In March, Ketut Suwitra hoped to keep his business afloat and his people employed. By May, all hotels, boutiques, spas, restaurants, and even the international airport had closed. All businesses in Bali ground to a devastating halt. Ketut Suwitra is still waiting for life to start back up.
"How is my small business going to survive?" is the question that keeps him up at night. Ketut’s shop is situated on the outskirts of Ubud, a popular tourist destination. In 2002, he set up a workshop devoted to producing apparel, investing in high-quality design, fabric, batik and paints while keeping his work affordable. Over the years, he was able to hire ten artists in addition to himself.
"Today, because of COVID-19, I have no one," he says. "In May, I had the unenviable and heartbreaking task of informing my staff that they no longer had their jobs. I could not sleep nights knowing I had affected many, many lives. Here in Bali, education and schools are not free. The snowball effect on my staff was crippling.
"Each month I make up food hampers with basic essentials to make sure my former assistants will have food on their plates. I am just a small fish in a very big ocean and pray each day this pandemic will end. I fervently wish that my work can sell well to all of you. I pray this will help me to start up again." |
