Isaac's story transcript

Isaac: A man being out of his work, he bring a lot of destruction into his brain and every part of him. I came up from a very hardworking background and I've always wanted to work. Just imagine I come from the remote part of Africa by day and come in here and having high level of understanding. Like I was a science and history teacher, draftsman by profession. But from 2010 to 2016, April, I didn't have a job. Due to my mental health issue, which I gained from the past, from trauma and all assault. [inaudible] in my bike. I don't really have that strength to sit alone and to lift all heavy things and how those things affect you from time to time. And this thing, what are limiting my ability. Being a father of four children, it was very risky for me. How could I support my children? Wanted to find a job so that I can really gain my priority on the planet. So that how was, when I met APM.

Speaker 2: Isaac first came in roughly early this year. He was pretty quiet, really timid, but you could tell that there was something in him that wanted to try and get back into the workforce.

Isaac: Meeting [inaudible] was fantastic. I actually found myself neglect in his society, but having people to acknowledge you, I found myself, I still have value that I could do something for other people to tell me thank you.

Speaker 2: To build up Isaac's confidence, we started doing some job exercises, interview skills, basically just getting him here as regularly as possible and from there you could just slowly see his confidence increasing or talking about how his day was and re-engaging in his community and got to a point where he started to apply for his own jobs. He started working for a security company, general cleaning twice a week, but he saw the type of work that the security company was providing. He thought to himself, this is an opportunity for myself to get even more income and support my family even more. Got his security license in terms of the qualifications and then the joyfulness of Isaac really started to emerge and blossom.

Isaac: When I received that certificate, I felt so great. I [inaudible] both the work. Imagine it really put me onto the high level.

Speaker 2: And he just makes me proud to actually have had the opportunity to work with him. He's finished the program with APM, but he still comes in here once a month and just says, "Hey guys, how you going? How's everything?" We try our best here at APM to try and become family.

Isaac: It's just like you can't pay back to your mother or father for their work. That's the scene with APM for me, and that there's nothing impossible. Everything is possible based on the positivities you place on your mind and make move, keep to move. Never let anything stop you. There's always a possibility out there, even where you find that the door closed, keep knocking to that door, another door, open that have [inaudible]. It's nothing that can stop.