On the 25th of August Hamish and I hosted the NewstalkZB show “The Nutters Club.”
We talked with Aaron D’Souza who shared his journey of navigating several years of hardship to setting up Against the Odds scholarships, and the huge role that asking for and receiving help has had on him getting to a place of being able to help others. From his marriage break up, to struggling to have time to care for his sons working 10 hour days as a chef, to the financial hardship of re-training to be a teacher, to facing eviction from their home, D’Souza and his sons have seen some huge mental and physical challenges to overcome. Somehow, through all these struggles D’Souza, who is now re-partnered and a qualified teacher at De La Salle College, had the strength to think beyond himself and his challenges, and managed to set up an initiative to support other solo parents, first with hampers over Christmas and now with $1000 scholarships for school uniforms and supplies. He didn’t do it all alone though and shares the lessons he learned about setting aside his pride and accepting help from others.
With thanks to NZ on Air.
To listen to the audio of the show, it’s in two parts, click the links below…
