Ace grew up exposed to domestic violence from her parents and suffered abuse from her ex-husband. Being socially isolated from her family, she is now left feeling broken and mentally torn. Ace relies on medication to cope with her long-term depression and anxiety. Despite all that she has been through, Ace soldiers on and wants to build a better life for herself by upskilling herself.

Ray of Hope wishes to support Ace by raising $2,625 ($525 x 5 months) to support her living expenses while she upskills herself.

Speaking to our case workers, Ace opened up that as a child, she was exposed to her parents’ domestic violence and subsequent divorce. As an adult, she again experienced the trauma of her ex-husband cheating on her, stealing her identity, and exposing her nude photos online to threaten her. This has led to her phobia of the internet and her identity being taken away from her once more. As a consequence, she faces difficulties trusting others and her diagnosis with depression in 2019.

With limited social support from family and friends, Ace is socially isolated and can only depend on herself and formal systems to meet her basic needs. However, due to her low educational qualifications and age, Ace has been facing significant barriers attaining higher-paying jobs to sustain herself, having been turned away multiple times during job interviews. Currently, Ace works in a low-paying job, earning about $500/month. 

It took Ace a lot of courage and determination to pick herself up after the mistreat and to move on with her life. Despite her struggles, Ace hopes to rebuild her life as she enters her silver years. She would like to be empowered towards supporting herself financially and improving her quality of life. She wishes to earn passive income by renting out a room and upskill herself to set up a home-based business selling her crafts. However, with her limited income, she is unable to embark on her goals.

*Ace’s social assistance has ended in October and is pending renewal.