Mt Roskill Collective launched into action during the Auckland flooding in 2023, working collectively to respond to the communities’ immediate needs.
The collective is made up of several women-led organisations and supports grassroots communities. Having strong existing connections within its community, it was able to quickly act the night of the flooding. The local school opened as a shelter for displaced Muslim families, while community members and male volunteers from Global Lighthouse Mission (Pacific Provider) worked late into the night carrying mattresses in for the women and children to sleep on. They continued to deliver groceries to the school while the families stayed there.
Mt Roskill Collective volunteer Jenny Janif says the community needed ongoing support in the weeks and months following the tragedy.
Some local families are refugees and come from land-locked countries and have a lack of knowledge about water safety, Ms Janif says.
The flooding “identified a gap for us”.
The collective has been supporting them to gain better water safety knowledge and skills with initiatives such as a weekly drowning prevention programme for women, supported by Sport Auckland, Refugee As Survivors NZ, Drowning Prevention and other non-governmental organisations.
It has considered how to better prepare communities for future severe weather events by introducing new information into its existing programmes, such as its parenting and digital literacy courses. It shares information like what support is available and how to access government services.
An important component is also supporting people’s mental health and wellbeing, Ms Janif says.
“There are so many layers it is sometimes mind-boggling. But the collective quickly identified upskilling, in terms of information.”
The collective is dedicated to supporting its community, despite its own challenges. One year on from the flooding, Fadumo Ahmed , Director of NZ Ethnic Women’s Trust (one of the collective’s members) is running programmes out of her restaurant Banadir because the office space was flooded. That’s where the digital literacy classes are being held.
“It’s always the women who are the movers and shakers in the community,” Ms Janif says.
“They are ready to give back despite not having much resources themselves.”
Find out more about Mt Roskill Collective on its Facebook page.