‘Poverty inspired me to succeed’

DO slums keep people in poverty or motivate them to get out of it?

About one-third of the urban population of developing countries or 860 million people live in slums or squatter colonies.

With little data on slums and their inhabitants, it is a hard question to answer where Sarawak is concerned.

Within Kuching City, some squatter colonies have disappeared, some are on the brink of disappearing and some still very densely populated.

Nonetheless, based on what we can see, life seems arduous for slum dwellers but it’s hardest for young girls who are often expected to forego school to care for their siblings or elderly relatives.

Others, especially boys, may end up as child labourers, earning meagre salaries to supplement family incomes.

Against all odds, a few have managed to succeed in lifting themselves out of the grim circumstances into which they were born or raised.

One of the few is Lynie (name has been changed).

The 22-year-old is one of around 100 children from squatter areas known to have proven they do have the chance for education, a good paying job and a better quality of life.

Lynie was born into a family who lived in one of the squatter colonies before moving to another squatter area nearby — also within the city.

She said she and her three elder brothers all grew up in a pathetic environment — no proper sanitation and electricity from the day they were born till now.

When she was born, her father worked as an odd labourer, changing jobs from construction worker to painter.

As a daily paid worker, he could only afford to provide the family with a meagre city life — something that did not change until she got a job with the government.

Although her parents still live in the squatter area, their standard of living is relatively better now as Lynie is helping them to make ends meet.

Because she was posted outside Kuching, Lynie only visits her parents in their wooden shelter once in a while.

Her brothers are all married and living on their own.

Dream of owning a house

For now, Lynie and her parents still have to live in unpleasant conditions because that is the best they can have.

She dreams of owning her own house someday.

“I may only be able to do it in two or three years as by then I will be eligible for a government loan. I started working in August last year and my priority now is to get a permanent home for ourselves before my parents get older,” she said.

Lynie admitted life in the slums was tough, saying some children had to start looking after themselves at a very young age as their parents were working to support the family.

However, she is lucky to have a caring mother who walked her to and from school until she started lower secondary.

“Although mum did not go to school, she saw the importance of education. In fact, she is my number one motivator and supporter. She used to remind me if I didn’t study hard, I would end up working as a coffeeshop waitress or construction site labourer doing cement work.

“It scared me. I didn’t want to do that kind of job, so I studied very hard, especially in secondary school,” she recalled.

Lynie said she wanted to be a doctor but her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results were not good enough for her to achieve her dream.

She scored 5A’s and 4C’s and had to be satisfied with becoming a nurse — a profession still good enough to improve things for herself and her parents.

Faith in God

Lynie said her faith and trust in God also played a role in her educational success.

She said before Trinity Methodist Church (TMC) roving priest Pastor Patrick Taie introduced her to God in 2006, she was just an average student.

“I was in Primary 5 back then. The pastor really cared for us and by God’s grace, I also grew spiritually and got better in my studies.

“In secondary school, I became a worship leader and chairperson of our Inter-School Christian Fellowship (ISCF).

“My relationship with Jesus Christ really helps. It has changed me in many ways. In Him I have confidence, hope and a future,” she added.

Lynie said apart from preaching, Patrick also emphasised the importance of education in changing her life.

She recalled Patrick encouraging her to strive for excellence in education and to buy a house for herself and her parents when she got a good-paying job.

“Every time he picked us up to and from church, he would remind me to study hard and to buy a house in the future.

“Until today, whenever he calls me, he still reminds me to buy a house and move out of our present place.”

She said she will never forget the pastor’s advice, adding that God willing her dream of owning a decent home for herself and her parents will come true one day.

Education is key

Lynie strongly believes education gives children a better future, saying people could change their lives through education.

“My family struggled to make ends meet with low skilled work — my father didn’t finish his primary education.

“After growing up in a slum, I decided I wanted a better life for myself so I vowed to study hard.”

She said the determination to break out of poverty drove her to do well in her studies despite all the limitations and disadvantages at home – no electricity, no Internet and even no study table.

She said a poor home should not hinder children from excelling in their studies, pointing out that revision could be done during the day after classes.

“In slums, you may not have a lot of things but don’t give up. It’s not the end of the world. We can still change the future for the better through education.

“Most importantly, we must have God in our lives and trust in Him because He is the provider.”

Lynie believes a lack of education is the leading cause of poverty and why people end up in slums.

She said no parents would want to bring their children up in squatter colonies if they could help it.

“I believe slum children can escape poverty if they have a good education. Even when a family is struggling to survive, if possible, a small amount should be set aside for the children’s education.”

Don’t give up

She also advised students from squatter areas not to lose hope but strive for a better future.

Lynie herself went through the struggle, hardships and inferiority complex during her childhood and schooling days.

But she managed to let go of the low self-esteem and social stigma often associated with children from slums due to their poor background.

She admitted while in secondary school, she was ashamed to let people know she was from a squatter area and always avoided talking about home.

“But students in my school — primary and secondary — and my classmates never made fun of squatters or bothered about where we lived. Probably, I was lucky to have good people around me at the time.

“But even if you are facing a different situation than mine, don’t give up because that will only put you further down in life.”

Lynie lauded the initiatives of TMC to help children from the slums through free tuition.

She said working with the families of these children is key to reducing and minimising dropout rates.

“These children are more lucky than us because they are given free tuition. I might have done better in SPM with the opportunity of free tuition such as that provided by the Trinity Learning Care (TLC),” she said.

TLC is provided by TMC at Jalan Ellis, Kuching. Its student recruitment team, headed by Patrick, has reached out to needy non-Muslim students who live in squatter colonies and rented rooms with their parents.

Started in 2013, TLC provides free tuition from kindergarten to Form 5 every Saturday morning.

Patrick said children living in slums must alter the direction of their life.

“They must not give up easily and leave school otherwise they may be stuck with unskilled work for the rest of their lives. This is what I have always told the students going for tuition at TLC.

“Children in squatter colonies must stay in school, work hard and find skilled jobs that pay decent wages,” he advised.

If possible, Patrick added, all the students should strive to finish university or at least upper secondary school, or study in a technical school.

He believes with a good education, their minds would be broadened and their qualifications would help them find jobs to support themselves and their families.