Shivanjita Devi and her husband go hungry to sleep to ensure their children always have something to eat.
The Baulevu, Nausori resident said sacrificing meals for their children was part and parcel of being a parent.
“I always feed my children first because we can sleep on an empty stomach, they should not,” she said.
The mother of three said things went downhill very quickly when her husband was told to stay at home because of the COVID-19 lockdown.
“We completely depend on whatever my husband earned and because he is at home now, we have to manage with whatever we have.” Ms Devi said they had resorted to eating whatever was in their small garden.
“We have bele and dalo so during the day I just cook that and if there’s anything left then I cook that for our dinner. Sometimes we just eat noodles.
It’s really hard to manage and I feel so helpless.” She is having sleepless nights, thinking about what the future holds.
“During the night, I can’t sleep as I get worried about what will I feed my children if our groceries finish.
My youngest son is three years old and he needs diapers and we have almost run out.”
Ms Devi said if the lockdown was extended, the situation for her family would be dire. “We don’t have anyone to help us or any money left to see us through.
“But one thing I can tell you, my children will never see an empty plate even if I have to starve.”
