Mona was born in Egypt and migrated to Australia almost 55 years ago. After completing year 12, Mona started working in the insurance industry while studying at TAFE and graduating with a Diploma in AAII. Nine years later, Mona started working in childcare which lasted 17 years.
Unfortunately, Mona had to quit work to care for her husband, who was diagnosed with dementia and who, sadly, passed away two years later. Mona could not go back to her career in childcare, as she was too depressed to look after children. Mona also found it too difficult to go back to working in the insurance industry, as it had been too long since she had worked in an office environment. As she had no means of supporting herself, Mona’s depression worsened.
Mona applied for Centrelink assistance but gave up that assistance due to an extremely negative experience with an employment consultant. Mona later moved to another suburb, where she applied for Centrelink assistance again and, this time, she was referred to MTC’s Disability Employment Services (DES) program. Mona explains her experience from that stage on by saying, “After I lost all hope of ever finding a job, Karin at MTC asked me if I would like to work in MTC SEE in Fairfield, and I said, “Yes!” It was the best decision I ever made! I love the job, and the people are so nice. I now feel like I have a purpose in life every morning I wake up, after feeling hopeless all that time.” Mona continued, “My life has become so busy, balancing work, home, and grandchildren. But the job is easy going, compared to all my previous work. It feels rewarding when I learn a new task. If it weren’t for MTC, I would not have found work, especially in an office, as it has been 35 years since I worked in an office environment. I am so grateful to MTC.”
With her excellent work ethic and hard-working nature, Mona has become an important addition to the Fairfield team, and we’re thrilled to have her as a part of the MTC family.