Ignatius now hails from Pomona, California, and has been making a positive impact with underprivileged young people in his area. He grew up in a blended household initially comprising him, his parents and two older brothers, then including cousins from Uganda, whose parents had died from AIDS. Later his violent father left, with their mother having to raise ten children on as many jobs as she could, plus welfare, and food-stamps. Thankfully she also had faith the size of a mountain: a valuable lesson for Ignatius who found he had to grow up very quickly.
Ignatius found himself as a young adult sofa surfing at his brother’s house in Compton. He got a job working with youth in Pomona, and the commute meant 9 hours on the bus every day, just to make ends meet. He was virtually homeless himself all the while he was trying to make a better life for young people. Finally he found an attic to rent, in Pomona itself, much closer to work. The youth job was meant to be a stop gap measure, but instead, he found it was his calling and Ignatius and his wife saved enough money to buy their own place, and started helping others.
Three years ago the pair opened Set Apart P-Town, a local youth group, based in inner-city Pomona, with the aim to prevent other young people having the same hardships growing up as he had. Set Apart P-Town is a safe haven for those kids, who’ve become a family.
Ignatius is more than just a youth worker. His new single ‘All the Things
Download ‘All The Things’ from iTunes, and check out Ignatius on Facebook.
