Video
Masked, the documentary
21 June 2021
On March 23rd 2020 things changed for the people of Saint Lucia.
Masked, the documentary, highlights the results of the “Voices of Saint Lucian Women: A Study of the Impact of COVID-19 on Frontline Workers, Small Entrepreneurs, Pre-School Teachers and Hospitality Workers”. The women featured in the film are on the frontline. They are small entrepreneurs in early childhood education, hospitality and agriculture. Each one shares their personal stories of the immediate and longer-term impact of COVID-19, which for some has caused them to lose their jobs.
UN Women's Programme Specialist-Economic Empowerment & Statistics, Isiuwa Iyahen, explains that before the pandemic hit, 57% of hospitality workers were women and 43% men. The women recount how they were able to maintain their livelihoods, and how some of them were able to pivot to re-establish an income stream.
The documentary is a part of the project UN Women is undertaking with the Ministry of Equity and Social Justice in St. Lucia under the Joint SDG Funded Joint Programme on Universal Adaptive Social Protection, which is being implemented by UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP and ILO.