regards to employees, Covid-19 has impacted low income, seasonal and daily wage earners hard. If you can provide your employees with productive work from home, do so. Online training or facetime brainstorming new trip ideas/routes together perhaps.  

Remember, if you take care of your employees now, they will take care of your business and clients in the future. Your brand is important so don’t forget to treat your clients well too.  Give them full refunds or the option to postpone their trip to a future date. Now is the time to think long term. 

For example, we have cut our advertising and marketing expenses. Currently we are advertising ourselves, our staff, our trips, and our Nepal through a new travel blog we have created. So we are being productive in this time, as well as reconnecting with  our families. 

We are thankful that today the world can be connected through the internet and that the many friendships we have made with past clients are proving strong in these unprecedented times.

To quote a phrase from 2015: We Will Rise Again.

The authors are founders and owners of Magical Nepal

Given the ever-prolonging lockdown and unknown future of the corona crisis, companies are looking for ways to get their employees to work remotely. Drawing from other countries, some companies had already started the practice of working from home before the country went into a lockdown. APEX talked to a few people who saw the ‘work from home’ culture as either largely good or largely bad.

Largely good

Extra time for reading, meditation

Yogina Shakya, senior talent officer, CloudFactory

I had started working from home a week before the lockdown. I already had two years of experience in this during my master’s studies. So I didn’t have a hard time adjusting.

The best thing about working from home is that it saves commute time. And keeps you from the terrible traffic and pollution. Now, you avoid all those and work freely. Who would not feel good about it? You can use that extra time to read or watch something good, or just stretch. It allows me time to meditate or to do a quick cardio. Working from home also means you get homemade healthy meals.

Boosting collaboration

Saurav Thapa Shrestha, general secretary, YUWA

I love working from home, having video calls with my colleagues, and collaborating on different ideas. Many people are working together via different online platforms such as Google products, Slack, Notion, ClickUp, and the like. It helps keep track of productivity and project activities. There are video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet to help maintain good work relations with everyone.

Comfy pajamas and frequent breaks

Manshi Chand, trainee writer, Top Nepal International

What would be better than getting paid during the lockdown? My expenses are zero and I can work when I want to, wearing comfy pajamas and taking a break whenever I want—and I still get the work done. The luxury is unbeatable.

Amazing flexibly

Ishwari Bhattarai, sociologist

People working from home have flexibility. They can avoid long and cumbersome travel to office. I expect Online and virtual communications will replace face-to-face communications if the lockdown is given continuity for the foreseeable future. Rapid expansion of technology will facilitate it. Many middle and upper class people have access to smartphones, laptops, and the internet. People can spend more time with their families as well as work flexibly.

Largely bad

Could increase stress and anxiety

Saurav Thapa Shrestha, general secretary, YUWA

Whether we are employees or employers, ‘work from home’ functions only if there is honesty, discipline, and willingness to work. Without these, you don’t get measurable results.

People need to have self-discipline while working from home, as our minds get diverted easily. Those who have a habit of working from office will initially find it difficult, as they might feel lonely and less confident. This might increase stress and anxiety.

Internet connection a major challenge

Sudip Dhungana, senior HR officer at MAW Earthmovers (JCB Nepal)

As a human resources officer, I need to consider many things. Engaging everyone is challenging. Almost all organizations are closed and businesses have been affected, and HR professionals are concerned about timely payment of staff salaries.

While working from home, team members can easily make excuses like lack of electricity and patchy internet. I think stable internet connection is most important for effectively working from home. But often the connection is slow as many people are spending their time online during the lockdown. Due to poor the connection, I have to buy data packs to complete my work.

Not our culture

Pooja Shrestha, Grande International Hospital

Technology is only in its infancy in Nepal. We have only just been introduced to stuffs like e-banking and online shopping. There is only so much you can get done from home. We need a cultural change as we are more used to working in office, not home. Also, not everyone has the luxury of working from home.

Confined to comfort zone

Manshi Chand, trainee writer, Top Nepal International

Despite the luxury of working from home, I would still like go to an actual office to work. You can never progress by being confined to your comfort zone.

