The Pacific International Hotel Management School (PIHMS) in New Plymouth, New Zealand, is host to thousands of international students who, for their very first time, leave their home country and family to travel many miles to a land unfamiliar to them, in order to pursue their dreams and ambitions. These students come from as far as Russia, China, India, Korea, Vietnam and other corners of the globe.

 

Many of these students often feel lost in a sea of strange faces, lonely and homesick with no family members to care for them, stressed by the pressures of study, and anxious of the unknown as they make the transition into adulthood, independence and career life.

 

These students need support. They need someone to talk to, to listen to them, to encourage them and make them feel worthy and special. They need practical help - getting part-time jobs, buying computers, shopping for items and etc. Mostly, these students need de-stressing from the daily pressures of campus life and neverending assignments!

 

The inevitable need gave cause and reason for the birth of a support and friendship group - Pillar of Fire -  which held its first Welcome Ceremony on 1st April 2006.