Shama Hamilton Ethnic Womens Centre Trust
Shama was established in 2002 with the purpose of delivering a range of services and a Drop-in Centre. Shama provides a friendly and safe environment where ethnic women can meet and bring their children. We provide social work support, life-skill classes, free resources, advocacy, home visit, and legal advice. Our long term goal is to continue to provide culturally appropriate support and services to ethnic women, children and their families to enable them to reach their goals and aspirations, and so to be able to contribute back to the community. Shama works to empower and educate ethnic women so they can integrate into New Zealand and raise safe and successful families and communities.
Shama provides social work support, advocacy, home visits, in a safe, confidential, and culturally appropriate environment. We also work with other organizations to offer counselling and therapy when needed. Shama offers a range of services for both prevention and support. These services include Childrens School Holiday Programme, homework assistance to children of refugee background, weekly classes that help ethnic women to develop life-skills such as English, Sewing, Cooking and Gardening classes. Through these classes, they feel less isolated while gain more confidence. We also provide legal and domestic violence workshops where ethnic women and their families are able to better understand and exercise their rights and responsibilities, and live a life free from fear of violence. Furthermore, we run a Community Development Project to empower ethnic communities so they can integrate better in New Zealand society.
