Single mother in Indonesia lives in shack after selling house to fund child's wedding

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Mother lives in shack after selling house to fund child’s wedding

For several months, 57-year-old single mother Siti Sumanah has been living in a small shack by a river in Kudus Regency, Central Java, Indonesia.

She previously owned a home, but was reportedly forced to sell it to fund her eldest child’s wedding and pay off some debts.

Mother struggled to gather funds due to short notice

According to LingkarTV, Ms Siti lives in a 3×4 metre shack with a dirt floor, asbestos roof, and tarpaulin walls.

She had been staying there with her youngest child for five months, after selling her house to cover the cost of her eldest child’s wedding.

Ms Siti said she felt unprepared for the event due to the short timeframe between the wedding and the proposal.

“Because the wedding was held suddenly, a month before the wedding day, the groom’s side was waiting, and I was surprised, because I wasn’t ready,” she expressed.

Scrambling to find funds amid ongoing financial difficulties, she made the difficult decision to sell her house.

Husband died of stroke last year

Ms Siti’s husband had already been unable to work after suffering a stroke, so she had to be their family’s breadwinner.

Unfortunately, her husband ultimately passed away in November last year.

One of Ms Siti’s children, who was in seventh grade, had also been forced drop out of school two years ago due to having a tight budget.

“He was forced to help me work at the satay stall. However, due to layoffs, my child is no longer working,” she told Disway Jateng.

Currently, Ms Siti sells food and drinks from their shack to make ends meet.

Source: Kompas

Local government to assist family’s education and housing needs

Ms Siti’s story then began circulating on social media and gaining widespread attention.

Eventually, the Kudus Regency Government became aware of the family’s situation and officials came to inspect their home.

During the visit on 2 May, they provided the family with necessities, including rice, mattresses, and blankets.

Source: Disway Jateng

The local government also said it will provide Ms Siti’s children with educational assistance so they can continue their studies.

Furthermore, it plans to assist the construction of the family’s new home, though it will still review whether the riverbank would be a suitable location.