Struggling mother of 10 seeks help to care for children
…says “living in poverty is worse than living in hell”
A 35-year-old mother of 10 children of Charity New Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, is seeking assistance to take care of her children.
A neighbour of Sonia Chung reached out to Guyana Times seeking to have the public assistance to help her with basic amenities for her children. At present, six of the 10 children are living with her
Speaking with this publication, Chung said that her smallest child was five months old. She said that both herself and her husband were finding it difficult to gain
Sonia Chung with five of her 10 children
employment as they were both uneducated.
Her husband, Moses, she said, was renting a farm in the Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), but owing to the heavy maintenance cost, he could not afford to continue with that venture.
The house in which the family is living has no electricity nor water and is being rented for $14,000 per month. But the family owes six months’ rent – it is only the goodwill of the landlord that stands between them and eviction. Describing her situation and her poverty-stricken state, the woman said, “Living in poverty is worse than living in hell.”
Chung said her eldest son, who is 19, is differently abled and cannot help her in any significant way.
Meanwhile, her neighbour, Mary Anthony, a member of the Charity Full Gospel Church, who reached out to this newspaper to visit the family, said that she was very much concerned and sad to see the living conditions of her neighbour. She said that her family has offered assistance, but is appealing for some aid to support the family.
