Hamida Chumpa

Hamida Chumpa is the Data and Research Manager at Laal NYC. At Laal, she leads research studies and develops initiatives addressing food insecurity, reproductive justice, mental health, and financial independence within the South Asian immigrant community. She created the Reproductive Justice Initiative, a first-of-its-kind sex education curriculum for Muslim, Bangladeshi women, which has expanded healthcare access, encouraged healthier eating, and increased informed decision-making. Her work in food justice spans asthma prevention at the NYC Health Department and policy advocacy on the Cross Bronx Expressway, where she observed how structural inequities restrict access to nutritious food. These insights have informed the development and evaluation of Laal’s Community Garden and a culinary education program promoting nutrition, chronic disease prevention, and food entrepreneurship.

Laal is a 501(c)(3) community-based organization located in the Bronx, New York. Laal’s mission is to provide resources that Bengali women need to live healthy, engaged and joyful lives. Informed by annual community needs assessments, Laal offers classes in ESL, Digital Literacy, Entrepreneurship, Yoga and Fitness, Political Education, Nutrition, Mental Health, and Reproductive Justice. Laal caters to the needs of Bengali women by finding culturally nuanced solutions to addressing the high levels of food insecurity, economic instability and poor health outcomes in the community.