Bobby Leong
Chan Po (name changed to protect identity) was 2 years old when her father Nok (name changed to protect identity) brought her to the gates of the Foundation Providence. He informed the good Sisters of his predicament: he had separated from the child's mother, and was no longer able to care for the child. Some facts gave an indication of why Nok was so desperate. The child was dirty and unkempt. She had not been washed for many days or weeks. She walked with difficulty as she had been confined in the car for many hours of the day, for many weeks. He revealed that he worked late at night, had no home, and was forced to lock the little girl in the car at night while she slept and he worked at the marketplace. Fearful that anyone could harm or kidnap the child, he kept the car doors locked, the windows closed and the engine running. However, that gave him a dilemma - what if she suffocated to death while she slept ? Eventually, in his desperation, he decided that the best plan was to leave his child with the good Sisters.
The Sisters did not give in to his pleas. The child was too young to be cared for at the shelter and was attached to her father. It was in her best interests if the man and his family continued to look after her. Undeterred, Nok insisted he could not keep his child as there was no one in his family who would look after her. He claimed that his late night job and lack of a home made it impossible to keep the child. After much negotiation, the Foundation agreed to care for the child on weekends. Nok then began to send the child to the Foundation on weekends. After a few weekends, he dropped off the child as usual, but never reappeared at the end of the weekend. The sisters tried every means to contact Nok, but to no avail. Several days passed with no lead on his whereabouts. Suddenly, the police called the Foundation. Nok had been arrested for a criminal offence and was in jail. Thus, it came to be that little Chan Po had to be cared for at the Foundation. There was simply no one who would do so. Understandably, the little girl was distraught and traumatised. She refused food, would not sleep and cried inconsolably. She kept asking why her father would not return. In between sobs, she would call out for her father. As she was so young and needed so much care, one of the Sisters had to place little Chan Po next to her whenever it was bedtime.
From such a catastrophic and heartrending loss, the road to recovery and healing for Chan Po and her carers was long and painful. The Sisters' unconditional love, affection and attention provided the human bonds that began to undo the fear and loss that the child had suffered. She began to interact positively with the Sisters and her surroundings at the Foundation. She is now a thriving, active child who is at home and at ease in her milieu, as safe and happy as any child of God deserves to be.
Mr Bobby Leong
3rd to 8th October 2022