KUALA LUMPUR – While Christmas is generally a time of joy and celebration for Christians, not everyone is fortunate enough to experience merriment during this festive season.
Among those facing challenges is Prema Sinniah, a resilient 24-year-old single mother.
She finds herself at the crossroads of courage and adversity, working tirelessly throughout the holidays to ensure that her children have enough to eat.
The mother of two, who frequently attends the Samaathana Koodaaram Tamil church in Taman Sentosa, Klang faced a challenging start to life – losing her parents at the tender age of 16.
Despite this difficult circumstance, she showed remarkable resilience by fending for herself.
Upon high school graduation, she pursued her education at a local college. With the income she earned working in fast-food restaurants, she successfully attained a Diploma in Legal Secretary.
Unfortunately, due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, she lost her job at a firm located in Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur.
Later, Prema married a lorry driver. However, the marriage took an unexpected turn and crumbled three months ago when she was heavily pregnant with her second child.
She has two boys – 3 years old and the youngest is 3 months old.
Currently, she is employed at a factory in Bukit Jalil, situated 37km from her hostel in Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2, Klang. She commutes to work using the factory-provided bus.
“I work 12-hour shifts per day. So basically, I wake up at 5.30am, take the bus at 6.30am for the job, which starts at 8am.
“I don’t miss the chance to work overtime on weekends to make extra income too. My kids are getting older, and the extra income would be a great help,” she told Scoop.
Noting that the only time she gets to spend time with her children is during off days, Prema said she has made arrangements with a babysitter to ensure the well-being of her children while she is at work.
“Usually, if I do get overtime on Saturdays, then I will only see them on Sundays.
“However, when there’s a long weekend public holiday, I would do overtime and see them on my next off day.
“As for now, I won’t risk getting off from work for too long,” she said, adding that her current focus is on acquiring additional funds to buy a house where she and her children could live.
Bavithira Theresa from Taman Sentosa Klang also shares a similar ordeal.
The single mother of two, who frequents the same church as Prema, has been managing her finances on her own since three years ago, when her former husband divorced her without a reason.
To make matters more difficult, one of her children, 6-year-old Fiona Adelina, is an autistic child.
“My ex-husband filed for divorce three years ago and left us without a trace until today.
“From what I hear from time to time, he is still somewhere on Carey Island. He is still a fisherman, but I have yet to see him,” she said, adding that he does not provide any financial support at all or even try making any contact.
The 27-year-old is trying to make additional income by cleaning houses. However, the job is now in low demand in Klang and the surrounding area.
Her eldest son, Raatheep, who is 10 years old, is currently attending a boarding school in Melaka, she said, adding that this arrangement somewhat eases her burden as all the expenses are covered by the government.
Yet the circumstances for her younger daughter, Fiona, are far different.
“Fiona should be entering Primary 1 next year. Given her condition, I was told that she needs to be enrolled in a special school, which is currently not available in Klang.
“I am still waiting for responses from a few people on the next step; however, I worry as time is drawing closer to the 2024 academic year,” she said.
At the moment, Theresa is actively searching for various odd job opportunities to secure adequate funds, ensuring that she can afford to enrol Fiona in a private school if the need arises for a proper education. – December 26, 2023