Source: Rata Foundation
A leadership programme designed specifically for migrant women has supported 90 women from 19 countries, helping them build confidence and overcome social isolation through culturally responsive training.
The Ethnic Women’s Leadership® Programme was developed by Lady Khadija Trust to address what founder Dr Hafsa Ahmed MNZM describes as a need to help migrant women become culturally confident. It also addresses social bankruptcy – the loss of networks, reputation, and connections when moving to a new country. “When women migrate, they have social bankruptcy because we don’t have any of our social connections which we built over the years and often have to start our social networks from the beginning,” says Hafsa.
“Many women, particularly migrant women who are giving so much to the community through their different pieces of work, also haven’t got the time to develop their own skills due to family and work commitments and face significant financial constraints and a lack of culturally relevant leadership development options. The leadership course creates a community of migrant women who can overcome all of this through connection and building confidence.”
The six-day programme is delivered over several months and covers five modules: journey of the self, leading self, leading others, leading change, and leading your future. It also incorporates te reo Māori principles, drawing connections between migrant cultures and Māori culture to help participants establish a connection to New Zealand. Sessions are held on weekends to accommodate working participants, and the leadership course is offered at no cost.
Now in its third year, a key part of the programme is welcoming previous attendees to return as guest speakers, creating connections across the group. Maria Buldain, a programme participant, says: “Connections are really important because it really helps you to feel it’s not only you, the one that is experiencing some kind of isolation, that you don’t belong or doubting yourself about the way that you do things. Meeting all these amazing women has been really good. We all have differences, but at the end of the day we also have a lot of things in common.”
For another participant, Dinda Veska, the programme helped restore her sense of identity in a new country. “During the flight from Indonesia to New Zealand, I left behind a lot of things and then this course actually helped me to gather everything back that I left behind. Now I keep carrying it as a compass. I feel empowered and like I’m back to be myself again.”
The programme has expanded significantly since its inception, now operating in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington.
Hafsa says the biggest impact reported by participants is increased confidence in their cultural identity. “The biggest thing that comes out is that the programme helped them develop their own sense of identity in terms of knowing who they are, so then they can ground themselves in that cultural identity and grow stronger.”
Established in 2016, Lady Khadija Trust operates on the principle of ‘empowering communities through compassion’. Hafsa says: “We don’t do handouts, we do hand-ups, to help people up. Rather than saying ‘here’s some money for you’, we want to use it as a way to help create capacity for the community.”
Lady Khadija Trust is supported through Rātā Foundation’s Connect programme, which aims to foster a sense of belonging, diversity, and cultural connection. Rātā Head of Community Investment Kate Sclater says: “We want people to feel connected to, supported by and involved in their community so that we can help reduce isolation and build resilient communities. This programme fills a critical gap in leadership development to build skills and capability, while also providing a vital sense of identity and empowerment for migrant women to participate positively in our wider community.”
The programme represents one of three projects funded by Rātā in the last few years, alongside the award-nominated Immigrant Journeys video documentary series and the Community of Strangers project.
“Rata Foundation’s support helps us feel acknowledged for the work that we’re doing,” says Hafsa. “It has allowed us to share with our communities, not just migrant communities, but with the wider community of New Zealand, that migrants do bring value to New Zealand communities.”
