Migrants to have permanent emotional support facility
A woman who says she was abandoned in Southland years ago has helped to open a hub to extend support to migrants in the region.
Himani Mishra Galbraith was working as an education consultant in the 1990s in India when she met her second husband.
‘‘I fell for him and decided to come here [New Zealand],’’ she said.
They married in India and Galbraithsays that after arriving in Auckland on a work visa, she suspected he only wanted her money, to buy a house.
The pair shifted to Southland, but she refused to hand over her money, and he subsequently left her, she said.
Galbraith contacted a lawyer at the time, and was told she had to have been in a relationship for a full year to qualify for permanent residency.
While on a work visa she worked at McDonald’s to make ends meet.
Galbraith, who helped open eight colleges in India and had a double masters in literature and business administration, was too ashamed to return to the country.
When she first arrived in Southland there were hardly any migrants around she could turn to for support.
‘‘There was no cultural awareness, there was no understanding ... even Women’s Refuge came – they didn’t know what to do with me to be honest,’’ she said.
‘‘I could not even tell my parents because they’ll get worried, so there was no one . . . literally no one.’’
Those events showed her how it had affected her and her son and what could go wrong, which was why she helped start Southland Migrant Walking Together four years ago.
‘‘I understand, as a migrant, when you are in need, and if somebody doesn’t respond, immediately you ... get anxious real quick,’’ she said.
In particulr the agency gives special attention to migrant women and children.
‘‘I’m not saying that men do not need help, they do, but I could
not help everyone,’’ Galbraith said.
She emphasised that migrants did not need much, but they were in dire need of support, specifically emotional support.
Southland Migrant Walking Together had finally been able to fix a permanent residence for the agency in the old Anderson Plunket building.
The agency had been operating out of suitcases until now, Galbraith said.
The site will be a hub for migrants to meet up whenever they need to and a place where they can find someone to confide in, with tea and coffee always available.
It is currently under construction and is expected to be open from next month.
Galbraith said she would not have been able to run the organisation without the help of the other board members, Sandhya Gilmete, Hema Chandra, Prabhjot Kaur and Shri Devi Naida.