Leong (with black T-shirt and head band with her three single mother workers.
KLANG: When Pauline Leong’s husband walked out on her and their three children, more than two decades ago, the world initially appeared to be bleak for her.
"I was heartbroken and emotionally traumatised and worried about what the future held for us," reminisced Leong, 67.
But the realisation that her children depended on her and not wanting them to suffer as products of a broken home, Leong pulled herself together.
"I put aside my hurt as well as sorrow and started doing any work that came my way to take care of my children," said Leong, who now runs a coffee shop in Taman Desawan near here.
According to Leong, her marital woes started when her children were five, seven and nine years old and it culminated in her husband walking out on the family in 2002 when they were 10, 12 and 14 respectively.
"The years between our problems and him finally walking out on us were very emotionally disturbing years and working hard was a form of escape for me," said Leong.
She said that some of her jobs included teaching tuition, delivering goods as well as sending children to school.
"I wanted to give my children the best so that they would not have to suffer poverty when they were adults as well," added Leong who remarried in 2016.
Leong’s strength of character and hard work has paid off and her eldest daughter, who holds a PhD in environmental studies currently lives and works in Germany. Her second son is a marketing director in a local company and her youngest son has just completed a postgraduate degree in psychology.
"I lead a very happy life now," she said.
Not forgetting the financial duress she had undergone as a single mother, Leong made it a point to hire only single mothers in her coffee shop.
She has also set up a shelter home for the single mothers to live with their children.
"The first single mother I hired has been with me for six years now and has two children aged 11 and 13.
"She was unable to find a job because she took both her children to work with her as the 11-year-old was severely disabled and she had no one to take care of them," said Leong who opened her coffee shop about seven years ago.
Besides the single mothers and their combined seven children at her shelter, there are another four children who were left by their parents who could not take care of them any more.
The gutsy grandmother of three said that most single mothers she knew were strong women who fought very hard to raise their children well and give them a sound education.
"If you are a single mother, although you are a nervous wreck inside, you must be as hard as nails outside for your children’s sake," she added.
Leong said she truly respected all single mothers, who were either divorced or widows, who had sacrificed their own comfort to ensure their children studied well and did not grow into troubled adults.
"Some of these women were worse off than me but stood tall in the face of adversity.
"I salute all of them," said Leong.
