Background

Mdm Shikin*, 27 years old, is a mother to 4 children. Her eldest is 12 years old and the other three are between the ages of 1 – 6 years old. Her husband, 28 years old, is working full time as a logistics officer. Their youngest child, 1-year old daughter, suffers from bronchiolitis and Respiratory Syncytial Virus which affects the baby’s nose, throat and lungs. Her daughter has been to the A&E a few times this year due to various virus infections and Mdm Shikin is still trying to find a suitable milk powder for her daughter as she keeps vomiting and her body rejecting the many milk powder brands that her mother has bought for her.

The Struggle

Before Mdm Shikin became pregnant with her youngest daughter, she was working as a therapy assistant. Combined with the income of her husband, the family was able to manage financially. However, Mdm Shikin was terminated from her job when she became pregnant with her youngest daughter. She has been unable to work since then as she had a difficult pregnancy and due to her daughter’s health issues, she is currently her daughter’s full-time caregiver.

The family has been struggling financially ever since Mdm Shikin was terminated. Due to the drop in income and having to survive solely on her husband’s salary, the couple took on a bank loan in order to supplement the household expenditures. Mdm Shikin’s husband tries his best to repay back the bank on time however, due to that, he had incurred arrears with SP, HDB and Town Council.

Mdm Shikin tries her best to earn some money in order to relieve her husband’s financial burden by delivering food for Grab, however, she only earns about S$150 a month due to caregiving duties of her youngest daughter. Her husband has also quit smoking to better provide for his family.

Help Needed – Give Hope

Ray of Hope would like to raise S$1,500 (S$250 x 6 months) to defray the family’s living expenses while Mdm Shikin continues to look after her youngest daughter. It has not been an easy journey for the family after Mdm Shikin was terminated from her job following her pregnancy with her youngest daughter, but they are trying their best to weather through this storm together!

* Client is receiving government financial assistance

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of her youngest daughter