Orphaned By Covid, These Children In UP Stare At Uncertain Future

At least 200 children in Uttar Pradesh have lost both parents to Covid and 1,800 others have least one, according to the state government.

"I had never thought something like this would happen. Even during last year's lockdown, we were fine. But this time, things went out of control," says a 14-year-old in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, who has lost both her parents to Covid last month. In the congested room in which paint is peeling off the walls, the girl breaks down repeatedly while narrating how both her parents succumbed to the infection within a week. The grief at the loss is now accompanied by an uncertainty surrounding her future. Her father ran a shop of ayurvedic medicines and the mother was a homemaker. Having lost both, the teenager now faces critical questions regarding her education and sustenance. At least 200 children in Uttar Pradesh have lost both parents to the pandemic and 1,800 others have lost one parent, according to the state government.