Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported the plight of the 23-year-old, who stands the risk of losing her future, if she cannot raise the RM1,018.18 owed to her university before her studies resume next month, with the meagre income she gets from selling cut fruits with her mother.
According to the report, Vicneswary even contemplated ending her life last month, as life had become unbearable to endure, without electricity or water supply.
"My dream is to be financially stable so my mum and grandfather are well taken care of. I don't want anyone else to go through what I've gone through," she was quoted saying.
Vicneswary used to work as a waitress at a renowned hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and it is that job that had helped her pay through a Bachelor of Communications, majoring in journalism, at Open University Malaysia (OUM) Bangi on a part-time basis.
However, she lost her job last August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and life has been harsh since.
Darkness falls
Vicneswary has had to study part-time and work full-time since she was 18, as her late father Subramaniam was a heart patient who was too sickly to hold a job.When he died of a massive heart attack in October last year, aged just 55, Vicneswary stepped in to take charge, reassuring her mother Puspa, 44, that she will find a way to settle the family's monthly bills.
"I knew the amount of hard work ahead but it was my responsibility to take care of my family, especially since my 82-year-old grandfather had moved in with us.
"I wanted my mother to rest at home. She rejected the idea initially, but I managed to convince her that I was capable of doing this," FMT quoted her saying.
Life dealt the family another cruel blow when their landlord served them an eviction notice in November, and even cut off the electricity and water supply to force them out. During the two weeks in darkness, a tap near a cluster of rubbish bins in their neighbourhood was their sole source of water supply.
This ordeal, coupled with the lack of response to hundreds of job applications sent out was what drove Vicneswary to consider suicide. The family eventually managed to find cheaper accommodation and start the cut fruit business.
The family's home in Cheras is almost bare, except for a television set, a prayer altar, a fridge and a simple kitchen. Despite their hardship, the family has even found the heart to adopt two stray dogs.
Moving forward, Vicneswary has to cough up the RM1,018.18 owed to her university, if she wants to pursue her dream career in journalism.
If you wish to support Vicneswary and her mother, their fruit stall can be found at Taman Suntex, Cheras, opposite the Bank Simpanan Nasional, from 11am to 5pm daily.
You can also extend a helping hand to the family by sending a WhatsApp message to FMT’s Helpline at 0193899839.
Source: FMT
Photo source: FMT