Auckland Council Storm Recovery Navigators recently addressed 400 Muslim residents at Masjid Al-Rahman a Mosque in Rānui to share about the support, services and funding available to assist flood-affected households.
The Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office says it made Rānui a priority community as it was severely impacted following last year’s devastating storms.
“The suburb is host to a large number of migrants and refugees, including people of Muslim faith; making the mosque an ideal location for a storm-support event,” said Navigation Service Manager, Manu Joyce.
“This includes door-knocking in the area with support brochures translated into seven different languages, including Arabic.”
The Navigation Service strives to respond to people of varying languages and cultures. It enables the Recovery Office to connect with non-English-speaking communities who may not engage because of language barriers.
Storm Recovery Navigators, Zainab Ali and Taj Shaikh, alongside Partner Navigators from NFACT Amin Bakhsh and Asif Agah, were instrumental in organising and speaking at the Mosque event. They speak 10 languages between them and are able to interact with this community in their own language.
“With our good relationships in this community, people are comfortable inviting us into their space. Being able to talk about our work, especially in sacred places of worship, is special,” says Storm Recovery Navigator at the Recovery Office, Taj Shaikh.
It helps us reach people that might need our help, including getting critical information and storm recovery support brochures in the hands of worshippers.”
Storm Recovery Navigators and Partner Navigators provide and explain the latest information from the council and central government on issues affecting flood-affected people and their homes. They will also connect people to organisations offering accommodation, insurance, mental health, legal and financial support, as well as budgeting and legal advice.
The Rānui Mosque is one of the largest mosques in Auckland and host to hundreds of worshippers from a diverse range of backgrounds living in West Auckland.
