Poor Malaysian households headed by widows, single moms struggle the most amid pandemic
KUALA LUMPUR - When Malaysia went into a partial lockdown in March due to a sudden spike of coronavirus cases, single parent Naimah Sudaian was left out of job with zero savings to survive the coming months.
"We had to ration our food and survive mostly on crackers and instant noodles. Occasionally, we'd have rice and eggs because that's the cheapest 'real meal' we can afford," she said. When Malaysia first imposed movement curbs on March 18, it forced schools and non-essential businesses to temporarily shut down. People were confined to their homes except to buy food, essential items or to seek medical treatment.
According to the UN study titled"Families on the Edge", low-income households headed by women like widows and single mothers are among the worst affected, with higher rates of unemployment and pessimistic outlook on prospects for recovery in the next six months. Children living in these households are at risk of deteriorating dietary quality due to changes in their food consumption and a worsening of education outcomes due to challenges in accessing home-based online learning.
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