KSP x LA Local: Little Bangladesh’s Community Anchor

The LA Local

South Asian immigrant community find support, community with Little Bangladesh institution

The South Asian Network has served Little Bangladesh since 1990, offering multilingual resources from domestic violence advocacy to small business development.

This article by Marsiha Shams Mariya is part of a yearlong youth journalism cohort between The LA Local and the Koreatown Storytelling Program.

Families gather on Vermont Avenue in salwar kameez and punjabi, grabbing food between errands in the four-block stretch known as Little Bangladesh. Marsiha’s article follows the South Asian Network, which has served the neighborhood since 1990 and opened its Little Bangladesh office in 2023, offering everything from domestic violence support to small business microloans in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Pashto. Marsiha’s article was published in the LA Local on July 17, 2026.