Limits human interaction

Ishwari Bhattarai, sociologist

Virtual interactions have limits. Access to the internet may be concentrated in urban settings. Also, the trend of online shopping would eventually reduce interaction among diverse sets of people. They would be confined to their own networks, which may increase alienation. New kinds of social and psychological problems might emerge as a result.

The agricultural sector in eastern Nepal is in dire straits on the face of the corona pandemic. As the lockdown prolongs, production and distribution are affected, and hundreds of thousands of farmers and traders fear severe financial distress. The resulting slowdown in production and supplies is set to result in long-term shortage of agro products in Province 1.

While consumers don’t find vegetables to buy, farmers are compelled to let their produce rot in the farms. Nobody comes to pick them, and the farmers have no means to deliver them to vegetable shops. “We expected the market to open soon. But the situation only got worse after Covid-19 cases were reported in Udayapur district,” says Navin Chandravanshi, a farmer at Baraha Kshetra, Sunsari. “One trader came and bought just two sacks of vegetables, while the vegetables in the farm worth some Rs 200,000 rotted.”

Vegetable prices have gone up too. Traders who buy directly from farmers sell bought vegetables at significant mark-ups. Before the lockdown, traders used to come to Chandravanshi’s farm to pick vegetables. He thinks it would be good for both the farmers and the consumers if vegetables can be sold directly to consumers instead of involving middlemen. “But we lack a mechanism to do that,” he says.

Businesses dealing in fertilizers, seeds and other agro supplies are miffed at government indifference in protecting and promoting the agro sector. “The indifference toward farmers is sure to create problems in the long run,” says Gyanendra Parajuli, owner of Sagar Feed Industries. Unable to sell eggs and chicken due to the lockdown, he has been burying 45,000 chicks a week these days. He also claims to be destroying 60,000 eggs per week.

Parajuli anticipates the 22,000 hens in his farm to die in the next 6-7 months. “I have ordered new hens from Thailand and paid for them too. But I am now in no position to import them,” he adds. “The farm will remain closed for about three months at least. By the time the lockdown is over, there will be a sharp drop in the production of chicken and eggs.”

Other poultry farmers share Parajuli’s plight. Many are selling chicken below cost price. “There is shortage of poultry feed, and we cannot even supply chicken that are ready,” says Suresh Basnet, a poultry farmer.

Lack of coordination among the authorities is adding to the farmers’ woes. Parajuli shares, “The government says we can transport our produce. The district administration says we don’t need a vehicle pass. But the policemen on the road keep troubling us.” He fears continued lockdown will shatter the poultry industry.

Not only poultry, other farmers also foresee a crisis in agriculture in the next few months. Farmer Karna Bahadur Karki from Baraha Kshetra, who saw his tomatoes rot on the farm, says, “The crop has rotted. Now we have neither seeds nor fertilizers for the next crop.”

Meanwhile, dairy farmers are also in a bad state. Dairy firms and cooperatives have slashed their purchase by half. Says Baburam Khatri, chairman of Itahari-based Kamadhenu Dairy Cooperative, “The tea shops, restaurants, and bakery shops that consume milk have closed. About 14,000 farmers from six districts who sold us milk are directly hit as we have been compelled to reduce purchase.”

On April 25, Nepal marked the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake that rendered nearly 3.5 million people homeless, destroyed countless public and government buildings, and claimed around 9,000 lives. Five years on, 87 percent of private houses have been rebuilt, according to public records. Yet thousands are still forced to take shelter in tents and cracked buildings.

Soon after the earthquake, the government decided to give Rs 300,000 in grant to each affected household, on an installment basis, to build new houses. But the cash proved insufficient for the poor and vulnerable groups to build houses by sticking to the construction standards set by the Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA). In contrast, the comparably rich households took the government grant and built their houses, either by adding their own money or by taking out loans.

