WITH her 18-month-old son asleep in the only bedroom in her flat, Farzana Miah desperately scoured the empty cupboards in her kitchen for something - anything - to feed him for breakfast.

But with bare cupboards, the single-mum-of-one from Ealing sat down at her computer, swallowed her pride, and begged strangers for cash on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe.

Just last year Farzana, 25, couldn't have imagined she'd be relying on the charity of strangers to feed her son Keyaan.

She was working at Sainsbury's earning £400 a month for working 12 hours a week, but had to give up the job in September, when she was moved onto Universal Credit and suddenly had to pay childcare costs upfront.

Under Universal Credit you get 85 per cent of childcare fees covered by the Government, but they must be paid upfront by parents and can take up to six weeks to claim back.

Farzana isn't the only mum to fall foul of the new Universal Credit system.

The Sun has been campaigning for childcare costs to be paid upfront by the government in our Make Universal Credit Campaign - helping parents like Farzana get back to work.

Farzana says she is now £4,500 in debt, behind on bills and has to rely on foodbanks to put meals on the table.

She feels that crowdfunding is now her only option to help repay her debts and raise cash to enrol on a beauty course so she can work around childcare, to get her out of the cycle of poverty.

"Asking for money so publicly has made me feel so low," Farzana told The Sun. "I feel disgusted that I’ve had to do it but what choice do I have?

"The only hope I have of ever paying it off is by getting a job but I can’t afford childcare on Universal Credit so I’m trapped. I can’t see a way out.

"I’ve never been in debt before and it really frightens me.

"Having to tell strangers my story is embarrassing and I know they will judge me, but I feel like I have to suck it up and take the hit to protect Keyaan’s future.

"I’m doing everything on my own. My son is my main priority, my rock, but if it wasn’t for my son, then I don’t think I’d be here."

So far she's managed to raise almost just over £4,000 - almost enough to write off her debts.

Farzana was abused when she 16 and put into care, and has been living in temporary accommodation - a converted shipping container - for the past two years.

'IF IT WASN’T FOR MY SON, I DON’T THINK I WOULD BE HERE'
Farzana was able to return to work over summer while her sister looked after Keyaan for free. But come September, she returned to college and Farzana couldn’t afford to put her son into childcare.

Are you on Universal Credit? Tell us your story. Email: universalcredit@thesun.co.uk and join our Universal Credit Facebook group.
While at work, Farzana’s Universal Credit payment was hit by the taper rate - a figure set by the Government to reduce your benefits if you earn more than a set amount.

For every £1 she earns over £198, 63p is deducted from their benefit payment. It meant that Farzana’s £400 a month wage reduced her benefits by £252.

Farzana added: "I'm not left with enough to buy food for my son as well as pay back these debts.

"I want to go back to earning my own money. I loved working and I hate doing nothing but who can look after my son?

"I miss the independence and the social of having a job but it's just not possible. I don't have any cash to spare to put Keyaan in childcare."

In total, Farzana is entitled to £1,497 a month Universal Credit but once she’s paid her rent and bills she has just £97 live off.

A dispute between Ealing Council and the Department for Work and Pensions meant that Farzana’s housing costs were overpaid by £1,950 back when she first applied for Universal Credit.

Her rent is paid directly to the council, so despite the extra money never actually reaching her bank account she is having to repay the cash from her Universal Credit.

Around £38 a month automatically deducted from her payments to cover the costs.

On top of this, she also faces repaying £2,502 housing debts from when she was living in a hostel whilst in care four years ago - a bill she was unaware of until January this year.

'IT WILL TAKE ME 10 YEARS TO CLEAR MY DEBT, I’M BROKEN'
She’s currently paying the council £48 a month to cover these costs.

If she continues paying back what she owes at the same rate then it will take her over four years before she’s debt-free.

The DWP offered Farzana an interest-free budgeting loan of up to £812 to help her manage the costs, which she turned down to avoid spiralling further into debt.

"If I could work then I would be able to pay off the debt sooner," she explains. "But I can’t while I have to money to pay for Keyaan’s care.

An Ealing Council spokesperson said: "No-one is charged to be in foster care although we do charge working age adults rent. This is a complex case and we appreciate Ms Miah's frustration.

"We will be writing to Ms Miah in order to offer her advice and support. However we strongly encourage her to get in contact with us as a matter of urgency so we can explain the actions she needs to take to resolve this issue."

The DWP did not wish to comment