A father in Malaysia made a heartbreaking decision to send his three children to an orphanage after struggling to make ends meet.
The father, Huang, who works as a lorry driver in Kuala Lumpur, said he could no longer afford to raise his children on his RM2,600 monthly salary, according to Sin Chew Daily.
A painful goodbye
On Monday (Oct 13), staff members from Anshun Jaz Home, an orphanage in Perak, arrived at Huang’s home to bring his children, aged 5, 7, and 9, to their new home.
As the children packed their things, Huang tried to comfort them. But emotions quickly overwhelmed him.
He gave them a few final words to study hard, behave well, and never forget their dreams before his voice broke and he could no longer continue.
His eldest son burst into tears, clinging tightly to his father’s legs and refusing to let go. Huang eventually had to carry his crying son to the car himself, as the boy sobbed uncontrollably.
“I told him to study hard and become a police officer,” Huang said, fighting back tears.
Living on RM2,600 a month
Huang’s modest job at a construction firm barely covers his basic expenses.
He keeps his meals simple — coffee for breakfast, bread for lunch, and rice for dinner — so that he can save money for his children. But it still wasn’t enough.
He previously sent his children to a home in Kuala Lumpur that charged RM400 per month, which was later reduced to RM300.
Despite the discount, he still couldn’t afford it, forcing him to move his children to Anshun Jaz Home, which does not charge any fees.
Struggles after divorce
Huang married his Vietnamese wife in 2016, and the couple had three children together.
Their marriage ended in May 2024, when a court granted Huang full custody.
He claimed that before the verdict, his ex-wife and her relatives would often harass him and demand custody of their son.
But in the end, the court ruled that all three children should remain under Huang’s care.
To protect them, he first placed them in a non-profit children’s home in Kuala Lumpur. But as his financial situation worsened, he made the difficult decision to transfer them to the orphanage.
Hoping for a better future
Before this, Huang’s children were attending church classes instead of regular school due to financial constraints.
Now, Jaz Home has promised to apply through the Social Welfare Bureau to enrol them in a local kindergarten and primary school.
The home will also arrange psychological counselling to help them adjust to their new environment.
Huang said he will return to Kuala Lumpur for work but plans to visit his children whenever possible.
“I just want them to have a better life and proper education,” he said.
