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For a couple of years, Anil David has been praying for a substantial government contract because it would be a resounding support for his social enterprise Agape Connecting People, a contact center founded by an ex-offender and employing other ex-offenders. single mothers and people with disabilities.
Covid-19 made that dream come true.
In April of this year, the company received the great job of managing the National Hotline, created by the Government to offer psychological help and emotional support to those who need it during the Covid-19 crisis.
For the past six months, Agape staff members have been the “first level triage” for distressed callers, helping them calm down before channeling their calls to trained hotline professionals, including psychologists, counselors and social workers.
“It was the breakthrough I’ve been praying for. It affirms my belief that work is a platform where ex-offenders can redeem themselves and other disadvantaged people can prove themselves,” says Anil.
It took a while before the 52-year-old, who was jailed three times for fraud and criminal breach of trust, managed to prove himself and redeem himself.
The call center that started with his wife in 2012 today employs nearly 150 people. Half are serving time in prison and the rest are ex-offenders, the elderly and other “disadvantaged people who want a second chance at life.”
Not just a call center anymore, the multichannel contact center also offers a full suite of services including call handling, email marketing, Webchat interaction, and social media management.
In addition to an office on Tai Seng Avenue, Agape also has a call center at the Changi Women’s Prison. With a grant from the DBS Foundation last year, it is also in the process of converting another call center in the men’s prison into a training academy with four classrooms, each of which accommodates 20 apprentices.
The group’s clarion call to “transform lives and rebuild families” has resonated with many corporations, and their clients include insurance companies, telecommunications companies and government agencies.
He has also won a number of awards, including The Most Impactful Social Enterprise (2016), given by the Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association.
Professionals have also joined its social mission. Joseph See, for example, left his job as Director of Acquisitions and Retention at StarHub to become CEO of Agape two years ago. StarHub was one of Agape’s first major customers.
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The fifth in an eight-part series on purpose-driven businesses committed to solving challenging problems of our time.
“I guess it’s a calling, something I felt I needed to do. Anil wanted to impact more people and couldn’t do it alone. I felt like I needed help and my former bosses gave me their blessings,” says Mr See, who brings with him, more two decades of leadership experience in the banking and telecommunications contact center industry.
Although he did not disclose figures, Agape’s annual income has increased six-fold since its inception.
“We have to be profitable to be sustainable, but more importantly, it is about the number of lives we have impacted,” says Anil, adding that Agape has changed the lives of nearly 600 people.
The third of six children of a driver and a housewife, he had a happy enough childhood until he was tainted by a deceased uncle who sexually abused him, periodically for a year, when he was eight years old.
The episode marked him, plagued him with self-doubt, low self-esteem, and confidence issues. The former student from San Andrés High School failed his O levels, passing only English.
His first proper job, after completing national service, was selling insurance. “I did well because of my creative approach,” he says.
With a smile, he recalls how he once came across pages of obituaries for a Chinese kayak in the newspapers.
“It was one of those three-day wakes. Even though I didn’t know him, I went to the wake, rolled up my sleeves, and helped serve drinks. His son came up to me and asked who I was and I said, ‘Your dad gave me great advice,’ ”she says. “A month later, the son became my insurance client.”
Unfortunately, he did not use his wit and gift of speech to get ahead legitimately.
Impatient for the finer things in life – fast cars and designer brands – he cut corners and illegally used his clients’ funds.
Over eight months, he diverted nearly $ 100,000, which he squandered on a spicy lifestyle.
“Sin is delicious, like a juicy mango. But too much will give you diabetes,” says Anil, whose book about his life, The Longest Shortcut, is now available on Kinokuniya and the Goguru online bookstore.
In 1995, when he was 27 and married, he was captured and sentenced to five years in prison. He ended up in jail two more times for criminal breach of trust.
“My last prison sentence in 2004 was eight years. I was really depressed, I felt like I had reached the end of the road. My wife and my two daughters wanted nothing to do with me,” says Anil, whose children are now 18 and 25 years.
