Abi Tashi, 80, does not know where her next meal is coming from. She lives in a ramshackle of a house in Poikhar, Monggar with her 56-year-old daughter who is suffering from speech disability.
She is among the 90,000 people in Bhutan living under poverty line.
Even though poverty in the country is said to be declining steadily, much is left to be done, especially in the eastern region of the country. The Bhutan Poverty Assessment says poverty in Rural Bhutan has come down by more than half between 2007 and 2012.
The report also says poverty is higher in the Eastern Dzongkhags. Dagana, Samtse, Lhuentse, Pema Gatshel and Zhemgang have relatively higher rates of poverty. Pema Gatshel and Tsirang needs attention the most, the reports say.
Abi Tashi and her daughter survive by working for neighbours, who pay them Nu.100 per day. Like Abi Tashi, one in every eight Bhutanese, live in poverty.