Kathmandu, May 15 -- In January 2018, 47-year-old Sonam Lama pooled in all her savings of Rs 700,000 and added that to a loan of Rs 150,000 to buy a restaurant on sale in Boudha. For Lama, the investment was huge, but the small eatery, Didiko Khajaghar, was located in an area that saw a lot of footfall, and she knew that if she worked hard enough getting the returns on the investment wouldn't be very difficult.

Until January this year, a year into operations, Lama worked seven days a week, and her daily sales averaged Rs 6,000. After paying the rent, utility bills, and her three-member staff their salaries, she made a monthly profit of around Rs 35,000. She was well on her way to recouping her initial investment, and then Covid-19 happen...