While Her Daughter Was in Hospital

Leyla was already stretched when her daughter was admitted to hospital.

She is a single mother to two children. Her youngest is one year old. Her older child just turned two. Her daughter had been diagnosed with vascular growths on her head that required surgical removal. The surgery took place in April 2026.

Leyla spent days going back and forth between the hospital and home, paying for parking with each visit, buying food when there was no time to cook, watching the account drop with each transaction. She was not thinking about the cost. She was thinking about her daughter.

Leyla came to Australia from overseas. She married outside of her family's expectations, and that decision closed a door. Her family cut contact. She has no one to call when things become difficult. Her ex-husband does not provide financial support.

She is raising two children under two on a Centrelink income of $3,320 a month. Her rent is $1,800 a month. Before the hospitalisation she was managing. Barely, but managing.

After the hospitalisation, she was not.

She paid February rent late. In March, she could only pay $1,200 of the $1,800 owing. She deferred her son's childcare fees for four weeks. April rent fell due and she had nothing left to pay it with.

She sent a message to NZF: "I'm stressing because I don't want to be homeless with two kids. Thank you so much for your help. May Allah reward you all."

Caseworkers documented her situation carefully. Her income is what it is. Her expenses are what they are. The gap is the direct result of a medical emergency she could not have prevented and would never have chosen.

Leyla is not asking for ongoing support. She is asking for help with one month's rent while she recovers from the financial impact of her daughter's surgery. One month. That is the difference between keeping the home she has and facing homelessness with a one-year-old and a toddler.

Her daughter recovered well from the surgery, Alhamdulillah. She is now back on her feet financially, up to date with her rent and ahead in managing her expenses, with the support of Zakat.

Your Zakat, Leyla's Right