Digital lifeline for women running Asia’s small businesses

A seamstress sews face masks, to be used as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 novel coronavirus, in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. The coronavirus pandemic has threatened businesses around the globe, but the lack of digital know-how has exacerbated the risk for small businesses, many led by women in South-East Asia. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: When the coronavirus stopped her husband working, Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc’s small business of selling cosmetics from home became the main income for this Vietnamese family of four.

But her business took a hit as, unlike many micro-entrepreneurs, she could not exploit online platforms and deliveries beyond her personal Facebook page.