BEDONG – A couple from Kampung Siam here was left with no choice but to send their daughter to an orphanage as they could no longer afford to raise the 16-year-old teenager on their own.
The couple lost their ability to provide for their family when the husband, Roslan Ibrahim, 47, had to quit his job since an accident left him unable to walk without crutches. Life dealt them another blow when the wife, Siti Noor Liana Mohd Rasmi, 36, was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Since then, the couple and their two other children, aged 12 and five, who are still living with them, have had to survive on the RM300 monthly allowance received from the state welfare department. The family has also been receiving assistance from the Kedah zakat department in the form of basic necessities.
Their older son, a Year 6 pupil, has been helping out at a food stall nearby during school holidays to ease the family’s financial burden.
He said that from the RM300 monthly allowance, RM120 would go to rent and other utilities while the balance to buying provisions, including the adult formula needed by his wife due to her illness.
“I am grateful to the state welfare department for covering my wife’s surgery cost which amounted to almost RM30,000.
“Despite the assistance received, we still have to tighten our belts and could not afford to look after all our children. There are also additional expenses for follow-up treatments for my wife and I the Sultanah Bahiyah and Sultan Abdul Halim hospitals.
“We are at our wit’s end as we can no longer pay rent. I have tried to apply for housing assistance from the Kedah Regional Development Authority several times, but have yet to receive any response,” said Roslan.
– NST
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