‘I have to support three groups of people back home’

Almost every woman living in a shared accommodation has an identical story no matter which country she belongs to. Sajitha Bahuleyan, 37, an Indian mother of two adolescent children, says her husband who had been in the UAE till recently lost his job and had to return to India.

“Ever since then I have been the sole breadwinner in my family. My children are studying in Pune, India, and live with my sister. I have to support her family and my kids and also send some money to my aged mother-in-law in Kerala. She is nearly 75, Bahuleyan says.

She sends Dh700 every month on average to her family as she remits Dh300 per month for household expenses to her sister in Pune and Dh1,200 every quarter to pay the school fees of her two children.

“In addition I send the rest of the money to my husband and mother-in-law and set aside Dh200 for myself,” she says.

Like other women, Bahuleyan survives on rice and curry that she cooks for the entire week as school starts early and she finds it economical and less tiring to cook just once a week.

“We have a refrigerator and microwave oven at our accommodation and it is much easier to cook and store in boxes in the fridge and come back and heat a portion of the food and eat.”

Bahuleyan subscribes to the Dh25 WiFi service and buys a phone card for Dh30 to make calls.

“I feel happy to hear the voices of my children. Earlier when my husband had a job, it was easier to have a few indulgences; I could go out with him and we would eat out. But now I save all my money as I have to support three groups of people and I cannot afford to waste a single fil. That is why an outing arranged by any volunteer organisation is so special for us. We get to laugh, dance, do free yoga, have nice food and also get goody bags from the sponsors,” Bahuleyan says.

Women like Bahuleyan have truly mastered the art of stretching the dirham to every fils.