Hope Place delivers aid to woman suffering from mental illness
The struggles of a single mother in taking care of her children, while battling mental illness, have come to the attention of Hope Place Kuching.
A social worker at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), upon learning about the family’s plight, reached out to the nongovernmental organisation (NGO).
Hope Place recently visited the woman, aged 43, and her two children at their house in Kampung Bunuk, Jalan Puncak Borneo near here.
The NGO was informed that the woman was first diagnosed with the mental disorder back in 2015, to which her medical report showed that she suffered from severe depression.
“Currently, she is taking two types of oral medications daily, and a monthly injection,” said Hope Place in a statement yesterday.
The family’s struggles intensified when the woman’s eldest son, aged 21, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2021.
“He, too, is taking medication. The boy told us that he used to hear ‘voices’, even when there’s no one around,” said Hope Place.
The sudden passing of the woman’s husband in 2015 was a great loss to the family, one that plunged the widow into a deep depression.
The woman’s second child has since assumed the responsibilities of a caregiver, at only 17 years old, forsaking her education by dropping out of Form 4 last year.
Her daily duties include cooking, cleaning, and tending to the needs of her mother and brother.
Nonetheless, the family draws comfort from the widow’s elderly parents and brother who live nearby.
“Her only source of income comes from the Welfare Department’s monthly financial aid of RM300 and her late husband’s Social Security Organisation (Socso)’s monthly compensations.
“Hope Place, on the other hand, is supporting the family with food aid,” it added.
Hope Place can be contacted on 082-505 987 during regular operational hours, 8am to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays, and 8am to noon on Saturdays.
Hope Place welcomes all donations, offering receipts upon request.
Contributions can be made directly to the NGO’s bank account (Maybank: 511289001160) or via their Facebook page to obtain its Sarawak Pay / S PAY GLOBAL QR code.