The condition of 79-year-old widow Mangali Bishwokarma of Bhimeshwor Municipality in Dolakha district is pitiable as the devastating earthquake of April 25, 2015 destroyed her house and killed her husband.

Increasing cold and shortage of daily essentials have made her life insufferable, she said.

“I might not have to face these difficulties if I too had died in the earthquake.”

Mangali’s son, Hirakaji, said there is no work in the village and he cannot leave his old mother alone to go work elsewhere.

“She is suffering from asthma and fever, but I cannot take her to see a doctor,” Hirakaji said. District Women and Children Office (DWCO) has no idea how single women and widows are coping in the aftermath of the earthquake. There are many women like Mangala in the district who need support and care.

DWCO Chief Laxmi Dhakal said at least 19 women in the district were widowed in the earthquake and they were planning to help them.

“The lack of budget has delayed our plan,” he said.