“I never thought my life would be such a failure and I’d fall so low…” When the social workers from the H Foundation came knocking on my door, to be honest: “I was really put off, I wanted to close the door”.

I Swallowed An Entire Month’s Medication Together with Whisky

“I got myself into this predicament because of my own disposition and because I was too trusting (becoming debt-ridden). It in turn affected my father, wife, and children. My house in the city was auctioned off by the bank. Every day I was hounded by the bank, and money lenders. I had nowhere to hide…I could only escape. I was on the verge of a break down in those days.

I remember that day clearly. At 7a.m. in the morning, I parked my car on the roadside; I took out one month’s piles of medication that I got from the psychiatrist and swallowed it down together with whisky…then, that afternoon at 3, I woke up! I was still alive!

I almost lost my mind, why hadn’t I died?

Tanned and wearing a cap, Xiao-Yi’s father recounted his story. He picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip. “I think that God did not let me die because he wanted me to face reality, then later on I met you people from the H Foundation”.

I never thought my life would be such a failure and I’d fall so low…I didn’t even have money to buy my daily pack of cigarettes! When the social workers from the H Foundation came knocking on the door and stated their intention, to be honest: “I was really put off, I wanted to close the door”.

Introduced to the H Foundation by neighbors, Xiao-Yi, who was referred to us by his school, was only in second grade. He had poor concentration at school, he liked to talk to his classmates and could not pay proper attention in his classes, and his teachers were worried about him.

At that time, Xiao-Yi’s dad had become debt-ridden due to other’s abuse of his credit, and Xiao-Yi’s mom was pregnant with her third child. Although Xiao-Yi’s mom took up her responsibility as the family breadwinner, the couple often argued and even hurt each other due to money issues and disagreement on how to raise their children. Xiao-Yi felt very insecure and fell behind in school; he could not concentrate in class and felt empty inside, and was need of attention and care.

Given assistance to deal with debt, Xiao-Yi’s dad back to life on the right track.

First of all, The H Foundation’s tutors help Xiao-Yi manage his mentality and emotions. Slowly but surely, they made Xiao-Yi understand that even if he did not like to go to class or could not comprehend what was going on, his attitude and behavior should not make irritate the teachers or prevent other students from learning. Once his attitude was back on track, they then began to work on his progress with short sessions of learning. We cannot ask children to go from 0 straight to 100, but if he can pass every subject, for Xiao-Yi, it was already a huge improvement!

The social workers from family services encouraged Xiao-Yi’s dad to go to the “Finance and Debt Management Course” offered by the H Foundation. He accepted the professional legal counsel’s advice and found a suitable pay back plan. Xiao-Yi’s dad said: “When I knew there was a way to settle my debt. I felt that I could finally live again.”

Growing up with hardship is a Gift.

When a family in a financial strait, there’s a helping hand…
When parents are in their most hopeless despair, a force can lift them up…
When children losing all hope, they need to see the light in the dark tunnel…

People often remember those who were there with them when they were at their lowest and most painful period in life. If a helping hand can be delivered at this critical point, the entire family can be lifted out of the shadows and back into the light in the same way that Xiao-Yi’s dad gained new hope.

In the future, we believe that Xiao-Yi’s dad can also become a helping hand to others, and the force that helps other families to shake themselves free of the darkness.

After experiencing the valleys of despair, when you see the light of hope, you will realize that hardship may is a gift to your life.

Author / H Foundation