What happened to Natahsah?

31 year-old Natahsah is the main caregiver of her 4 year-old son with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Naufal scored extremely low on cognitive function tests and is also non-communicative, making it difficult for him to express his needs to the people around him. 

Natahsah’s husband, 39,  works as a mover and earns around $900 a month. Being blind in one eye, finding better paying, suitable employment seems unlikely to the couple. While Natahsah hopes to get employment to improve her family’s financial situation, she hasn’t been able to find work that could fit into her caregiving schedule.

How can you help?

By donating, you can help fund Naufal’s milk and diapers for 6 months ($385.55/month), while Ray of Hope links her up to programmes and resources that will improve Natahsah’s capability to care for her son with special needs.

Find out more/ Appeal from Natahsah:

Natahsah was previously employed as a security officer, earning approximately $1,800 a month. However, she stopped working in 2019 after her son was born. The family of 3 lives in a 1-room rental flat.

“My friends and the people around me did not understand my son’s ASD condition and why he behaved in a certain manner. Seeing their discomfort, I chose to distance myself from them and focus on being my son’s full-time caregiver”, Natahsah shared with the caseworkers.

Caring for her son is a full-time role in itself, and Natahsah barely gets any breathing space. As Naufal only attends school at the Early Intervention Programme for Infants & Children (EIPIC) Centre three half days a week, his schooling arrangement has made it difficult for Natahsah to seek employment due to the limited number of hours she is able to work. When Naufal is in school, Natahsah uses these pockets of time to get through the household chores that pile up during the rest of the week while she cares for Naufal.

With only one breadwinner, it has been challenging for the family to keep up with their expenses. Nonetheless, Natahsah does her best to stay positive and treasures her son deeply. When asked what has kept her going, she shared:

“Naufal is my only son. I can’t give birth anymore. I had an ectopic pregnancy after Naufal was born and had to remove the ruptured ovarian cyst. Now, I only have a 10% chance of being pregnant again.” While all may seem bleak during the hardest times, Natahsah still has hope that Naufal’s wellbeing and development would improve over time with the intervention from the EIPIC program.

*Natahsah is receiving social assistance. Her assistance ends in March 2023.