Jocelyn is the sole breadwinner for her three siblings, 18-year-old Anandasai Sumetta, 16-year-old Ananda Krishna, and 14-year-old Andrew Metta.
Sadly, she has been having difficulty making ends meet for her family over the past few months.
“For Deepavali this year, I’m just going to do some prayers for my father. We don’t have the budget for anything bigger. I asked my sister and siblings if they want to go shopping, but they don’t want to,” Jocelyn told FMT Lifestyle.
“I know that deep down, they want to celebrate too, but this is all we can do in the present situation. We just have to make do with what we have.”
Jocelyn has been working tirelessly to support her siblings since her father passed away, and her mother left them several years ago.
In 2021, she started Jo’s Kitchen, a home business where she cooks local dishes, particularly Indian fare, for customers.
Food preparation is tiring work, with Jocelyn usually having to make 200-300 packets of food every night. While her siblings occasionally help, Jocelyn prefers them to devote time to their studies instead.
Business has sadly not been consistent lately: Jocelyn usually makes about RM50-80 daily, depending on customers. This is barely enough to cover her needs as well as that of her siblings.
Sometimes, when she is truly short of funds, Jocelyn heads to local Chinese restaurants to wash dishes.
Finding stable employment is difficult for her, as Jocelyn does not have a Malaysian identity card. Her late father, who is Malaysian Indian, and her mother, who is from the Philippines, registered their wedding only after Jocelyn’s birth.
Her birth certificate, therefore, states “bukan warganegara.” As a result, Jocelyn is unable to open a bank account or apply for any financial assistance.
To complicate matters, her youngest brother Andrew is on the autism spectrum and unable to care for himself. Jocelyn cannot leave him unattended for too long, and often has to take him with her during jobs.
Despite all these challenges, Jocelyn is fiercely devoted to her siblings, and will do all she can to give them a better life.
“I don’t really need anything for myself now. But I want my siblings not to go through what I went through,” an emotional Jocelyn said.
Right now, her main goal is to support her sister Anandasai through Form 6. Anandasai is currently in her first semester of school, and needs over RM2,000 to cover expenses such as transportation, assignment and printing fees, and books.
“I want to be a lawyer. I have wanted to be one since secondary school,” the soft-spoken Anandasai told FMT Lifestyle.
“My sister told me, ‘You can do it, but you need to study hard. We’re not a rich family. If you study hard and get a scholarship, it’s easy to get into any university you want’,” Anandasai added.
Jocelyn and Anandasai’s Deepavali wishes this year are very simple: that they will get through these difficult times together as a family.
“I hope Deepavali this year will bring happiness to my family members: me, my brothers and my sister,” Anandasai said.
“My hopes and wishes are just for my siblings. It’s hard for me to say, but if there’s anyone who can help me support my siblings in their education and expenses, it will be very helpful and release my burdens a bit.
“This is what I really want: I just want them to achieve success in life,” Jocelyn concluded.
To help Jocelyn and her family, contact her at 016-201 0261.