Because there is time to kill and bills to pay.

When Covid-19 landed, it landed hard and fast.

It not only disrupted entire industries, but the ensuring ripple effects had a very definite impact on the everyday folks as lockdowns were implemented. And the worst part – the restriction periods got longer and longer.

Even as Singapore slowly revives from a period of stasis, the recovery is taking a long time -some more than others – and lives have already changed, through lost jobs or a lack of work to occupy their time.

#MakingTheBest out of the situation is something we humans try to do, and to find this resilience within the users of the trading platform Carousell was heartening to see. But even more heartwarming, was how some also chose to translate their circumstances into helping others as well, showing empathy to their communities.

There is Jane (@pangopup.paints) who hand-paints postcards to raise funds for the heavily-affected migrant community in Singapore. And Lynne (@botanicalsandbees) who donates 20 percent of her proceeds to Empowering Lives Asia – helping children in poverty attain proper education.

And because masks are so ubiquitous these days, some have used that as a way to help.

Winnie (@qqworkshop) from Hong Kong channeled her nifty sewing skills to make fabric masks, so as to help those who were experiencing shortages in their areas be able to get protection. While Sofia from the Philippines cleverly helped out her family by producing fabric mask, but also at low rates so as to let others resell them as income to support themselves.

Others found success too in reshaping their livelihood. Make-up artist Valerie (@tiffzty)from Singapore lost all her gigs during the lockdown, but was surprised to find popularity with her savvy at making reusable masks with attractive designs and comfortable material.

While we have seen how the tech industry has alleviated businesses from some of the effects of this pandemic, Carousell has been one of the few examples which demonstrates digital accessibility for the good of people on the ground.