The historic protests that took place in Sri Lanka on Saturday, which seem to have convinced both the president of the prime minister to resign were a "huge effort by the public", Catherine Mack, a demonstrator, told BBC News.
The mother-of-2 from Colombo says, "We just want to see change for the better. It's not violence."
It's amazing to see so many people march on the streets and protest for change. It has changed my outlook. It is a great idea.
Dinithika Appuhamy (27-year-old university lecturer) said that the unity and achievements of the Sri Lankan people are to be celebrated, but she warned that resignations have not been made official.
Both women are acutely aware of the country’s economic woes and hope that a new leadership will improve it.
Dinithika is able to afford basic living expenses like food and medicine. However, she claims that she knows many people who cannot.
She says that many people in Sri Lanka don't have refrigerators so they drink powdered milk. Many children and babies are now without milk because of the shortage.
She says that while some people can live on just one meal per day, others are trying to grow their own food. However, "if you live within an urban area, it's not possible to magically grow food in a few weeks' time."
Fertilizer is so costly that you can only find it on the black market, she said.
Also, medical supplies are running low. Dinithika's dad is a cancer patient who recently had his thyroid removed. For survival, he relies on daily medication.
She says, "We have enough medicine to last us six months. But beyond that, we don't know how to proceed." "My sister is in the US so I hope she can send us medicine. Not everyone in Sri Lanka has a US-born daughter.
The crisis has had an impact on the lecturer.
After power cuts left her with no choice, she returned to Marawila 70km (43 mi) from Colombo a few months back.
Because of the poor internet connection in her rural home, it is difficult to follow government guidelines for teaching from home.
She explains that it is virtually impossible to get in. Fuel queues cause roadblocks. My internet connection is not great. My students live in rural areas that are even further from mys. It's almost futile sometimes.
"Even if you could go to university, sometimes there is no power. I work in an engineering plant. You can't do practicals without electricity."
Dinithika cries when asked about her future. She says, "I had enormous prospects for my future." It's all gone downhill. It has reached a point that survival is the priority.
Leisha, a Colombo mother-of-3 who didn't want to be identified, protests against government three to four days a week. She describes how fuel queues now reach their protest site, which is 3km away from petrol pumps.
She says that "now the rest of the globe is getting back to normal life and we're stuck with this," and accuses the leaders of incompetence and mismanagement.
She is wary of politicians who say only "something to keep your happy for a few weeks", and she worries that Sri Lanka will soon come to a halt.
Catherine is one lucky Sri Lankan who has food, private healthcare, and a large garden.
The crisis has been a source of inconvenience rather than actual hardship for "middle-income" families such as hers.
Some women who support her at daily protests make a maximum of 1,500 Sri Lankan Rupees per day (PS3.40, 4.10) which is "all they need to make ends meet".
Bread is now unaffordable at Rs 170. Women and their families eat rice for three meals. There's also a small amount of vegetable, coconut sambol, and sometimes soya beef. Eggs, which are now priced at Rs 50 per egg, are not often on the menu.
Many families find themselves forced to cook openly in small enclosed spaces. This puts their family and friends at risk.
Catherine hopes for a multi-party government to be formed in Sri Lanka and that aid donations will increase.
She says, "So we can begin to get out from this mess." "This is our hope, and this is why we are all protesting."
Dinithika says, "The last few days are at a breaking point." "People don’t care anymore. "Why bother working when everything is going to hell?"
She said that she hopes that the rest of the globe will see "how desperate the Sri Lankan people want their government to go".
