In an effort to assist her family, an underprivileged Form 4 student chooses not to eat in school to save her pocket money for educational purposes.
Berapit assemblywoman (ADUN) Heng Lee Lee took to her Facebook page to share that she visited the Form 4 student’s family.
She wrote, “Mrs Lim Sook Ya is a single mother. Since her husband passed away 2 years ago, the responsibility of raising 3 daughters has been fully shouldered by her. However, she was later diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and is still undergoing treatment and recovery.”
“Now, the family’s only source of income is the SOCSO pension of RM2,457 a month, which has to cover the living, medical and educational expenses of the family of 4. Everything is very challenging. All 3 of her daughters are still in school. The eldest, who is currently in Form 4, studies very hard and takes several tuition classes.”
Heng then discovered that the eldest daughter had been purposefully skipping meals at school so that her pocket money could go towards paying for her tuition classes.
“Every day, after having breakfast at home, she usually does not buy food during the school break and only eats when she gets home. This is not because she isn’t hungry but because she wants to save money. In fact, she prefers to use her pocket money on her studies.”
“Hearing this really touched my heart. A teenager, who is still in school, is already thinking about making sacrifices for her family,” Heng added.
Kind souls have offered to help
Heng went on to share that she had managed to get an entrepreneur to donate RM4,000 to cover the student’s tuition fees for a year, but found out that another caring individual had already covered her tuition fees.
Hence, Heng has chosen to channel the RM4,000 donation towards the children’s daily meal expenses.
“At least while they are at school, they no longer have to overthink their meals.”
“Some aid may not be big, but if given at the right time, it means a lot. I also pray for Mrs Lim to recover soon and may this family continue to be strong in facing their challenges,” she said.
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