The second wave of the pandemic raged through the country

As the second wave of the pandemic raged through the country, panic and fear gripped the citizens amidst an over stretched healthcare system, fragile infrastructure and shortages of the most essential requirements for the treatment of those infected by the virus. Frustration abounded among health practitioners and frontline workers compelled to make do with what was available. Anger resonates on social media platforms as older adults having received the first dose of the Covishield vaccine are still waiting for their second dose with no certainty that they would receive it within the recommended timeframe, and with no information either on whether the booster response would work on the delayed time schedule. While the government remained mired in its own controversies and power play, it has been once again the youth who have risen to the challenges and spread themselves to work in so many different areas of need. From creating emergency response mechanisms and networks to working on the field to reach people in need, it becomes a gripping necessity for all Nepalis to understand that the course of leadership must change to have majority representation of young people in political and bureaucratic positions of authority as we go to polls again. Nepal was gasping to breathe… once more it was network of Nepalis living overseas or friends of Nepal across the world who came forward to do whatever they could to mitigate the challenges. Here I must mention the many unsung heroes who have worked silently with no need for acknowledgement to ensure that they contributed to ease the pains of the pandemic. While the focus remains on health as it should, there is an economic tsumani that will have to be faced after the second lockdown. It will choke the life of many businesses, severe the livelihoods and sustenance of hundreds of thousands. It won’t be easy and it will require a leadership that can think, negotiate, pre determine and navigate the crisis ahead. Will our system deliver? Do we have our priorities in place? Will the time ahead allow us to breathe? Here I implore all established businesses, please open your hearts and minds to allow the people who work for you to survive this pandemic. Your philanthropy means nothing if it does not include the people who work for you. This is a humanitarian crisis on multiple fronts. If we do not look out for each other, if we do not work as a collective force, if we do not collaborate and connect, humanity will have failed.