a
g the p n i o k
New challenges While her three kids with her ex-husband have since grown up and are leading their
ve
own lives, Mdm Tan now has a 16-year-old
rt y cy
Br e
By the Methodist Welfare Services Communications Team / Photo courtesy of Methodist Welfare Services
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.
cle
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 Chiew Leng
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,"
M
shared Mdm Tan. dm Tan Chiew Leng, 52, has been through some rough patches in life.
She added that being under MWS FDP
At the age of three, she was placed in a
has motivated her to curb unnecessary
children's home by her mother, where she
spending and save for emergencies, and
stayed till the age of 18. Later in life, her
that the savings have come in handy.
marriage ended in a messy divorce and an accumulation of huge debt by her ex-
"When I was going through the divorce
husband under her name.
in my 30s, I borrowed money from my childhood friends to repay my ex-husband's
In desperation, Mdm Tan sold her house
debt. Till today, they didn't chase me to
to pay off the debt and was left with
return the money," she shared.
little savings to live on. Despite her dire circumstances, Mdm Tan has a fighting and
"But recently, one of them had a family
persevering spirit, working three jobs to
emergency and asked me to pay her back,
raise her three young children. "It was a very
so I used a portion of the savings. If not for
tough time," she recalled. "I would buy food
these savings, I would be stressed out. I
for my kids but drink water for my meals
think this is a wonderful programme and I
because I couldn't afford to eat."
have been blessed by it."
February 2023 Methodist Message 19