STR, SARA REDUCE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF SINGLE MOTHERS, HOUSEWIVES

KUCHING, May 3 (Bernama) -- Behind a modest stall at the Kidurong People’s Housing Scheme (RPR) in Bintulu stands Juneita Bokhari, a 74-year-old single mother who has never given up on earning a livelihood to support herself after the passing of her husband nine years ago.

For the past two years, Junieta has been running a humble burger stall with the help of her four sons, aged between 18 and 29. She decided to set up the stall just outside their home to ease the family’s financial burden, especially since she has no other employment.

Although she receives a pension from her late husband, Junieta admits the rising cost of living makes it increasingly difficult to get by, especially with her children growing up.

“I’m grateful to still receive my late husband’s pension, but the cost of living isn’t what it used to be. Besides running this burger stall, I also take cake orders. In a small way, it helps me to support my family,” she told Bernama.

Junieta said the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash assistance she has been receiving since 2023, describing it as a ray of mercy that provided her with the business capital needed to buy ingredients and keep her burger stall going.

She said the STR she received might not seem like much to some, for her, it brought a great sense of relief and allowed her to breathe a little easier.

“The aid money can’t fully cover our business capital, but it helps us enough to keep the stall running. The total amount I receive under STR is RM800, disbursed in phases, RM500 for the first phase and the remaining RM300 in the second phase.

In addition to STR, Junieta is also thankful to be eligible for the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) assistance, which provides RM100 a month starting from last month.

She said this kind of support reflects the government’s concern for easing the burden of low-income single mothers like herself.

The government began disbursing Phase Two STR payments on March 24, with a total allocation of RM1.7 billion, from RM1.5 billion the previous year. The assistance benefits nearly nine million recipients, covering about 60 per cent of Malaysian adults, with payments of up to RM650.

Meanwhile, SARA is a targeted initiative by the MADANI Government aimed at helping the low-income group cope with the rising cost of living. The aid is credited directly to recipients’ MyKad, with the programme’s reach expanded to 5.4 million recipients starting April 1.

The number increased nearly eightfold, from 700,000 previously to 5.4 million, with the monthly assistance rate doubled from RM100 to RM200 depending on eligibility categories. This significant increase reflects the MADANI Government’s commitment to improving the people’s well-being.

Many SARA recipients, especially housewives, have expressed their gratitude for the assistance, which helps them ease their families' daily financial pressures by covering essential household and child-related expenses.

For Farida Bahari, a 50-year-old mother of four from Kuching, the aid has been a blessing in light of her husband’s modest earnings of around RM2,000 a month as a construction worker.

“This assistance helps us buy groceries and personal care items for the family. It is even more meaningful because our youngest child is a person with disability, so this monthly assistance can be used for his special needs too,” she said.

-- BERNAMA