Safari journey eases loneliness for migrant, refugee mums
Stuff article by Mildred Armah
Isolation, loneliness and depression is a problem for many new mums in New Zealand’s refugee and new migrant communities, with some not leaving their homes for years after giving birth.
Sumaia Islam moved to Aotearoa from Bangladesh three years ago with her husband. Their son was born shortly after they arrived.
Living in a new country with a newborn and only her husband for support was difficult, the 24-year-old said.
“Staying at home was suffocating. It was very hard, because of my mental health after giving birth. I was feeling so lonely at home…
“Sometimes I would just cry. I was feeling depressed and frustrated.”
Then, when her son was 2 months old, Islam’s Plunket nurse referred her to a Safari playgroup and her life transformed.
“Safari is like my second family. It has been so refreshing for me. I’ve learned things about New Zealand and I have lots of friends who I can talk to,” Islam said.
“I’ve also seen my son become more social as he doesn’t have the same opportunity to play at home.”
For 15 years, the Safari Project, run by charity Belong Aotearoa, has been supporting refugee and migrant mothers and children in Auckland through its multicultural playgroups.
In Swahili, safari means journey, and through the project, which is partly funded by the Ministry of Education, families begin their journey in New Zealand, preparing children and mothers for school and for life in their new home.
For Islam, who doesn’t drive, Safari’s van pick-up service is a game-changer. It recognises that lack of access to transport is “a major barrier” for many migrants and refugees, especially women. The service costs $2, but only if families can afford it.
Safari also offers settlement support, connecting mums to parenting classes, health awareness workshops, community banking sessions, librarian visits and English classes.
Tsehainesh Hibtit was there when it all started and is still actively involved as the playgroup leader at Safari Central.
Mt Roskill was home to the first playgroup and there are now six in total, based in Lynfield, Avondale, Henderson, Manurewa, Panmure and Ōtāhuhu.
The idea for Safari came from a meeting refugee leaders called, around 2008, to discuss issues in the community, Hibtit said.
“We saw that migrant or refugee background people, when they come as new migrants, they would stay at home until the children started school. We saw that mums with children under 5 were finding it very hard.
“They desperately needed something to bring them together as they were isolated and feeling depressed. If the mums are depressed, it will affect the family and the children.”
As a former refugee, Hibtit understands how difficult it can be settling in an unfamiliar country. Originally from Eritrea, she moved to New Zealand in 1995 with her husband.
Leaving loved ones behind in “a crises back home” to start anew, was always hard, she said.
“They feel isolated and lonely with no support and they feel a lot of pressure. We had women who would come to us and just cry.”
A recent government inquiry into mental health found that people of refugee backgrounds experience unmet mental health needs and disproportionately poorer mental health than the general population.
Hibtit’s dream is to see Safari playgroups expand nationwide because “there is a need out there”.
“A lot of these women are invisible, people just don’t see them. We would love to do more and we could if we had the resource,” she said.
There are 238 enrolled children across the six playgroups, from 209 families. Since its inception in 2010, about 1600 children have attended.
- Stuff
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