NECHAMA Volunteer creates artwork in Puerto Rico

In September of 2015, Dosi moved back to the United States to attend college at CUNY, which is how she heard about NECHAMA’s Puerto Rico project. Many NECHAMA staff members and volunteers have had the opportunity to get henna designed by Dosi. During a session, she asked “Is there a symbol or a quote that has meaning to you?” From there, she takes that symbol and creates a design around it.

At the age of 10, Dosi and her family moved to Bangladesh to be closer to her family. When Dosi would visit her grandmother, they would pick henna leaves from the tree in her backyard. Then, her grandmother would use a sil batta to hand-blend the leaves down to a paste and create intricate designs on the palm of Dosi’s hand. Dosi fell in love with this expressive art, and began creating her own henna designs.

While in Bangladesh, Dosi’s family lived in an impoverished neighborhood. Soon Dosi noticed that the children living in the area did not have the opportunity or the money to get henna done for special occasions, like weddings and festivals. As a result, during traditional Muslim festivals like Eid, Dosi would give free henna to the kids so they could feel, and look, like everyone else. It took many hours of practice to add intricacy to her designs, but now she uses her talent to “spread happiness through art.”

Our Project Staff have loved learning about Dosi’s culture while watching her designs come to life. Dosi -- it’s been wonderful getting to know you and thank you for sharing your passion with us!

Learn more about our partnership with SUNY & CUNY this summer!