Green Dupatta Charity Gala Rallies for Environment Sustainability

BY: KAYLA KARIM

A dupatta represents the idea of enclosure and inclusivity. The colour green represents the environment and sustainability.

These were young Nirmala Ramprasad’s thoughts when deciding that she was going to change the world. Nirmala is the president and one of the co-founders of the Green Dupatta Charity. She’s earned a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Arts in Anthropology. She, along with Keisha Singh, the charity’s secretary, and media director co-founded the organization in 2013, in Toronto, Canada.

Nirmala visited Guyana for the first time as a young adult, a trip that changed her life. She saw that in Lenora, Guyana there was land that was being wasted being occupied by abandon buildings. She was confused and concerned for the people in the area, and after further research, Nirmala realized that the people of Lenora were interested in refurbishing one of the abandon buildings into a community center. This is how the first major task started. She continued to visit the location where, along with a team, Nirmala assisted in replacing roofs, fences, redoing floors and painting. All of the money used to complete these tasks was donated by members and supporters in Canada.  

Branded as an international organization, the Green Dupatta Charity would like to expand outside of Guyana in the near future. Their previous projects have been completed in Guyana, however, they have had meetings with individuals in India and elsewhere in the Caribbean.

The Green Dupatta Charity members attend fairs in the summer such as the Unionville Street Festival, and the Durham Caribbean Festival, where they offer henna and face painting. While these services are free for those who attended the festivals, donations are accepted as well as awareness is spread. As of right now, this is where the public will be able to locate and donate to the Green Dupatta organization. They also accept donations via their website.

Sustaining a charitable organization can be a very difficult task. There are business technicalities that are to be completed – some many are not too familiar with. In addition to, raising enough money to be helpful and consistent for the projects that are in process.

Nirmala shared the difficulties of maintaining an organization and what struggles that she had to overcome. She said that one of the most challenging parts of running a charitable organization was the fact that she was not from a business background. She said that the entire process continues to be “a big learning curve” whether it’s with organizing events or doing paperwork for the establishment. Nirmala admitted that “it can be hard to keep up the momentum” when referring to receiving donations and making a change. The busier time for the Green Dupatta organization is typically around the end of the year when the gala is held. Although there are events that members of the organization attend, and that there are donations being made various ways over the year, Nirmala said that there is always a bit more hope in the air around the time of the gala.

The Green Dupatta organization celebrated its fifth anniversary with the annual Green Dupatta Charity Gala on November 19^th, 2018. From its first year having only 80 attendees, the gala filled an entire banquet hall with over 300 people.

The gala is a night of entertainment, including talented artists from the West Indian community in Toronto, mainly focusing on the youth members. The event is family friendly, as Nirmala likes to focus on the importance of inclusivity especially within the family. “West Indian people, we always do things together as a family”, Nirmala explained, especially partying and having fun.

The intentional move of the youth focus was done to showcase the incredible talent, hard work, and dedication that exist within the younger generation through music. This year, the 5^th annual Green Dupatta Gala’s entertainment included dance numbers from children of all ages, choreographed by Iconic Dance Studio, as well as multiple vocal performances from youth in the community. A live band performance led by Devin Ramoutar also filled the evening. Along with music, the night consisted of games, raffle prizes, and networking.

Green Dupatta’s mission is focused on community building and urban development, striving to provide communities around the world with means to sustainable agriculture. In addition to their international work, Green Dupatta contributes to the local community by educating youth on the importance of sustainable energy and the creation of a global community.