Single mothers are called brave moms for a lot of reasons. For one, they are working hard toward self-sufficiency as they provide for their children. Often, they are heroes who are far braver than they ever thought.
When Mary Jane Sampang’s husband left her for another woman, she was left with no choice but to put herself together and stand strong for her two children. She was back at square one, looking for ways to bring food to the table and send her children, who at that time were aged 8 and 5, to school.
Then an opportunity to work abroad came along. Her priorities as a mother silenced her fears of having to leave her children behind.
In 2011, Mary Jane put her wanting to be with her family in the backseat and took her sacrifices to greater lengths. She flew off the Middle East to work as a domestic helper.
“Medyo mahirap ‘yung malayo sa pamilya pero thankful na lang ako naging maayos naman ‘yung processing ko, at saka yung naging amo ko ay mabait naman,” she told The Filipino Times.
However, homesickness took its toll on her health. Just after a year, she suffered from a lump in her throat and her stay there was cut short. “Nagkaroon ako ng bukol sa leeg, tapos para siyang naging pigsa nung uminom ako ng gamot. Kinailangan ko umuwi pero naisip ko noon na, ‘Paano na naman kami mabubuhay, eh wala naman akong trabaho sa Pilipinas?’,” the Filipina told TFT.
That incident did not stop her from trying her luck again overseas. She braved the tedious process of applying for work in Hong Kong. She knew it was gamble as she had to borrow money for the placement fee without any assurance that she could stay there for long given her emotional anxiety at times.
Nevertheless, she took a leap of faith for that second chance. Fortunately enough, she stayed there for five years and was able to pay her debt and support her children.
For a lot of women like Mary Jane, life begins at 40. That’s what keeps her going as well. After working in two different countries, she has no plan of retiring as yet. Recently, she landed a job in the UAE as a domestic helper for an Emirati family in Sharjah.
She said that she is fortunate to have found her employers as they treat her with respect.
For Mary Jane, her two children are her greatest blessings and as long as she can still move her body to work she’s willing to sacrifice everything to provide for them.
“Ang masasabi ko lang sa mga anak ko, mag-aral lang sila nang mabuti. Bilang magulang na OFW, mahirap talagang mahiwalay sa anak. Kaya ‘yun ang sinasabi ko sa kanila na kapag nakatapos sila, makakahanap sila ng maayos na trabaho at hindi na nila kailangan mawalay sa mga anak nila. Mahal na mahal ko silang magkapatid,” she said.
