A chance at a better future

My name is Jane. My husband passed away a few years ago and I have a daughter who is 10 years old. My daughter and I are Singapore Permanent Residents, and we do not have any relatives in Singapore. It has been very difficult to live here in Singapore as a single parent with limited income and support from my family.

My daughter’s school introduced me to LCCS in 2019 to help me in my employment. Through their program, I managed to get an interview with a company. However, I could not commit to a full-time employment as I was worried for my daughter’s safety. We were living in an open-rental flat with other tenants and I did not feel comfortable in leaving her to be alone at home. It was difficult to find a job that allowed me to be with my daughter at home.

As a single parent with no stable job, I faced with a lot of financial challenges. LCCS supported my daughter and I during these difficult times. There was a time when I was very concerned about my daughter as she was very weak in her studies, and I could not afford to send her to private tuition. LCCS helped me to find a sponsor to allow my daughter to attend a private group tuition. Since my daughter attended the tuition, her grades improved greatly, and she was listed as one of the finalists in her school Math Competition.

I decided to commit to a full-time job since June as my daughter and I have rented a new flat on our own without having the need to share with strangers. However, I was still worried about my daughter as with Covid-19, my daughter would spend a lot of time alone during Home-Based Learning and the June holidays. I expressed my concerns to my caseworker, and they provided a mentor to connect with my daughter. My daughter felt happy as she got  the opportunity to share her concerns about her studies and her feelings about her relationships around her.

I have been employed for close to 4 months now and I am working towards better future with my daughter. I am also on a saving scheme with LCCS that matches twice my monthly savings2. This helps me to save and have some money for my family in the future. I am thankful for my caseworker as she has supported my daughter and I through our difficult moments which made us feel that we are not alone.

[1] Names have been changed to retain the confidentiality of the individual [2] Amount contributed by LCCS is capped at $200 every month.