Meet Nisha Rehman, Amal Altaf, Zayn Mian and Shourya Kothakapu of Hands for Henna

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nisha Rehman, Amal Altaf, Zayn Mian and Shourya Kothakapu.

So, before we jump into specific questions about your organization, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I was 16, I faced an arduous move across the country from South Carolina to Arizona. The first six months in my new home were lonely and difficult. I struggled to make friends, my grades suffered, and I experienced depression for the first time. Eventually, I made a friend who not only tutored me to help me bring my grades up but also warmly welcomed me into her friend group. It was at that moment that I learned the impact one person can have on another. At 18, I was exposed to the refugee crisis. I bonded with their struggle but also realized I had experienced only a tiny fraction of their hardships.

After mentoring a refugee student for a year, I saw the lack of STEM & health education for refugee youth. I was inspired to do more and in 2016, created Hands for Henna, with a mission to empower refugee youth through education & mentorship. Through selling henna tattoos, we have provided mentoring, tutoring, and educational materials to countless refugee youth. Through this non-profit, I was not only able to use education to empower others, but also through henna able to share a part of my culture with diverse individuals and create genuine connections. Often, I would volunteer to do henna on refugees to give them a part of their own culture in a new land, where they would ask me to write the names of people and the country they had lost on their skin. Eventually, our team grew as more individuals were inspired by the cause and so did our demand for our workshops. The workshops we taught allowed us to connect with & empower young refugee youth, and their dedication to education inspired me. Two years ago, Hands for Henna’s board of directors grew to include Amal Altaf, Shourya Kothakapu, and Zayn Mian. Amal Altaf also experienced a cross-country move that inspired her to work with refugees. Shourya Kothakapu is passionate about serving underserved communities, especially through education, which motivated her to come help lead. Lastly, Zayn Mian had previous experience working with refugees and is dedicated to empowering refugees, and is a vital part of our team.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has definitely not been smooth, but our dedication to serving refugee youth has been the light keeping us on track. Along the way, we have had to constantly evolve and solve problems in innovative ways. For one, our entire team is made up of students from college to graduate school. So coordinating time and planning events while being a full-time student has definitely been a challenge. However, through flexibility and efficient organization, we have been able to keep growing. Additionally, our major source of income was through selling henna tattoos. However, with the pandemic, we have been and will continue to be unable to sell henna tattoos since that requires us to have close contact with other individuals. Luckily, we are working on new sources of income that not only helps us fund our workshops but also will help future students. A lot of our team is currently in medical school or applying to medical school. So, we are hoping to open a low-cost pre-graduate counseling service. This is still in the works, but we hope to provide guidance, advice, essay-editing, and tips on applying and getting accepted into medical school. We are also starting to sell henna inspired laptop stickers to keep our passion for henna and art alive.

We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Hands For Henna is in the business of empowerment and creating a brighter and more compassionate future. The work we do at our Non-Profit Organization is aimed at providing educational support and mentorship to refugee youth. We make sure our students are empowered by creating opportunities for learning and growth.

With the money collected, Hands for Henna holds educational workshops for refugee youth. We host workshops all over the Phoenix metropolitan area including Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix, and Chandler. We offer science-focused workshops, health education workshops, and workshops focused on teaching students about different resources available to them, including public libraries and Khan Academy. Also, each workshop has a mentorship component to it with self-development as a focus. At the end of each workshop, each student is given a gift bag related to the topic of the workshop. The mission of these classes is to inspire children and cultivate their passion for education.

In order to have supplies to hand out to refugees, Hands for Henna organizes supply drives at locations across the Phoenix metropolitan area. We ask for educational materials and also accept cash donations. Acceptable donations include backpacks, pencils, pens, expo markers, crayons, etc. If you are interested in donating some supplies, feel free to reach out to us at handsforhennaaz@gmail.com.

One day we hope to open a physical Hands for Henna’s Center for Youth where refugee youth and other underserved youth can have access to resources, educational workshops, and low-cost healthcare. It is important for us to raise awareness about the refugee crisis and to advocate for our refugee students. We do this by sharing the stories and experiences of refugees. We interview various refugees and share their stories on our website. We hope to create a collage of their stories, which can be found on our blog page. We also do a lot of advocacy on our Instagram page, @hands_for_henna. We hope to raise awareness about the refugee crisis and share the importance of education in uplifting refugee youth.

Henna, also known as Mehndi, is an ancient body art form that originated in southeast Asia. Since its creation 9000 years ago, henna has spread all over the world. It is now a renowned art form that millions of people admire. While there are many types of henna, Hands for Henna uses all-natural henna from Pakistan. It is made from crushed up leaves and contains no chemicals. We offer small, medium, and large henna tattoos that cost $5, $10, and $15 dollars respectively. We offer henna services at First Friday Market in Phoenix, through individual appointments, and various events across Arizona. All proceeds go towards supporting refugees and their education.

Additionally, we are in the process of creating a low-cost graduate counseling service. We hope to provide guidance, advice, essay-editing, and tips on applying and getting accepted into medical school. A lot of our team is currently in medical school or applying to medical school and has experience in the application process. We hope to help students on their journey to medical school. And with the funds from this service, we hope to educate refugee youth about various health and STEM topics.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Phoenix is the city of opportunity. Part of the reason Hands for Henna is still running and thriving is due to the resources Phoenix provides. I was a student at Arizona State University and programs that were offered through ASU, like the Tillman Scholars Program, Barrett the Honors College, Venture Devils, were integral in creating our startup. Additionally, community outreach is so important here. Collaborating with other non-profits such as Welcome to America, R.I.S.E, etc. has been monumental in furthering our mission to empower through education.

Pricing:

• $5 small henna tattoo
• $10 small henna tattoo
• $15 small henna tattoo

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.handsforhennaaz.org/
• Phone: 8432144687
• Email: handsforhennaaz@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hands_for_henna/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HandsforHenna/

 

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