Background

Laili Ulfah, 33 years old, comes from a small and rural village in Surabaya, Indonesia. She is a mother to 2 children, a 10-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter.Her husband, 45 years old, suffers from chronic lung disease and poorly controlled diabetes. Her husband is unable to work due to his illness and is currently undergoing traditional treatment as he is unable to afford the much needed medical treatment at a local government hospital.

Laili comes from an impoverished family. Her parents died when she was young, and she was cared for by her aunt in a small two room wooden hut. She does not have her own house and lives with her aunt, occupying one small room with her two children and husband. In order to escape crippling poverty and for her husband to be able to afford treatment at a local hospital, she borrowed 3 million rupiah (S$287.00) from her brother in law and came to Singapore to work as a domestic worker for a Singaporean family.

The Accident

Laili’s first day as a domestic helper was on the 20^th of May 2019. It was also the day of her accident. Within hours of working for her employer, Laili suffered a horrific fall from the 4^th story of the HDB flat she was working for. Laili accidentally dropped her handphone on the parapet of her employer’s house and climbed over the window to retrieve it. While attempting to return back to the flat, she slipped and fell 4 stories down.

Laili suffered severe injuries to her right foot and left arm. She underwent surgery to insert numerous metals into her foot and arm and her recovery is expected to take many months. MOM has been informed and her hospital bill will be fully covered.

Give Hope – Help Needed

For domestic helpers, being able to be connected and in touch with their loved ones back home is important as they are away for years trying to earn a better life for their young children.

When our case managers met Laili, she was inconsolable. She was her family’s sole breadwinner and she wanted to provide a better life for her chronically ill husband and two young children. Due to the extensive injuries, she will not be able to work for many months.

Ray of Hope would therefore like to raise S$3,000 to offset her family’s living expenses and her husband’s medical treatment while she recovers from her surgery and subsequently, rehabilitation. The money raised will be remitted to her family in Indonesia. Please give hope to Laili as she tries her best to remain strong during this extremely difficult period in her life.