My name is Zoha Syed-Ali, and I am the founder and president of Chuppal. Chuppal began when I was 16 and heard a simple story from my mother, one that never left me. She told me about an orphanage in Pakistan where, during the excitement of Eid, people came to donate clothing for the children. But when it came time to celebrate, there were no new shoes for them to wear. The image of those children, dressed in bright new clothes but still wearing their worn-out or ill-fitting shoes, struck something deep inside me. It felt unfair. Incomplete. That was the moment I realized how often footwear is overlooked in acts of charity, and how essential it really is not just for health and protection, but for pride and dignity. While clothes may catch the eye, shoes are what carry us forward.

I founded Chuppal as a youth led initiative to fill that forgotten gap.. I wanted children in orphanages to feel remembered and celebrated. That they too could step into Eid, or any day, feeling seen, cared for, and proud of what they were wearing from head to toe.