Ekta’s starts a weekly drop-in centre for international students

Abhishek Sharma from Ekta on how this idea came about: “At Alert Level 4, Ekta was providing green grocery supplies to some of the Wellington charities, when we came to know that some students, migrant workers and passengers stranded here ,especially from India also needed assistance. We arranged for a few rendezvous to get food parcels to these people without breaching the alert level rules.

But, at Alert Level 3, we were able to do this on a daily basis from the Garden Room of St Peter’s Church of Willis Street, Wellington. It was then that we noted that there were people especially students coming from Petone and Hutt, coming to get the groceries and cooked meals. And at their request, we opened a daily distribution point with the kind courtesy of Brahma Kumari centre at 4 Park Avenue, Epuni, Lower Hutt.

In an interaction there, with MP Chris Bishop, in Alert Level 2, the students poured out some of the difficulties that they were facing.

We realised that what was needed was an avenue for this interaction to occur and to occur regularly.

Secondly, it required the conversation directly with the decision makers so that they could hear directly from the people who were being impacted and clarify to these people directly.

We in Ekta, think it is important that the concerns of these students who contribute billions of dollars into the New Zealand’s economy be heard and be addressed.

Hence this drop-in centre.

And with time, we hope to have the same in Wellington as well, if funds permit.”

- TIN Bureau