Breaking the poverty cycle

While her three kids with her ex-husband have since grown up and are leading their own lives, Mdm Tan now has a 16-year-old daughter from another relationship and a minor ward under her care.

To devote more time to her children, Mdm Tan works as a cleaner on a part-time basis. Her battles with chronic carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition causing pain in her hands extending to her back, has rendered her unable to work in many jobs.

As the sole breadwinner of the family, Mdm Tan’s concerns about providing for her children’s growing needs has been alleviated, thanks to the savings she has accumulated since joining MWS Family Development Programme (FDP) in 2018, where MWS matches $2 for every dollar that Mdm Tan saves.

“I feel less stressed now because I have some savings in the event of emergencies or for my children’s education in future,” shared Mdm Tan.

She added that being under MWS FDP has motivated her to curb unnecessary spending and save for emergencies, and that the savings have come in handy.

“When I was going through the divorce in my 30s, I borrowed money from my childhood friends to repay my ex-husband’s debt. Till today, they didn’t chase me to return the money,” she shared.

“But recently, one of them had a family emergency and asked me to pay her back, so I used a portion of the savings. If not for these savings, I would be stressed out. I think this is a wonderful programme and I have been blessed by it.”