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| Shakti Community Council Inc. |
| http://www.shakti.org.nz |
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| Address: | 3 Cardwell St
Onehunga
NI/Auckland |
| Contact: | Deepa Abeygunasekera |
| Email: |  |
Company description:
About Shakti
Introduction
Shakti Community Council Inc., formerly known as the Shakti Migrant Services Trust has its origins in The Shakti Asian Women’s Support Group founded by Farida Sultana and 7 other Asian women in Auckland in 1995. The support group was set up by ethnic women for ethnic women to overcome the barriers that come with migration and break the bonds of cultural oppression imposed on them for generations. Besides enrolling themselves in Life Skills programmes and learning to become self-reliant, these women sought to challenge the cultural acceptance of Domestic Violence within their communities, promote greater gender equity and bring about social change.
Over the years, the Support Group has grown from the confines of one tiny room to a national umbrella organisation with several centres covering Central, West and South Auckland, North Island Central (including Hamilton and Tauranga) and South Island (based out of Christchurch). Services include a 24-hour domestic violence intervention service and other social services to migrant and refugee families. Every year, Shakti caters to approximately 20,000 families in New Zealand, from several ethnic groups including Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Malay, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Burmese, Korean, Indian, Fiji Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Iranian, Iraqi and African. Shakti’s forte has been in providing culturally-sensitive services, by ethnic people for ethnic people of Asian, African and Middle Eastern origins.
Shakti Community Council Inc. is approved by Child, Youth & Family (CYFs) as a national umbrella organisation and holds various government funding contracts. Some of the member organisations are individually CYFs-approved as well. CYFs approval ensures implementation of best-practice standards in social services.
Mission
Shakti’s mission is to facilitate and ensure good health and overall well-being of New Zealand’s migrant and refugee communities through culturally appropriate services within a culturally appropriate environment.
Vision
To enable all immigrants to be fully integrated into New Zealand society in such a manner that they are able to live a life of dignity free from violence and are able to exercise their rights and responsibilities.
What we do…
Shakti Community Council Inc provides multifarious services through its affiliate member organizations in Auckland and nationwide:
1) Shakti Asian Women’s Centre Inc. established in Auckland, provides 24-hour crisis call service for ethnic women in domestic violence, drop in centre for women, outreach social work, ACC advocacy, counselling, legal referral, interpreting, life skills programmes, domestic violence intervention training for community, and advocacy. An important initiative of this centre is to train women advocates in the community in the area of gender equity and social change. This centre is individually CYFs-approved.
2) Shakti Asian Women’s Safehouse Inc. Two Refuges (Auckland) offers culturally appropriate refuge for ethnic women which are safe and confidential, self-empowerment programmes, therapy, counselling, legal support, health referral and advocacy in housing and immigration, life skill education and programmes to promote self-reliance. Both refuges are individually CYFs-approved, though one of them is funded by CYFs.
3) Shakti Migrant Community Education Centre Inc. in Auckland provides community education programmes including road safety and driving for men and women and building leadership within communities.
4) Shakti Family Settlement & Social Services Inc. in Auckland offers settlement and social services for migrants and migrant families in Auckland region. Casework and family support services include family violence prevention and child abuse prevention. This centre is individually CYFs-approved.
5) Shakti Education Training & Advisory Company (SETAC) An NZQA-approved training arm of Shakti which is in the process of establishing employment-oriented courses and training for migrants according to New Zealand labour market and facilitate gainful employment and integration.
6) The New Zealand Sikh Women’s Association Inc. Auckland, provides Life Skills educational programmes for Sikh women, awareness of rights of women in New Zealand and domestic violence awareness programmes among Sikh women.
7) Shakti Ethnic Women’s Support Group (Central region) Inc. provides domestic violence intervention support, crisis response, English language classes, road safety programmes and other life skills programmes for ethnic women in North Island central. Initiative to establish a multipurpose house for refuge accommodation is in progress.
8) Shakti Ethnic Women’s Support Group, Christchurch Inc. offers services which include information and advocacy, culturally-appropriate domestic violence crisis response, refuge accommodation, referrals, life skills education programmes including Road Safety Awareness and English language. Services are
Vacancies:
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