His life took a different turn when he was assigned to work in a prison call center in 2006. Having found faith, he told himself that he had to rebuild his life and push himself to acquire new skills.
The CEO who ran the call center noticed that he was good at selling.
“He would bring me books and talk to me. He even promised me a job when they released me,” says Anil, who was later appointed team leader and later coach.
The idea of starting a business that could help reform former criminals began to seep into his head.
“The CEO gave me time and attention. I told myself that if I had a business model that gave time and attention to ex-offenders, they could be rehabilitated.”
Hope came in other ways. Although skeptical that it would help mend his relationship with his estranged family, he wrote a letter to his eldest daughter through the Yellow Ribbon Project, an initiative to encourage acceptance of ex-offenders and give them a second chance at life. She answered.
“I chose the name Agape because it means unconditional love. I am here for the unconditional love of my wife and daughters,” he says.
As promised, he was given a job in a call center after his release in 2011. To supplement his income, he made calls to insurance agents, earning $ 50 each time he got an appointment.
With his savings and the money his wife raised by pawning his jewelry, he founded Agape a year later. The CEO who helped him also wrote him a check for $ 20,000, repaid a year later, to start the business.
The going was difficult at first. He did 18-hour shifts, often surviving on cup noodles and preparing all the materials himself. But her tenacity to help others was so moving that she was offered the opportunity to set up a call center at the prison.
Raising funds to do so turned out to be an arduous task because his prison record made him “unfunded” – until Mason Tan and Kim Tan, both heads of investment firms, stepped in with an investment of nearly $ 500,000.
“They told me, ‘If it ever becomes completely lucrative, we will withdraw all of our investments,” says Anil.
Dream of impacting more lives. “Mine was a story of failure after failure after failure. However, at age 42, I decided to change because I was given a second chance. Change is possible.”
If you had to give only one reason why you committed these crimes, what would it be?
I grew up in an era when young people my age craved material things like 5Cs: cash, condo, car, credit card, and membership in a country club. I wanted them too, but I made the wrong decisions to get them. I have them, but they destroyed my life.
Complete this sentence: Prison is not a place you want to end up because …
It takes away a part of your soul that you can never get back. I wasn’t there to watch the kids grow up, I missed the joyous celebrations like graduations. And I wasn’t there when my sister passed away. These are regrets that I will always carry.
Do you think a lot of people talk lip-service about the phrase “second chances” and that Singapore still has a long way to go before people put their money in their mouths?
I have good and bad experiences. But I firmly believe that if we continue to show resilience and commitment, people will recover. It takes time, but the welcome to Agape has been very positive.
Why was starting Agape and helping ex-offenders so important to you?
I wanted to do something meaningful and purposeful because I wanted my daughters to be proud of me. I’ve spent a lot of time on the dark side.
I knew that I could help others to change because I went through the change myself. I understand flaws and destructive behavior, and I can connect with those who struggle with them.
When you started Agape, did you think it would get to where it is today?
I never imagined that he would get to be where he is now. It surprises me, but I know that my God, from whom I draw strength, guides me in this search.
What are the three things about Agape that you are most proud of?
My only friend from a young age, investment specialist Bhart Sheri, was questioned once about our close relationship. I brought him trouble, but not only has he forgiven me, he has also invested in my business because he is with me and believes in my dreams.
I am proud of my reconciliation with my family, who have supported me all these years.
And I’m proud of the opportunity to walk alongside ex-offenders, people with disabilities, and others in challenging situations.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed and disoriented by the growth of Agape? How do you handle it?
I have a good team that carries the vision with me and I am not alone. My team determines me to dream big. Alone, I can only do very little. It takes a village.
What do you say to the cynics who say: a leopard never changes its spots?
A leopard with measurable dreams and goals in the company of good men may change, but a leopard that persists in bad company will find it difficult.
What does purpose mean to you?
Dedicate myself to a cause beyond myself. It fuels my motivation in life, gives my life meaning and direction, inspiring me to make a meaningful contribution to the world.
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