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Arotahi ā-Hapori | Community Focus: NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust

The January 28th floods significantly impacted the space used by the NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust (NZEWT), resulting in major damage to all the items they require to support the community they serve with generosity. 

The NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust has been operating since 2001 to support women of all ethnicities, including those from Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, many of whom come from refugee backgrounds. The group provides sewing, computer, and business classes, as well as food and essentials, to local families.

However, all of their furniture and sewing machines were destroyed by the floods, along with all the food, flour, sugar, tea, noodles, oil, and essentials such as toilet paper, diapers, and baby food. Volunteers worked hard to clear debris from the site, but the director of the NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust, Fadumo Ahmed, told the NZ Herald that everything the group has sourced over the past 23 years was lost in one day.

Due to the flood damage, the group has been left without teaching resources or supplies for over 3,500 women in the community. About 20 sewing machines ready for use in the new school term were destroyed, along with all of the group’s computer equipment.

Fadumo, who oversees a staff of about 20 part-time employees covering 14 languages for families settling in Aotearoa, says that the cost of the damage is likely more than $50,000 and that the group is not insured. But despite the setback, Fadumo says that the group cannot give up because they have many people waiting for their assistance.

The NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust is searching for a new location, as the safety and health conditions of the flood-damaged location are not safe due to mould. Fadumo hopes that with a new space, the group can get back to providing their programmes to the families and staff who need them. She notes that not only have the families they assist become homeless, but also some of their staff members.

If you would like to help spread the word to those who may be able to assist the NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust in finding a new location or providing resources, you can connect with them through their website or social media.