Amanda Ackbarali

Amanda Ackbarali‑Ramdial runs The Opening Lotus, which offers services such as counselling, restorative justice and family mediation, training, facilitation, and consultancy. It’s described as a mission rooted in authenticity and accessible mental health support.

Based in Tunapuna Village, Trinidad and Tobago, The Opening Lotus is a healing-focused initiative providing individual or group counselling, mediation, and listening skills training at minimal cost.

Her career spans diverse roles related to counselling and social work:

• Children’s Authority of Trinidad & Tobago: Played a key role in creating the Child and Family Services Unit and protocols for interviewing child trafficking victims.

• Rape Crisis Society & Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Served as a counsellor, trainer, outreach officer, and helpline facilitator—working extensively with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking.

• Was featured in media coverage as a counsellor with the Rape Crisis Society supporting a child survivor of abuse.

From 2019 onward, she engaged with the UNDP, contributing to:

• Training and rehabilitation programs for incarcerated and vulnerable youth.

• Assessments and interventions in culturally sensitive psychosocial care.

She also serves as the National Officer for Trinidad & Tobago’s CariSECURE 2.0 initiative, which focuses on reducing trafficking in persons—providing training, data-driven program design, and capacity-building within government agencies.