| Description Summary | Indu Bajaj’s involvement in many community projects has provided great support to the elderly of South Asian origin. Originally from India, Indu completed her Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Social Work at the Lucknow University, India. She migrated to New Zealand with her husband and family from East Africa in 1968. She settled in Dunedin and then Wellington, finally settling in Auckland in 1975. She worked as a Social Worker for many years with various Government departments and Voluntary organisations. She describes how during her work as a social worker with the Methodist Mission Northern in Auckland, she found older migrants of Indian descent seemed to be facing difficulties in adjusting into New Zealand society due to various barriers such as cultural shock, loneliness and social isolation and language and communication barriers. In January 1994, she founded Shanti Niwas Charitable Trust to address these needs in older people of Indian and South Asian origin. The group met in various community halls in Auckland till she was able to get support of Auckland Council to establish a permanent centre at Spring Street, Onehunga. She talks about the various challenges she faced as well as the services and events she ran including birthday celebrations, exercise classes, various festival celebrations, socialization, educational sessions on health and welfare related Issues, outings and picnics and participation in community events.
In 2001, she was awarded the ‘Queens Service Medal’ for her services to the community at large. In March 2012, she retired as a Project Manager, Shanti Niwas Charitable Trust. |
