SINGAPORE: A video of a domestic helper from the Philippines who “lost everything” during the years she worked in Singapore has received much attention online.
Joycelyn Azucena, 64, is the subject of a video from the popular OGS (Our Grandfather Story) YouTube channel. Published on Monday (Dec 16), it has racked up thousands of views.
The video, titled “How I Lost Everything While Working As A Domestic Helper In Singapore,” shows Ms Joycelyn expressing how thankful she is to have found “the right employer” who treats her “like a real family” in Singapore, which perhaps has balanced out the misfortunes she experienced back home.
When she arrived in Singapore in 1996, the oldest of her five children was 20 years old, and the youngest was only 10. She came to Singapore for them, admitting that if she had stayed in the Philippines, she would not have earned enough to send them to university.
Heartbreakingly, she used to tell her children that she would not work in Singapore forever, though privately, she would wonder why she cared for other people’s children when she could not do so for her own.
Ms Joycelyn may have retired by now had it not been for “very devastating” incidents in 2002. First, her mother died. Several months later, her husband burnt their home down. An alcoholic, he had been drunk at the time.
She explained that her husband had a mistress then, and instead of using the money that Ms Joycelyn sent for their children’s needs, he gave the money to the other woman.
He got angry when Ms Joycelyn confronted him and then burnt their home.
“I sacrificed for seven years, never (going) back, to earn money, and to save money… and then he cheated on me,” she said. But she considered her children and, in time, was able to overcome that difficult situation.
She added that her employers told her in the past that she no longer needed to work. However, as they now have health issues, she decided to stay and help them for another three years. Importantly, she is now financially stable and can afford to go home.
And despite everything that happened to her, she told OGS that she would still choose to come to Singapore for the sake of her children.
Commenters on the OGS video praised Ms Joycelyn for the sacrifices she made, her resilience, and all other domestic helpers who are in the same situation.
Others underlined the importance of treating helpers with kindness and respect. “I empathize with this gem of a lady. What a heart of gold. Every domestic helper should be treated like family,” wrote one Reddit user. /TISG