Kathmandu, Oct. 19 -- Since being displaced from Kathmandu's Thapathali squatter settlement on April 25, Harimaya Jimba has spent six months in a government holding centre, waiting for a place to call home again.

She could not afford even a pair of glass bangles for Teej. With Dashain and Tihar approaching, the festivals are bringing into focus all she has lost: her home, her livelihood and the comfort of celebrating with her family.

Without a home or a job, Jimba does not know how she will celebrate the festivals this year. In previous years, she spent them with her family. This time, even that is uncertain.

"What is there for people like us to celebrate? What do Dashain and Tihar mean to us?" she said. "We used to earn a living and l...