Eldoret sits on a tributary of the River Nile in Western Kenya. It’s the hometown of Alex who is now supporting Haydn and Dougie, two Aboriginal men who live in the City of Swan. Alex sees a lot of similarities between his hometown and Aboriginal culture. Both have a long history of artistic expression. Respect for Elders and the importance of family are foundations of both cultures. “How they do things, their culture is more like how we do things back home, especially when you go to rural areas. The community set up is the same. Aunts, uncles coming together. Family is very important,” Alex says.
In Kenya, Alex worked for a software company and trained people to use apps and systems. He moved to Australia four years ago to complete a Diploma in IT Networking before pursuing a career as a Support Worker. “Now I don’t think I could do anything else. You get to meet different kinds of people. You get to hear different stories you wouldn’t get to hear in a normal job. You get to talk to them. You become their friends. I’ve learnt a lot from them. They’ve helped me.”
Alex is considering combining his background in IT with his passion for supporting people and interest in photography. “I’d like to develop an app that can help people with speech. I want to fit my IT career with disability and maybe help by teaching people how to use computers or photography.”