KUCHING: Imagine living in a shack made of metal and wooden scraps no bigger than the size of a standard bedroom.
HELP IS ON THE WAY: Tan (right) and SUPP Batu Kawah representative Melson Chai at the home of Entunan and her daughters.
Sadly, for Entunan Phillip Matthias, that is the very thing that she and her three daughters call home.
With no running water and electricity to help cool off the blistering heat radiating from the zinc roof, Entunan was quick to apologise to reporters about the heat.
“I’m sorry that it’s so hot in here. If it’s a windy day it’s nice,” she said when met at her house at Desa Wira resettlement area.
It is amazing to see how Entunan, 40, her daughter Philomena, 11, Floren, nine, and Loretta, six could persevere in a condition.
After her husband left six years ago, Entunan has been depending on the RM220 given by the State Welfare Department and RM120 from St Paul’s Church.
“My husband left us two days after I gave birth to my youngest daughter. He left without a word … nothing,” she said.
Two weeks after her husband left, the family suffered another huge blow. Their house at Tabuan Jaya squatter colony went up in smoke.
“After that, some neighbours were kind enough to shelter us for a while,” she told reporters and Batu Kawa assemblyman Tan Joo Phoi, who is also Padawan Municipal Council chairman.
She moved her family to RPR Desa Wira when the government provided them with a small piece of land for her to build a house.
“I used whatever resources and scrap metal, wood, and zinc sheets I could find to build this house with my own hands,” she said.
Entunan said she has tried to apply for water and electricity to be connected to her place so many times but there has been no response until now.
“Right now we are using water from a nearby fire hydrant. I connected the hose to the house all by myself,” she said.
“We use batteries for electricity, and if we run out of money, the children use candles to study.
“My girls are very smart students. They are very hardworking and are doing well in school,” she said with a smile while hugging young Loretta close to her.
The loving mother said she is willing to work but she is worried that no one would look after her children.
“Rain or shine, I would walk my children to SK Arang; cook for them and wash their clothes. They are very young and I worry about their safety,” she said.
Although the walk to SK Arang takes about half an hour, her daughters enjoy going to school and they excel in their studies.
“Last year I was in fourth place in class,” said Philomena proudly. She said her favourite subject is English and she wants to be a teacher when she grows up because she likes being in school.
“At home, I help mum take care of the house and my sisters when she goes out to buy food,” she said.
Her mother said her children understand their hardship and they never asked for things because they know their mother could not afford them.
Tan, who is also Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman, said they will give monthly food ration to the family starting from today.
“With that, we hope that Entunan could use the money from the Welfare Department and the church for other expenses,” he said.
Tan added that they would provide skills training for Entunan so that she can use it to make a living.
“We understand that she can’t leave her children at home alone. We will try to find a way for her to make some money of her own such as opening up a ‘pasar malam’ stall.
“That way, she can make some money and keep her children close by at the same time,” he said.
Tan told the family not to worry because help is on the way for them as there are many non-governmental organisations and members of the public who are willing to help.
A representative from Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Batu Kawah, Melson Chai, was also present during the visit.