The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.116)

TZU CHI 116 45 Anjum expressed her gratitude to Tzu Chi for extending timely assistance to her and her sons, enabling them to persevere through difficult times in their bid to qualify for migration to the US, which has finally proven successful. A life fraught with uncertainty “In 2012, I secured tickets for a flight to Malaysia with some money I borrowed from my relatives. My sons and I arrived here as refugees, deprivedof the right to liveandworkunrestricted,” revealedAnjum, 46, of her struggles as a refugee. Anjum’s family back home in Pakistan is far fromwell-off, but she managed to take advantage of the relatively affordable costs of university education in her home country to earn a degree in religious studies. She subsequently married and gave birth to two sons. She was content with a life occupied with domestic obligations, yet her life took an unexpected turn in 2012 when she was not only caught in a conflict with her husband’s family, but also targeted with death threats, forcing her to flee to Malaysia with funds borrowed from her relatives. Anjum and her sons have been issued the UNHCR card for refugees, which grants them eligibility for temporary residence in Malaysia. However, she had to resort to illegal employment as refugees in Malaysia are not legally authorized to work. She lived in constant fear, changing jobs every few months and staying home with her sons outside of working hours to evade arrest by the authorities. Over the years, she had worked in restaurants, factories and nursing homes. “I have to work for the sake of my livelihood and my children. Seeking help from my family in Pakistan is not an option as I’ve lost contact with them, including the relatives who paid for my flight tickets,”Anjum admitted. Anjum had relocated several times in the past few years in search of work. In 2014, she discovered a school operated by a church for refugee children in Sentul, hence she moved there with her sons to enable them to pursue an education. Despite the challenges, she was willing to endure hardship in exchange for a stable life. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer in August 2017, requiring her to undergo surgery, electrotherapy and chemotherapy. The doctor also had to incise an opening in her lower abdomen to allow her stool to be drained into a faecal collection pouch. The faecal collection pouch affected her quality of life and her wound was in constant pain. But Anjum was most devastated when the doctor scheduled another operation upon discovering that her cancerous growth had not been completely removed even after undergoing treatment. “I had exhausted all my savings on the first operation. I was only able to settle my medical expenses with the assistance of my friends and employer, as well as funding from the church. I had no money left for the operation, so I had to seek help from the UNHCR,” she recalled. Anjum did not expect the UNHCR to refer her case to Tzu Chi, hoping that the latter could subsidize part of her medical costs. She remained doubtful of Tzu Chi’s intentions until the volunteers visited her home in July 2018. She openly confided in the volunteers about her predicament and relayed the doctor’s advice to her to refrain from lifting heavy objects post-surgery. Despite being declared unfit for demanding physical labour, she continued working to make ends meet, stopping only when the pain became unbearable. Anjum had been unemployed for nine months and was falling behind on the rental as she had depleted her savings. The family have