Mages is a mother to a 11-year-old daughter from her first marriage. The 40-year-old got into a motorbike accident in 2010 when she was 6 months pregnant. The accident left her with a permanent pain on her right foot and ankle. Although she is still able to walk, she can only do so at a slower pace than normal and this is certified to be permanent by the doctor. She also experiences acute worsening of her pain that limits her function.

In 2012, she lost her husband and she has been struggling to support her daughter. After completing a WSQ certification in Nursing, Mages started working in a local hospital. Unfortunately, she could not continue working as she needed to undergo a surgery for her leg injuries. After her surgery, Mages found work as a retail staff in a convenience store. She has remained gainfully employed in the same company since 2015.

Mages met her current husband shortly after, and the couple registered for their marriage in March 2020. Little did she expect it to be the start of her nightmare with the frequent episodes of abuse that followed. Her Malaysian husband who now works as an assistant delivery driver, could not sustain regular employment. He also remains uninvolved in financial contribution towards the family. His drinking habits led to the frequent physical and verbal abuse towards Mages and her daughter. This has since contributed to the discord and hostility in the marital relationship.

While Mages tries to manage the situation to her best, she only brings home $700+ a month due to her leg condition. She shares that although she experiences acute pain in her right leg daily, she tries to work more overtime hours so that she can upkeep prompt bill payments each month to avoid falling into the debt cycle. However, her monthly salary is still insufficient to feed her family.

In the meantime, Mages is also proactively seeking assistance and support from the Lifelong Learning Institute to upgrade herself for better job prospects. Ray of Hope wishes to support her by raising $3,600 ($600 x 6 months) to defray her groceries expenses for the next six months while she works on up-skilling. 

*Mages is not receiving social assistance.