Senior citizen appeals for temporary shelter as house may soon collapse

Bandar Seri Begawan - The safety of a family in Simpang 104, Kampong Beribi is in jeopardy as their dilapidated home may collapse at any time.

Fifty-two-year-old local, Dyg Aminah, voiced her plight during an interview with the Bulletin citing fears that the home may eventually give way after the bathroom located at the back collapsed, hence weakening the structures of the house, affecting other areas such as the kitchen.

"It is heart-wrenching to see that our grandchildren are unable to visit us due to the nature of our home. We are also unable to invite relatives or friends given our poor living state," said Dyg Aminah Tamin as she held back her tears.

However, she understood that her family is among the many others in need of assistance but is pleading with relevant authorities to provide a temporary shelter for them while awaiting the assistance from respective agencies.

She shared that since the bathroom had collapsed a year ago, they were forced to build a makeshift bathroom made out of zinc with no roof Dyg Aminah has since submitted her application for assistance to the Community Development Department and the Brunei-Muara District Office but was told her application would be on queue along with others requesting for assistance.

As the condition of the home further deteriorated, she again made several visits to relevant agencies to follow-up on her application and seek temporary shelter. The senior citizen also sought assistance through the village head and relevant parties but alas, was told to wait as no temporary housing is yet available for her family. She was advised to stay with relatives momentarily but both Dyg Aminah and her husband are reluctant to burden them with their predicaments.

They instead decided to risk staying in the rundown home. Their family has moved out to stay with relatives, as they feared for the safety of their younger children.

Dyg Aminah's husband is a pensioner formerly working with the Public Works Department. He relies on the monthly pension but also goes fishing to make ends meet.

The family receives cash assistance of $100 in the middle of the month but that does not suffice and can merely provide basic necessities required given their other financial commitments.

She attempted to seek financial assistance from other sources to rebuild their home but that too, has failed. The assistance received from Baitul Mal was just enough to cover the family's debt.

The Department of Electrical Services has since stepped in after their electricity supply was terminated due to unpaid bills. DES is considering reconnecting their power supply after she came forward to make an appeal

Dyg Aminah is a worker at the Environment, Parks and Recreation Department. She has eight children from her previous marriage. All have moved out to live with relatives given the perilous living conditions of the current home. Her husband also has 12 children from his previous marriage and they are residing with their mother and other relatives.

She has been residing in the house for the past six years after marrying her husband.

The senior citizen expressed her gratitude to the village head who has made frequent visits to her home but also voiced the urgent need to find a temporary shelter given their situation.