“OUR meals may not always be a feast, but I’ll make sure we are never hungry.”
“I’ll always have food on the table,” says single mother M. Lalitha, 45, with a tenderness in her voice as she recalls her journey in raising four children on her own.
Such words come from a place of strength and growth, ever since she lost her husband in a road accident in 2014.
“When my husband was around, I was a housewife who didn’t have a lot of skills. I hardly drove.
“Because he handled a lot of matters, I felt lost when he died. But I knew I had to be independent. I had to feed my children,” says Lalitha, who is now an entrepreneur with several businesses to her name.
From someone who felt afraid to drive, this resilient woman not only mastered the wheel but steered her family to overcome the bumps and sharp turns in their lives.
Selling nasi lemak, brownies, groceries and flowers from her home in the People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Lembah Subang, Selangor, Lalitha now dreams of expanding and getting her own shop in future.
Lalitha, who is originally from Sandakan, Sabah, learnt new skills by joining classes and starting her own business while raising her four children.
She also managed to learn how to promote her services and obtained a loan to buy equipment from Women Of Will (WOW), an NGO which empowers disadvantaged women, including single mothers, widows, abuse survivors and women in the B40 (lower income) category.
Aside from teaching them skills ranging from business to personal grooming, WOW provides women with knowledge to sustain their own businesses and gives a microcredit loan of RM2,000 to help them kickstart an independent livelihood. The amount is repaid without interest on a weekly basis.
While their stories may differ, the women all share the same ironclad will to care for their children despite the hard times, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years.
With sheer determination, these women have come out stronger than ever as Malaysia now heads towards endemicity.
On Mothers Day today, Lalitha urges other mothers not to give up easily when times get tough.
“We can always do something if we are blessed with a sound mind and healthy body,” she says.
When the pandemic began in March 2020, Lalitha faced another layer of problems, as her business was hit by restrictions triggered by the movement control order.
“I could only sell items from my house like instant noodles, milk and biscuits. My customers were mainly neighbours,” she recalls.
Thankfully, those days are behind her now and Lalitha has resumed her businesses and plans to take classes to learn how to bake traditional cookies to be sold. She also wants to develop her florist business by creating flower arrangements for events like weddings.
“In future, I will also need bigger ovens to produce more cookies,” she says.
For this Mothers Day, Lalitha only has a simple wish that her children will be healthy and that they will appreciate her sacrifices.
“A hug from them will be valuable enough for me. No need for cakes or flowers. The money can be put to better use,” says Lalitha humbly.
“Maybe I didn’t give them as much money as other mothers and raised them in a life without luxury.
“But I have never forgotten my duties to them,” she says.
Rising above hardships
Another single mother, putu piring seller Ramlah Mamat, 58, has also had her share of trials and tribulations in caring for five children after she divorced her husband.
When the MCO began, she could no longer set up her stall in night markets and resorted to selling the traditional sweet, steamed rice flour kuih by the roadside to maintain an income.
She recalls how she was left to fend for her children who were still studying about 10 years ago when she and her husband split up.
“We didn’t have a lot of money, so it came to a point where the water and power supply was cut off.
“My children then used candles at night to study,” says Ramlah, now a grandmother of 10.
Unfortunately, a candle caused a small fire when the flame engulfed a cupboard.
“Thankfully it didn’t burn down our house but it was a reminder of how I needed to be strong,” says Ramlah from Melaka, whose family also helped her along the way.
She adds that while she learnt how to make putu piring from her ex-husband, she became independent and took the business online.
“I learnt from WOW about how to market my business and put it up on food delivery platforms.
“Now that the situation is better, I hope my business will continue to thrive,” she says.
Confectionery trader S. Kanagavalli, 47, who also runs a tailoring service, says the pandemic had a tight grip on her family’s finances.
“I could not work as a community kitchen helper under WOW due to the pandemic.
“We also hit a rough patch when my housing block in PPR Batu Muda [in Kuala Lumpur] was placed under the enhanced MCO,” she says.
Kanagavalli, who lost her husband to a heart attack in 2006, raised their two daughters by juggling her job in the community kitchen and offering sewing services from home.
“When I could, I would put in long hours and volunteer to take my friends’ shifts if they are unwell, as we are paid by the hour. Sometimes, I feel weak because I am a diabetic. But even if I feel tired, I push myself to work because I have to provide for my girls,” she adds.
Kanagavalli’s efforts have paid off, as her daughters have performed well in their studies.
“One of them dreams of becoming a journalist,” she says proudly.
In future, Kanagavalli wishes to be a better businesswoman.
“I wasn’t very good at baking, but after being part of the community kitchen, I am equipped with skills like making chocolate and other confectionery.
“I plan to package them into hampers as gifts, especially with Teacher’s Day coming up on May 16,” she says.
Pasar malam trader Thoo Wai Feng, 47, and her husband could not conduct their business selling mixed rice when night markets were not allowed to operate during MCO periods. But the resourceful mother of three managed to get by selling food to their neighbours in their housing area at PPR Seri Alam in Kuala Lumpur.
“My family had to be more thrifty and could not eat a lot of our favourite foods that were more expensive,” she says.
These days, though, Thoo is able to conduct her business as usual and hopes things will keep improving.
“When it rains, it is difficult to get customers but we get by with what we have,” she adds.
Wowed by mothers’ will
Until today, about 2,400 mothers have benefited from WOW’s programmes since the NGO was officially registered in 2016.
And there are plans to reach out to more women in Malaysia.
“We are aiming to further engage more women entrepreneurs and their community.
“Currently, our programmes are in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Sabah. But we are considering extending them to Kedah,” says WOW senior community development officer Kanegeisuwaran @ Prabu Nagamuthu, who is known as Prabu.
He says the NGO’s mission is to improve the financial sustainability of women in the B40 (lower income) community and equip them with knowledge and life skills like nutrition as well.
“Nowadays, we try to help the women focus on rebuilding and adapting to a post-Covid-19 market as competition is stiff with many businesses going online,” Prabu says.
He adds that WOW has also created a new programme to help mothers cope with mental stress so that they can better manage their personal lives.
“We urge the government to also support these women by providing childcare support like daycare centres so that they would have the time and capacity to focus on their business,” he says.
And as for the public, Prabu hopes they can do their part too by supporting such women.
“If you see such micro entrepreneurs, the regular makcik trying to sell kuih by the roadside, please try to support them.
“This simple act will help them and their families,” he says.
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