Initially, neither the government nor donor agencies paid much attention to vulnerable groups. There are basically two categories of households that have been unable to rebuild. The first group is comprised of single women, elderly, disabled, the landless people who do not have citizenship certificates, and the extremely poor, all of whom have been categorized as vulnerable. They are yet to start rebuilding despite accepting Rs 50,000 in the first installment of the government grant. 

In the second group are those who built the house foundation with the first installment but were then unable to complete the house. For this group of people, the NRA has a policy of providing Rs 300,000 in loan with five percent interest. But the commercial banks are hesitant, and an expected progress has not materialized. NRA officials say banks are not cooperating enough. 

 Foundational challenge

Sonam Funjo Sherpa, 65, from Chhekampar of Gorkha district shares a painful story. Widowed after the death of his wife a decade ago, he has been alone and unable to rebuild. “He cannot walk, but it takes five days to reach to district headquarters to apply for the grant,” says Ward Chair Pasang Funjo Lama. “He has a torn citizenship certificate without a photo, and his name is blurred. So he needs a new citizenship certificate too.” Sherpa is living in a house damaged by the earthquake.

Likewise, Ram Bahadur Shrestha, a permanent resident of Indrawati Rural Municipality in Sindhupalchowk district, says the Rs 50,000 he got in first installment was spent flattening his steep land so that he could build on it. “I do not have money to build the damp-proof course, the house foundation, which is essential to be eligible for the second grant installment,” Shrestha says, adding that he is not in a position to take out a loan. Nor does he have all the required documents. His four-member family is living in a makeshift house. 

Initially, there were an estimated 18,000 vulnerable people. Of them, according to the NRA, 3,000 have built their houses with the assistance of donor agencies, local governments, and other philanthropic organizations. “Currently, around 15,000 people have not started building their houses. We have instructed local governments to collect data of such groups. The lockdown has disrupted the task of data-collection,” says Manohar Ghimire, joint spokesperson and information officer at the NRA.

To resolve their problem, the NRA plans to provide them with an additional Rs 50,000 in grant but the cabinet is yet to endorse it. Similarly, the NRA will request local governments and interested donor agencies to assist vulnerable groups. “We are deploying carpenters and other technical manpower to help this group build their houses,” says Ghimire.

 Commercial disinterest 

For the second category of people, the NRA has been urging the commercial banks to simplify loan procedure. Soon after the earthquake, the government brought out a scheme of providing low-interest bank loans but the scheme has been poorly implemented. Commercial banks were reluctant to give loans to poor people, and the process was made extremely difficult for those who could not show a regular source of income. 

The NRA has also been continuously talking with commercial banks about concessional loans for vulnerable people. In 2017, the cabinet had endorsed the Working Procedure for Subsidised Credit, which allows the people who were unable to build houses after taking the first installment to take out further loans. But hundreds of earthquake-affected families cannot produce the required documents. 

The vulnerable people in earthquake-affected districts are still living in temporary or damaged houses, and even a small earthquake can destroy their abodes. There are also poor people who got the first requirement but spent the money to sustain their livelihood. Bishnu Maya Pariyar of Ajirkot, Gorkha district says, “The 50,000 rupees we got in the first installment were spent on daily essentials. Now, we don’t know how to go about rebuilding our homes,” Pariyar says. 

Single women face additional difficulties in earthquake-affected districts. Sarita Karki, 32, a resident of Kamalamai Municipality-5 of Sindhuli district, has lost all hopes. Soon after the earthquake, her husband, who was working in Malaysia, died. “I have since been struggling to feed my son and daughter. I hear the government helps single women purchase land and build a house. But I don’t know how to go about it,” she says.  

Bishnu Maya Magar, 62, of the same village, was abandoned by her husband 10 years ago. Her only income is government allowance for single women, and there is no way she can build a house on her own.  

Five years since the earthquake, thousands of poor and vulnerable families are still struggling to put a roof over their heads. With the monsoon approaching, they could not get help soon enough. 

With inputs from our district correspondents Shiva Ram Upreti (Gorkha), Yubaraj Puri (Sindhupalchowk), and Rajan Gaunle (Sindhuli)