The ‘Coffee with’ series sees the Gojek team getting to know their driver-partners over a cup of coffee.

With her warm smile and firm handshake, it’s not surprising to hear that former prison officer Khairiah has been to a mother of many for over a decade.

“When I was a prison officer, I thought, ‘What I could I do to prevent these people from getting incarcerated in the first place?’” explains Khairiah, “So I started volunteering and taking care of troubled children.”

At present, Khairiah lives with four adopted children – two pairs of siblings she raises as her own – and is waiting for another child to be in her care. With issues on hand like dealing with grief and ADHD, Khairiah makes sure that her family of five – along with her own two parents – go out to exercise and play over the weekend. 

When she feels overwhelmed, the 41-year-old chooses to look at the positive by reminding herself that her children teach her about life as much as she teaches them. “A foster family teaches you a lot about responsibility,” she says, “it’s also very, very, very important to laugh.”

To make time for her family, Khairiah drives with Gojek.