Once a recipient of HCSA Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre, a Therapeutic Group Home for girls who have suffered the complex trauma of abuse and/or neglect, Rachel* hopes to eventually pay it forward one day.
HCSA Dayspring SPIN has supported this single mum with child-minding, skills upgrading and even refurbishing of her house, to give her hopes and dreams for the future.
“I am a single parent to a 19-year-old, Hedir, and two 6-year-olds, Haiqel and Haaziq. Haiqel is my sister’s son, who is under my care as she is incarcerated. It wasn’t easy to care for the kids on my own,…
“I felt extremely alone when my husband passed away as I had no one to rely on for emotional support. The only other relative I had in Singapore was my mother-in-law who, following the death of her son, went back…
“Growing up, I suffered from depression and anxiety due to the bullying I faced since Secondary 1. As the bullying got worse, my sense of self-worth dropped as well and I began self-harming. Cutting became a daily routine for me…
“Life hasn’t always been easy for me especially juggling between being a single mother of four children and a full-time job as a cleaner. I used to reside in family shelters and was struggling to make ends meet. I had…
“As a single mom with anxiety and depression, starting my own soap business seemed like an impossible dream as I couldn’t afford the resources while supporting my young son. The people around me were not hopeful of my soap-making venture…
“As a mother who has been very blessed by others, I wanted to help other parents who needed support in return. I chose to volunteer at SPIN because I liked how their focus was on supporting single parents. It has…
“Home should be a refuge for the family. And it makes me happy if I can, in any way, impart skills and share knowledge to help parents make the home a place where the whole family feels a sense of…