Single mothers … The conflict between earning a living or staying home with hungry children

Wintress White

Every morning she wakes at 4am and starts her day, her morning centred on sending her three children to school. Once they have left she focuses on earning a living, but ensures that she returns before they get home.

It is a daily struggle, but not every day is hectic because since she does not have a permanent job there is often no means of earning some much needed cash to meet the needs of her children. There are a few jobs available, but it is difficult since if she accepts them she is faced with the problem of having to leave the children alone for hours, a situation she does not want.

She is a 38-year-old mother of three who has been separated from her husband for the past three years. Although the