“As a service provider… I believe we are all born to heal each other. If we work with duty and heart, we will find small happiness in our minds. These things will give us the strength to pass on to many others.”
Tip (a pseudonym), a mother of three, all of whom are school-aged, has to support the family alone. Her younger sister helps support the eldest child. She works as a rubber tapper, earning just enough to get by day by day. The children’s father went to work in another province but soon returned to tell Tip that he had a new wife and would no longer send money. Tip had to bear the family burden while also healing her emotional wounds.
After separating…
Tip stopped taking birth control pills. During that time, her husband returned to see the children once a month, and Tip became pregnant.
In the situation where her husband abandoned her for another woman, upon learning that Tip was pregnant, the husband, who contributed to the problem, was indifferent, simply telling her to have an abortion and then leaving to be with his new wife. Tip was left to face this problem alone.
Tip wondered how she could work as a rubber tapper while pregnant. What would her children eat? Where would she get the money for school? In such a situation, if another life were added, the family would surely not survive….
Tip’s thoughts went in circles until she became severely stressed. She had considered escaping the problem by committing suicide several times, but the image of her children brought her back to her senses.
Tip went to the hospital for prenatal care with a gloomy face, telling the nurse that she was very stressed and not ready to have a child. Tip entered the services of the hospital’s RSA team, receiving information on reproductive health rights and sufficient social welfare information to make a decision. She received counseling on options, including social assessment and planning for a seemingly hopeless life with a social worker. Ultimately, Tip chose to terminate the pregnancy.
After receiving a safe abortion service from a doctor, Tip chose to undergo sterilization as she already had enough children. Tip told us, “From now on, I will return to a happy life. Thank you to the hospital’s RSA team for helping me have a new life and being ready to fight for my children,” she said with tears in her eyes.
On the first day we met, Tip’s tears came from sadness, feeling lost in life with no other refuge. This time, her tears were mixed with a smile. When asked about the tears, Tip said she felt relieved and at ease.
When Tip regained her composure, her inner vulnerability was empowered and enhanced until she gained self-confidence, eventually being able to return to work to support her family and live life as it is.
Sending encouragement to the entire RSA team.
Thanks to the story from the RSA volunteer network
Ms. Parisa Duangthong, Expert Social Worker, Head of Social Work Department, Trang Hospital