Opening new horizons for Bangladeshi women on the path to self-reliance

The first-ever 'SBWN Empowered Pathways: Job Fair & Career Summit' was held in collaboration with the Sydney Bangla Women's Network (SBWN), aiming to promote employment and self-reliance for Bangladeshi women in Australia.

Sydney Bangla Women's Network began as an initiative of a few expatriate Bangladeshi women who showed sincerity and a friendly spirit in supporting other women in their community. Over the past four years, that small initiative has grown into a registered charity, with one of its three core goals being employment and women's empowerment for Bangladeshi women.

The event, hosted at Granville Town Hall with a grant from Cumberland Council in Sydney, was attended by successful Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in Australia, Ashiq Ahmed (Co-Founder, $1.1B tech company Deputy) and Mohammad Shamim (Shamim Group, owner of 108 Subway stores), who joined SBWN President Dr. Nahid Saima and the team to express their solidarity. They inspired the younger generation to dream and move forward with confidence.

The event was hosted by Nora Parvez. The day began with coffee, conversation and networking sessions. In their opening remarks, Councillor Suman Saha and Councillor Susai Benjamin OAM praised the contribution and participation of women in multicultural communities.

Nine organisations, including JICS Australia, Sydney TAFE, Migrate Resource Centre, and Shamim Group, participated in the career fair, providing practical support for women in attendance in terms of employment, training, and skills development.

The afternoon panel discussion was attended by Ashiq Ahmed, Mohammad Shamim, Dr. Sabrin Farooqui OAM, Aurelia Rahman, and Ayesha J. Biva. They inspired the young generation to dream and move forward with confidence.