Her life changed at 15 days old

Sathiya* is a quiet force of love and resilience. In a small one-bedroom rental flat, she single-handedly raises her 4-year-old daughter, lovingly nicknamed Yayah, while juggling long shifts as a Patient Service Associate at a local hospital. When I met her during one of our Ramadan home visits, it was clear that life hasn't been easy - her husband, Ameer*, has been incarcerated since 2021, just 15 days after Yayah was born.

He has missed many milestones - her first words, her first steps. But one thing he’s never missed? A visit. For the past four years, Sathiya and little Yayah have shown up without fail. Through the glass and across the distance, they’ve held on to their unshakable bond which Sathiya remains committed to keeping alive despite the demands of single parenting.

During my visit to their home, Yayah held on to her bantal busuk (“smelly pillow” in Malay, referring to her comfort blanket) throughout our conversation. Though shy around strangers, she is clearly a bright and gentle girl who, according to her mother, loves to draw and play with her dolls. Yayah doesn’t remember life with her father at home but her mother makes sure she knows she’s loved by both of them, with illustrations of them as a family framed on a shelf and her parents’ names printed across the living room wall.

With no support from Ameer’s family, Sathiya ensures that Yayah continues to feel connected to her father even in his absence. Sathiya has held everything together with grit and grace, leaning on help from various SSOs, MUIS, her own family and now, New Life Stories.

Through NLS, Yayah receives emotional support from her counsellor and will soon be paired with a befriender under our Family Strengthening Programme. Sathiya and Ameer are also learning how to co-parent, to reconnect, and to rebuild the family they never got to begin.

Their first open visit after joining the Dear Papa programme gave Yayah the chance to sit across from her father without a barrier. This week, Yayah will get yet another opportunity during their next open visit to be held by her father and the family gets a chance to feel like a family again.

Its stories like these that truly keep us going - to do what we do for our families. Thank you for being here with us, for us.