Her day began as usual—waking up early to prepare breakfast for her 6 kids and her husband, the sole breadwinner of the family. Once her husband left for work and her respective children left for school, she continued with her duties as a housewife.

 

However, little did she know that a soon-to-be knock on her door would change her life.

 

And just like that, what began as a chance knock on her door lead to a lifetime of opportunities for Madam Maslinda Mohammad, 42, now a Grab driver, a personal baker, and a volunteer for Beyond Social Services.

 

And on top of that, a mother to her six children, of which the youngest four are aged between 7 to 14 years old.

 

“I still remember Beyond Social Services knocking on my door and asking if I wanted to join them,” recalled Madam Maslinda. “I told them that I couldn’t leave home as I had to take care of my children.”

 

That was in 2007, when Madam Maslinda had to be a reclusive housewife so she could care for her children 24/7 while her husband supported the family.

 

“I have 6 kids and I didn’t work so I couldn’t leave home, and I usually don’t have time to socialise especially since my kids were very young, so I had to care for them at all times,” said Madam Maslinda.

 

Fast-forward to 2019, Madam Maslinda herself is a volunteer with Beyond Social Services.

 

“Now, I’m one of the volunteers who knocks on doors to do house visits and give out food items like rice,” said Madam Maslinda while giggling.

 

A close friend of Madam Maslinda, Ms Azizah Mohamed, credits Madam Maslinda for helping to turn her life around.

 

“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have found out about Beyond Social Services who helped me to earn extra income to support my family,” said Ms Azizah.

 

Apart from that, Madam Maslinda is also a part-time Grab driver and she even does baking on the side whenever she receives pre-orders. An avid baker, Madam Maslinda thanks Beyond Social Services for helping to further her baking skills.

 

“I mostly bake cakes, but Beyond Social Services is great because they made us attend baking classes for pastries such as macarons and for many other cakes,” said Madam Maslinda.

 

As a voluntary welfare organisation (VWO), Beyond Social Services aims to help disadvantaged children and their families by fostering a culture of learning to create job opportunities for them.

 

“Beyond Social Services helped me to overcome my challenges by giving me opportunities to work while considering my passions as well, I am here today because of them,” credits Madam Maslinda.