KUCHING: Hope Place Kuching recently paid a visit to a widow living in Puncak Borneo after her daughter made a call for help.
The charitable non-governmental organisation (NGO) said Peni Junau was living alone at Kampung Giam after she lost her husband last year.
The 61-year-old is struggling to cope with life on her own.
“Peni’s late husband suddenly passed away last October after he collapsed while tending to his vegetable garden. The couple used to be rubber tappers.
“Now that she is alone, Peni can only take care of the vegetable garden. She has several health issues.
“Besides having only one kidney left due to kidney failure, she also has diabetes and high blood pressure,” it said in a statement today.
Hope Place said although Peni had four adult daughters, none of them were living in Kuching.
Some of her daughters are living in Serian and Sri Aman, but they do visit Peni occasionally. especially during the school holidays.
“According to her daughters, Peni always looks forward to seeing her grandchildren. Though living quite far from the city, Peni is grateful for her kind neighbours who are kind enough to bring her to the hospital for check-ups,” it said.
Although the Gawai celebration is drawing near, Peni is still in mourning and has decided to spend the festival alone next week.
“Her daughters have urged her to go back to her childhood village in Serian, but she refuses and says that she is still in her ‘pantang’ period,” it said.
Hope Place is currently assisting Peni with supplies of basic food aid regularly and she has just applied for financial assistance from the state welfare following her husband’s death.
