Three years ago, Itri left her home in Indonesia before her daughter woke up.
She could not bring herself to say goodbye while the child was awake because she knew what it would look like and she knew she would not be able to leave if she saw it.
Her daughter was three years old when Itri crossed into Malaysia and went to work.
For three years, she helped raise someone else’s children.
What she came to Malaysia for
As shared on Threads by @elysyaannys, Itri had been working as a domestic helper for the family throughout that time caring for their children and keeping the household running.
The family knew about her daughter in Indonesia and how long it had been. When they decided to do something about it, they did not tell Itri in advance.
The surprise she did not see coming
The family arranged for Itri’s daughter to travel from Indonesia to Malaysia so the two of them could finally be in the same room again. In the video shared on Threads, the moment Itri realised what was happening she broke down completely. Over three years of separation, compressed into a single moment at a doorway.
@elysyaannys wrote in her post that she was grateful to Itri for everything she had done for her children throughout the years, and that arranging the reunion was her way of giving something back.
The reality of domestic helpers
Itri is one of an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 migrant domestic workers in Malaysia, the majority from Indonesia and the Philippines. Most live in their employers’ homes. Under Malaysian law, domestic helpers are not covered by the Employment Act, meaning they have no statutory entitlement to rest days, overtime pay or sick leave. Their working conditions depend entirely on the household they work in. Many of them left children behind to come and work here and most of those reunions do not get arranged for them.
Submit your story to ym.efillaerni@olleh and you may be featured on In Real Life Malaysia.
Read also: ‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman – In Real Life
https://inreallife.my/i-gave-up-my-family-to-pursue-my-dreams-shares-34-yo-msian-woman/
‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman
More from Family Relationships
“My parents got scammed, and I’m the one paying the price” shares 28 yr old malaysian woman
This is a story of a woman, who is a single child who found out that her parents lost their …
“One Toast Split Our Reunion Into Two Tables,” shares M’sian cousin
This story is a follow up to a user submitted story from 2025, about what happened when the family finally …
“Cancer took Papa from me twice,” shares grieving M’sian Daughter
I was an only child. Mama died in a car accident when I was 13, and Papa became both parents …
