The Silent Struggles of a Widowed Mother

Caring for Orphaned Families

Widowhood is often described as a traumatic experience. Being a widowed mother to two growing children and the sole breadwinner of her family, Mdm Reen faces many different struggles everyday.

When we visited Mdm Reen and her family during our monthly distributions, we were warmly welcomed into their humble abode. Alhamdulillah, Mdm Reen, her two children and her mother have been healthy.

About what has strapped her finances down, Mdm Reen shared that it had been the housing loan.

"The housing loan, it is beyond me. I work overtime just to be able to pay my utility bills," Mdm Reen shared.

Being the sole breadwinner of the family and being responsible for two children financially, has taken a toll on her. There was a time when she worked for 10 days straight before she could have any rest.

Though she feels tired from work, sometimes she brings both her children out on the weekends. On other days, she ensures that she cooks for the family. Despite her exhaustion, our team was thankful that she received us with her gentle demeanour.

However when we asked how she had been coping with the loss of her husband, Mdm Reen broke down. One of the team members opened her arms, and the two of them embraced each other. It was a heavy and heart-wrenching moment for our team to witness.

Mdm Reen also shared that her children do mention their late father from time to time.

The pain that comes with losing someone can be tremendously overwhelming. Grief, in any form, is an isolating experience. For both a young child and a young mother, it is the loss of a special bond with a special person in their lives, a type of pain that few can relate to.

Our team hopes that grocery hampers, monetary aid and most importantly, our presence, not only comforts them but reassures them that they are loved, cared for and are not alone.

Last Ramadhan, our team spent an iftar with Mdm Hikmah and four of her children. Mdm Hikmah’s husband passed away due to cancer in 2021, just before Eid. He left behind seven children; four are currently living with Mdm Hikmah while the other three are under child support.

Her youngest child, Nasir, 3, was very shy but still friendly towards us. The other three children were excitedly showing our team their past family photos, pointing to photos of their late father and telling our team who he was. It was both heartwarming to see how the children remember their late father fondly, but heartbreaking to see how much they missed him.

When we recently caught up with the family during our monthly distributions, Mdm Hikmah’s eyes lit up with joy when she saw our team. Currently, Mdm Hikmah is still looking for a job and is really thankful for the aid that we have been providing for her these few months.

Hearing the stories of our beneficiaries, it’s hard for us to imagine being the sole provider and caretaker of our children. But for these widowed mothers who are silently struggling and putting on a strong front for their children, they are the beacon of light for their children and those around them.

More widowed mothers and orphaned families like Mdm Reen and Mdm Hikmah are counting on the help of our GER community through our Care for Orphaned Families campaign. Show them that they are not alone and lend a helping hand today.