Our Guest of Honour, Brother Lim Swee Say, Secretary General NTUC, Brother John De Payva, President, NTUC, Sister Nora Kang, Chairperson, NTUC Women’s Committee, NTUC Central Committee members, representatives from our partner organisations, union leaders and friends.
1. I would like to welcome everyone to the launch of “Going Solo – A Guide for Single Mothers”.
2. On 8 March this year, the NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat launched our We Care for U project. Our main focus under this project is to help single mums build up their resilience and self sufficiency by providing them with help to secure jobs or helping them with other job-related advice or assistance.
3. However, we realise from talking to many of our single mums who responded to our outreach efforts, that their need for support go beyond just jobs. Many also face multiple challenges covering aspects of financial, housing and children’s education. Some also face huge emotional distress as they cope with becoming the sole breadwinner and caregiver. That was how Clarissa Chang felt when her husband died leaving her to take care of two young children, one of whom is autistic. Clarissa, who had primarily functioned as a housewife, became so overwhelmed by the sudden expansion of her role as a single mother that she lost control and spiraled into deep depression. Fortunately for her and her two children, help was available and she is starting to rebuild her life. Clarissa’s story is captured in “Going Solo”.
4. When we started the project for our single mums, we intended to reach out to 500 women and children by the end of the year but we reached that target within six months, a reflection of the growing number of single mums in our midst. When launched our We Care for U project in March this year, we had also mentioned that we would be coming out with a publication for our single mums. “Going Solo” is the product.
5. “Going Solo – A Guide for Single Mothers” has three objectives. We wanted to provide a reference guide for our single mums on where and how to get assistance, whether from government agencies, WDS or the VWOs who run various support programmes. Our sense is that a number are still ignorant where to turn to for help and would benefit from such information. We also realise that many of our single mums are rather unsure or confused about their legal rights under the law whether on property, children’s custody or other matters. Knowing their legal rights is important to ensure that they and their children are able to secure what are due to them before, during and after a divorce. So there is a fairly comprehensive segment on that as well under “Going Solo”.
6. Finally, through the words and stories of our single mums we hope to inspire others that all is not lost and that there is a lot that they too can do to help themselves. What better way then to tell their stories in their own words. Although these are the specific stories of four women, it could very well apply to many others as well as there are common issues that all single mums face. All the four heart warming stories are different but their aspirations are the same. After losing their husbands to death or divorce the single mums wanted to build better lives for themselves and their children for the future. As Seema, a single mum with two teenagers, said in “Going Solo”, “As a mother, I just did what I had to do for my children in order to move on. I didn’t wait around for something to happen”.
7. This publication would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of all our partners and I would like to thank them. They are SCWO, the Law Society, As Salaam PPIS Family Support Centre, AWARE, CDAC, CRSS, Family Court, HELP Family Service Centre, Mendaki, SINDA and the Wicare Support group. We would also like to thank MCYS, Tote Board and Lee Foundation for sponsoring this publication and Shirley and her team at NTUC Media for putting it together.
8. My thanks also go to the NTUC Women Committee members for their unstinting support in organising activities and programmes for our single mums and their children. This is truly an effort driven by women for women. Often, what the women and their children need is a social network that they can feel safe and comfortable to be part of. Since March this year, NTUC’s WDS has organised numerous activities benefitting a few hundred single mums and their children. As Saadiah Said a single mum with four children said in “Going Solo”, “by participating in activities organised by the NTUC’s Women’s Development Secretariat for single mothers, I have opportunities to interact with other single mothers and find support in them”.
9. At the end of the day, we also hope to raise awareness and generate greater support for the plight of single mums. Although this publication is titled “Going Solo”, they should not be walking alone, a reality that many of them struggle with daily. They deserve the support of their families, employers and society if we want to avoid the problems from becoming inter-generational, and a vicious cycle of poverty and hopelessness perpetuates itself. And we certainly should expect ex-spouses to be more responsible in living up to their obligations after divorce especially in paying for maintenance.
10. But I also do not want you to go away thinking that our single mums are helpless and dependent. As Dyana Daud, a single mum with five children, featured in “Going Solo” said “Initially I felt very sad and almost gave up. But whenever I saw my children smile, I knew that whatever I was doing is worth it. I told myself that I had to do it one step at a time.” These women demonstrate a huge amount of optimism, will power and resilience to overcome the odds and provide a better life for their children. What we need to do is just to give them a little support.
11. Let me conclude by thanking our Guest of Honour, Secretary General Lim Swee Say for his presence here today amidst his very busy schedule. His support for our women has been unwavering and we wish to thank him for that.
Finally, thank you to all of you for your presence.
