Personal message

AltGen specialises in renewable energy, sustainability and energy efficiency recruitment, consulting, job advertising and employer-of-record services globally.

Portia became a member of AltGen’s team as an administrator in 2020, but really, she became a part of the family.

Her son, Simo, struggled to focus at school and was consistently branded as naughty by his teachers. This picture his teachers painted of his personality, did not at all align with the boy she knew him to be. Portia could see her son was suffering from something deeper, and decided to seek professional help. Simo was initially mis-diagnosed with ADHD. Portia could tell that something still wasn't right and continued looking for answers.

After doing some research of her own, Portia consulted a pediatrician, recommended by one of AltGen's consultants. Simo was diagnosed with ASD, the symptoms of which Portia believes were triggered by the trauma of his father’s passing during Covid.

Portia couldn’t stand by and see her son continue to be neglected at school and was appalled by the lack of understanding around special needs learners demonstrated by herself, her family, and her community. Simo's teacher helped Portia recognise that her son need some additional support in the school environment. She knew that eventually, she wanted to play the same role in the lives of other children, and so decided to pursue a career in education.

Her goal is to create a safe space at school for both her son and other students with special needs. Portia committed to her studies in 2023 and graduated in December, achieving distinctions for every module of her PGCE.

As you can imagine, the financial burden of being a single parent of a child with special needs whilst studying, is a significantly heavy one. We, as AltGen, would like to support Portia, not only in her career growth, but also in her endeavor to make a meaningful impact on the lives of the at-risk youth in her community.

Help Portia pay for her studies.