Last month we hosted our annual Symbiosis Fundraising Breakfast at the beautiful Botanic Gardens of Mt Coot-tha in Brisbane. It was a wonderful time of gathering together, sharing the latest stories of resilience, dedication and love and launching our Odommo Nari – Unstoppable Woman Appeal.
In Bangla, Odommo Nari translates to “Indomitable Woman”. It describes a woman who is truly unstoppable, someone who refuses to be subdued in the pursuit of her goals. This same spirit lives within thousands of women across rural Bangladesh, ready to lift themselves out of poverty, they just need the spark to start.
Our CEO, Lisa West-Newman, helped provide deeper understanding, sharing how her language helper, Laila, explained an “odommo nari” as “a woman who is unstoppable in achieving her dream, she has an internal strength we admire”.
Lisa went on to introduce the story of Shilpi Begum, (pictured below) a true Odommo Nari.
Born into a poor fishing family, with no land and barely enough food to eat, Shilpi was pressured into an early marriage. Sadly, this didn’t relieve the hardships of poverty, it only changed her address.
She lived with her husband in his parents’ home. Her father-in-law had two wives with constant quarrels between them. Her husband would work one day, then sit idle for two, so the family was often without food. To help the family survive, Shilpi began hand-sewing and selling quilts, earning $3-4 per month.
In 2008, Shilpi joined a Symbiosis Self Help Group, and participated in Symbiosis sewing training. 3 months later she borrowed $24 from the group to buy an old sewing machine, enabling her to make and sell many more garments. Seeing what she was doing and her success, many other women asked her to help them.
Today, Shilpi has trained 230 other women to sew, is the trusted cashier of her Community Based Organisation and has a heart to serve her community.
“Since I got married, my dream has been to educate my daughter and help her become someone great.” – Shilpi Begum
Through Symbiosis, Shilpi has realised those dreams. She has built her own home, manages her own textile business and supports her children’s education. In February this year, Shilpi was even recognised in her local district, receiving the “Odommo Nari” Award for her tenacious spirit and entrepreneurial success.
“I have worked hard to achieve things while raising children, this is why they call me an indomitable woman. I have gone from zero to hero.” – Shilpi Begum
We thank Entrust who partners with Symbiosis to support the Jamalpur Sherpur Development Project (JSDP) the project Shilpi is a part of.
Hear from Shilpi herself in the video below.
Shilpi’s story of determination is not the only one. We were fortunate to hear from long time supporter, David Vance who shared the story of another Odommo Nari, Atu Banu.
Before joining Symbiosis, Atu Banu was uneducated and lived in extreme poverty. She and her husband worked in road-building, performing the grueling task of smashing clay bricks to make gravel. At the time, she was completely illiterate, unable to even read a road sign.
About 15 years ago, Atu Banu joined a Symbiosis Self Help Group. She learned to read and write, and gained access to savings and loans, opening new opportunities for income generation to support her household.
Today, Atu Banu (pictured above) is a significant leader in her community, regularly confronting government officials to resolve local issues. Recently she intervened to stop the child marriage of an 11-year-old girl, threatening police action until the father backed down.
Under her leadership, the CBO (Symbiosis supported Community Based Organisation) Atu is part of helps pregnant women reach hospitals, secures government allowances for people with disabilities and runs anti-drug initiatives.
David shared, “the most exciting thing I find about what Atu Banu and other women like her are doing is that they’re not just interested in helping their own families – they want to see their whole communities grow and benefit.”
The Fundraising Breakfast was truly a time of encouragement, inspiration and motivation. Special thanks goes to Sonia Jones Travel who donated a lucky door prize, Jill Yates for her fundraising sewing stall, Darren Taylor from CPC Productions who assisted with AV, Yong Pairson on slides, Trent Rouillon who took photos and Jenny Barham who helped with planning. The event would not have been such a success without their kindness and generosity.
Throughout the morning we also heard from Board Chair, Noel Harvey, graciously MC-ing the event and wrapping up with the reminder that transforming the lives of the poor is an ongoing commitment that requires financial support, advocacy, and persistent care from the donor community.
“The success stories are real; the hard stories are also real,” Noel shared, “Together they are the genuine picture of a part of the world that still desperately needs people like you to care.”
As Noel highlighted, these incredible stories or futures rewritten are only possible thanks to the faithful gifts of our supporters, to you we say an enormous Thank You.
With your tax deductible donation to this year’s appeal, Symbiosis can continue to ignite the unstoppable spirit of more women in Bangladesh through literacy, group formation, skills training and health interventions.
When a woman gains access to education, resources and community, she changes the future.
Partner with Symbiosis to spark a transformation in rural Bangladesh that starts with her, but impacts generations.
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT with every donation doubled by generous matching donors until 30 June 2026.
Together we can help dismantle the cycle of poverty, cultivating a transformation that strengthens the heart of the family and restores hope to communities across Bangladesh.