Manoshik Shastho | Laal Mental Health Initiative

Laal is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides resources to immigrant, Bengali womxn living in Norwood, The Bronx — a historically underrepresented and overlooked population — so that they can live healthy, engaged, and joyful lives. For almost two years, we have worked to foster a safe space for these womxn where they can practice literacy and conversational skills as well as learn about health and wellness.

LAAL & COVID-19 RESPONSE

When the Stay-At-Home order was issued, state-wide, in March 2020, Laal immediately pivoted. We were one of the first organizations to recognize how hard the Norwood community was hit and have been working tirelessly to respond, since. Our first order of business was immediate relief aid through grocery deliveries and direct cash aid — serving over 50 affected families for an approximate total of $36,000. In addition, we continue to organize multiple pop-up food pantries to provide Bengali womxn and their families with culturally appropriate groceries. 

Most of the womxn we work with are undocumented and many lost all sources of income and become widowed as a direct result of the pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to devastate our community, our phone banking team continues to reach out to as many members as possible to caution them about transmission, vaccination options, and provide custom-tailor resources about information ranging from unemployment assistance, relief aid, to hygiene and best practices. 

A GROWING BENGALI MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Over the past few months, through aid-based interactions, our team has realized the severity of the Bangladeshi womxn’s burden of taking care of their families — one further exacerbated by stay-at-home restrictions. As we combat this second, more deadly wave of the pandemic, we worry that these lifestyle changes will further isolate these womxn and take a toll on their mental health, even more than it already has. This burgeoning mental health crisis that is occurring alongside, and will continue long after, the COVID-19 pandemic, is being referred to as a psychological pandemic. Coupled with increased stress from financial instability, preexisting mental health issues, food insecurity, and so forth, the psychological pandemic poses a serious threat to our community of Bengali womxn and has shown to manifest into situations of abuse and unsafe household conditions. Thus, at Laal, we are dedicated to supporting our womxn through this by playing our part in breaking these notable cycles of violence and isolation.

This crisis is difficult enough to mitigate and is only further complicated by the fact that, in the Bengali community, mental health is a topic that remains both unaddressed and highly stigmatized. Mental illness is often attributed to possession, spirits, or superstition, making this an exceptionally difficult topic to address in Bengali immigrant and intergenerational families. With these factors in mind, Laal is launching this mental health initiative to combat these stigmas and connect our womxn to safe spaces, resources, and each other. Laal’s team has already begun to navigate this culturally nuanced issue by establishing and nurturing a strong relationship over the past year with these womxn and their families; working with them to navigate difficult conversations ranging from financial hardship to familial deaths, and domestic violence. This uniquely positions us to work with them through this psychological pandemic and address the topic of mental health and cultural reluctance that many in the community face. 

HOW IS LAAL ALLOCATING RESOURCES?

For this initiative, Laal will conduct a carefully designed assessment survey of 300 womxn, using materials accessible entirely in Bangla and Sylheti, the Bengali dialect most spoken in Norwood. Laal will then further conduct in-depth, hour-long, qualitative interviews with 10% of participants to collect additional qualitative data about the long-term psychological impacts and analyze all findings through a holistic lens. Working from a place of community and trust-based healing, Laal aims to break a cycle of mental health stigma at its roots as well as produce unique data that can be used in health policy initiatives that prioritize mental health issues amongst marginalized communities, such as ours.

Our culturally nuanced approach to navigating these terms includes providing actionable exercises and activities — consisting of context-specific triggers, prompts, and questions for discussion — that participants can undertake at home, with their families, and also in small group settings. In addition to disseminating educational resources and facilitating opportunities for engagement, this project is one of the primary steps towards laying a foundation to enable conversations around mental health to be more accessible by all, irrespective of external factors. We hope to dismantle the community-wide aversion to mental healthcare, therapy, and healing by providing the womxn with professional therapists who are able to speak in their own language and dialect. This multi-faceted approach will also incorporate educational advocacy and outreach through custom focus groups, ensuring that the team will be equipped with the resources necessary to sustain long-term advocacy and education for change.

RESOURCES ALREADY CREATED

BMHM LAAL Brochure PDF.pdf

This mental health brochure was created in partnership with Bengali Mental Health Movement (BMHM).

SAFETY FIRST

The health and well-being of our staff, volunteers, and community members are important to us. We have been engaging with the community following all CDC and WHO guidelines.

ALL DONATIONS TO LAAL ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

- PAYPAL OR VENMO: @laal-nyc (Please note the group or team member who referred you to donate)

- To donate via check email officiallaalnyc@gmail.com for details.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL Instagram, Facebook, Twitter  

ABOUT LAAL

Laal means red in Bangla. Laal symbolizes the mark of menstruation; the alta Bengali womxn use to adorn themselves; the red saree Bengali womxn wear on their wedding day; the red bindi for which Bengali womxn are famous; and the red sun which is in the center of the Bangladeshi flag. We chose this as our name because it serves as a reminder of the strength and resilience of Bengali womxn.

Bengalis are one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in New York City. According to the Asian American Federation’s profile on New York City’s Bangladeshi Americans, the Bangladeshi population grew 42% in three years, from 34,237 in 2008 to 48,677 in 2011. About twenty percent of that population resides in the Bronx. On top of that, Bangladeshis are among the poorest Asian ethnic groups in the city. Overall, one in three Bangladeshis lives below the poverty line.

Although Bengalis are a fast-growing immigrant population, the resources to meet the demand of this growing community are scarce, especially in the Bronx. Bengali womxn, especially, are among the most underserved. Even as this community has grown in the past 30 years, Norwood Bengali womxn continue to be isolated from each other and there are no organizations that work directly with this group. There are high levels of depression, and the cultural stigma of domestic violence prevents many womxn from reaching out to each other or anyone inside of their communities for support. Currently, Norwood, the Bronx has no non-profits or secular institutions that work directly with this community. Laal aims to provide the much-needed resources that this community needs. Bangladeshis in Norwood, the Bronx, remain one of the most vulnerable, underrepresented, and underserved demographics. 

LAAL IN THE NEWS

Norwood News: A Bengali Women’s Empowerment Group Walks A Tightrope in Norwood

News 12: Norwood women create non-profit dedicated to helping Bengali women

THE TEAM

Laal's team is a group of dedicated individuals who are passionate about their community. Our team includes Sanjana Khan — Executive Director & Co-Founder, Fatima Chowdhury, Maisha Khan, Shahela Begum, Hamida Chumpa, Alexandra Indira Sanyal, Jonas Stankovich, Tania Wahdud, Nazneen Lenu, Shireen Momtaz, Priyana Hannan, Mithila Farin, Nova Aftab, Tas Islam, Amatan Noor, in addition to many volunteers.