My husband was rendered completely jobless when the first wave of covid hit the country. The first year was a complete struggle, with my mother-in-law’s pension being the only source of income. The village I live in – Banwari, is a highly underdeveloped area. There is not much scope for employment, and my husband was reluctant to leave the place as we had an ancestral home there. That saved us rent. So, the struggle continued even when the curbs were removed. We had no work. But during the second wave, I enrolled myself in Refresh, which helped me sustain my family of five. Not only was I earning money, but we were also supported with rations during the pandemic. It was like a new ray of hope in all our lives.