Delowara Parvin was elected into her local council with a landslide victory. Her journey to get to the decision-making table was not easy, but - particularly during COVID-19 - she gathered support for her work in her community.

Delowara makes decisions from experience - she was born into poverty and then married, as a child bride, into poverty. When she had her own children, she ensured their education was taken care of, and advocated against child marriage in her community.

She started formally working together with others in her community when she joined her local polli shomaj (community-led women-led institution). Delowara focused on supporting families in ultra-poverty by pooling funds from local families with more resources. She made her way up to president, and then ran for the union level election - which she won with a landslide victory.

During COVID-19, Delowara went door-to-door to educate people about the pandemic, ensuring that people followed home quarantine through putting red flags outside the homes of travellers and suspected cases to make them comply with rules.

Delowara is one of thousands of women who have gained places in local power structures through their community work. We celebrate them this year, as crucial leadership figures that ensure our communities work for all of us.