In Singapore, Cherry’s story shows how patient accompaniment, practical support, and personal determination can help a family move from crisis toward hope.

Today, Cherry runs her own makeup and hairstyling business. She helps people prepare for weddings, birthdays, and other important moments, using her skills to bring confidence and joy to others. She is also continuing her education in business management, working toward a more secure future for herself and her children.

Foo Lee Lian, Vincentian from Conference of St Francis (pictured on the right) with Cherry and her son at the recent Conference Christmas celebration.

Only a few years ago, her life looked very different.

Cherry, a Vietnamese mother of two, had to make the painful decision to leave the home she shared with her Singaporean husband. With limited social support available to her, she sought refuge in a shelter. She was caring for two children, including a son with special needs, while facing uncertainty about housing, employment, education, and the family’s daily expenses.

The shelter connected her with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference of St. Francis Xavier.

That connection became an important turning point.

Foo Lee Lian, a Vincentian from the Conference, began visiting Cherry and listening to her situation. The Society quickly provided financial assistance and helped connect the family with other forms of support. Cherry was also referred to the Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, which assisted with her daughter’s education.

“This really relieved my burden,” Cherry said.

Her words are simple, but they point to something essential in Vincentian service: sometimes a family in crisis does not need only one form of help. Several needs are often interconnected. Housing affects employment. Employment affects childcare. Education affects the future of the whole family. A child’s special needs can make every other challenge more difficult.

Cherry’s situation required more than a single response.

Life at the shelter was not easy. A strict curfew made it difficult for her to find suitable work, especially while caring for her son. Over time, however, the family was able to move into a rental flat. The Conference helped furnish it with new and secondhand household items.

For Cherry and her children, that home represented much more than a roof.

It gave them stability.

In their new surroundings, Cherry focused on creating a healthier and more peaceful life for her family. She prepared home-cooked meals and worked to make the apartment a place where her children could feel safe and grow.

Her son, who had struggled in primary school, began attending Pathlight School, which provides specialized education for children with particular learning needs. There, he became happier and more confident.

Her daughter also began moving toward new opportunities. She was accepted into a boarding program for students from low-income families and later continued her studies, with educational costs supported through the assistance Cherry had received.

At the same time, Cherry was working to rebuild her own future.

She first found work as a beauty technician, but the long hours made it difficult to care for her children. Instead of giving up, she adapted. She became a freelance makeup artist and hairstylist, allowing her to balance work and family responsibilities more effectively.

She also continued studying.

Her journey has not been easy, and financial pressure remains a daily concern. Rent, electricity, food, and transportation all place heavy demands on a limited income, but the support of the Conference has helped the family meet essential expenses and maintain a healthier way of life.

Cherry explained that the assistance allows her to buy fresh food and cook for her children. Preparing meals at home helps her stretch the family budget and care for their health. One special dish, beef pho, has become a treat that the family looks forward to sharing.

These ordinary details matter.

Vincentian service often becomes visible not only in major interventions, but also in the small signs of restored family life: a working refrigerator, a cooked meal, a child doing better at school, or a mother able to sit with her children in a home of their own.

Lee Lian’s accompaniment has also gone beyond financial assistance.

Cherry describes her as someone who regularly asks about the family, invites her to talk, and sometimes includes them in outings or meals. When household problems arise, the Conference responds when possible. When the family refrigerator broke down, it was replaced.

This kind of accompaniment communicates something deeper than aid alone: the family is not forgotten.

Lee Lian has watched Cherry face one challenge after another.

“I’ve seen Cherry overcome every challenge thrown her way because she is determined to make a better life for her family,” she said. She has also seen the growth of both children and the strength that has emerged in the family through years of difficulty.

Cherry’s story is not one of instant change. It is a story of many small steps.

A shelter.

A visit.

Financial assistance.

A referral.

A rental flat.

A school placement.

A new business.

Further education.

Behind each step are people who chose to remain close, and a mother who continued moving forward even when progress was slow.

For Vincentians, this story is a reminder that accompaniment should help people recover not only stability, but also confidence, freedom, and the ability to shape their own future.

The goal is not to create dependence. It is to stand beside a person as she discovers her own strength and opportunities.

Cherry has received help, but she has also worked, studied, adapted, cared for her children, and built something of her own. Her progress is the result of courage joined with community.

Her journey encourages Vincentians to look beyond the immediate crisis and to ask a wider question: what does this person or family need in order to move forward with dignity?

Sometimes the answer will involve money. Sometimes it will involve education, housing, childcare, friendship, or a connection with another organization. Often, it will involve all of these together.

Cherry’s life is still demanding. The future is not without uncertainty, but her family now has greater stability, and new possibilities continue to open.

Her story shows what can happen when Vincentian charity becomes thoughtful, practical, and personal.

One family is accompanied.

One mother is encouraged.

One child finds the right school.

One young woman sees new educational opportunities …  and step by step, struggle begins to give way to strength.

Article based on information from the 2025 Annual Report of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Singapore.