Ondru

What Ondru does

Ondru is a Melbourne-based, volunteer-run non-profit humanitarian organisation founded on 6 June 2009 by Desh Balasubramaniam and formally incorporated as a public company limited by guarantee in Victoria on 19 June 2014. It uses art as a universal language to amplify the voices of displaced, marginalised, and Indigenous communities, with its portfolio spanning refugee storytelling (Voiceless Journeys, 101 documented stories), Indigenous reconciliation (Dhum-Djirri Ngagu in Whittlesea Shire), Hazara displacement (Human Thesis: Hazara Stories), CALD women's health advocacy (One Woman, All Women), and Sri Lankan diaspora identity (Fragments of Us). Core deliverables are art-based projects — photography, sculpture, weaving, film, exhibitions, and panel discussions — produced with a network of associate artists and community participants.

There is no proprietary technology stack; the platform is community co-creation rather than software-led. Revenue is generated through a $50/year membership program, tax-deductible donations (DGR status granted 9 April 2015), book and postcard sales ($50 books, $20 postcard packs), ticketed events ($15-$35), and project-specific grants from local councils such as City of Whittlesea and City of Greater Dandenong. The 33-person volunteer team includes a Founder/CEO, team leaders across legal, events, IT, research & policy, marketing & comms, and art projects, plus six credentialed associate artists. Operations span Melbourne, Sydney, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, parts of Africa, and selectively international forums such as Caux Forum 2023 in Switzerland.

Name

Ondru

Legal name

Ondru Limited

Website

https://ondru.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ondru is a Melbourne-based, volunteer-run non-profit that uses art-based storytelling projects to amplify voices of refugees, Indigenous communities, CALD women, and diaspora groups, funded by donations, memberships, grants, and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit humanitarian services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Non-profit humanitarian organization
• Social justice art projects
• Refugee storytelling programs
• Community reconciliation initiatives
• Art-based advocacy campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Memberships: Annual membership program priced at $50 per year, providing members with exclusive updates, early event access, a complimentary Voiceless Journeys book, and recognition in annual reports.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organisations. Donations over $2 are fully tax-deductible. Donations of $250 and above are recognised on website and print material. Ondru has DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status.
3. Product Sales: Sale of merchandise including books (Voiceless Journeys Book, Dhum-Djirri Ngagu Book at $50 each), postcard packs ($20), and event tickets ranging from free to $35.
4. Event Tickets: Revenue from ticketed events including photography walks ($15), panel discussions ($20 single, $35 double), and film showcases ($35 early bird).
5. Grants and Funding: Project funding from government bodies including City of Whittlesea and City of Greater Dandenong, as well as partnerships with organisations for specific projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ondru creates art-based storytelling projects that document and amplify the experiences of displaced, Indigenous, and culturally diverse communities. Its portfolio includes Voiceless Journeys (refugee stories), Dhum-Djirri Ngagu (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories), Human Thesis: Hazara Stories (Afghan displacement), and One Woman, All Women (CALD women's health). These programs are complemented by publications, a postcard pack, an annual membership, exhibitions, panel discussions, photography walks, and film showcases funded through donations, memberships, and grants.

Product overview

Ondru is a Melbourne-based non-profit humanitarian organization offering a portfolio of art-based social justice programs and projects. The core offerings include Voiceless Journeys (refugee storytelling photography), Dhum-Djirri Ngagu (Indigenous stories project), and Human Thesis: Hazara Stories (Afghan displacement art project). These are complemented by publications (Voiceless Journeys Book, Dhum-Djirri Ngagu Book), merchandise (Ondru Postcard Pack), and membership program. The organization also hosts events including exhibitions, photography walks, film showcases, and panel discussions. Ondru functions as a fully volunteer-run, donations-based organization with a mission to inspire positive social change by giving voice to displaced, marginalized, and disenfranchised communities through art.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Voiceless Journeys An ongoing art program that documents the silent stories of 101 refugees who left their countries through conflict or necessity to build new lives in Australia, delivered through large-scale street installations, photography, exhibitions, and a published book.
• Dhum-Djirri Ngagu (Speak, Hear & Understand) An Indigenous truth-telling and reconciliation project combining photographic portraits and stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Whittlesea Shire, positioning their voices at the centre of the Australian narrative.
• Human Thesis: Hazara Stories A multidisciplinary art project expressing past and ongoing displacement experienced by Hazara people from Afghanistan through photography, weaving, sculpture, and performance, created in partnership with the Shamama Association and funded by City of Greater Dandenong.
• One Woman, All Women (OWAW) A storytelling art project that raises awareness and builds advocacy to increase breast cancer screening among migrant, refugee, and culturally and linguistically diverse women in metropolitan Melbourne and across Victoria.
• Voiceless Journeys Book A physical book featuring 101 refugee stories with photographs initially displayed as large-scale street installations, priced at $50, communicating the need for a compassionate society where diversity is celebrated.
• Dhum-Djirri Ngagu Book An artistic book priced at $50 showcasing Indigenous stories of connection to country, community, and culture, positioning the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at the centre of the Australian narrative.
• Membership Program (Key Supporter) Annual Key Supporter membership priced at $50/year, providing members with voice amplification, exclusive event invitations, progress updates, members-only gatherings, interactive workshops, a complimentary Voiceless Journeys book, and recognition in annual report and on website.
• Ondru Postcard Pack A $20 collection of evocative images, stories, and descriptions drawn from three Ondru projects: Voiceless Journeys, Dhum-Djirri Ngagu, and Human Thesis: Afghan Stories.

Quantifiable outcome

• 101 refugee stories documented and shared through Voiceless Journeys project
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Initiatives of Change InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Invited Ondru to participate in Caux Forum 2023: Healing the Wounds of the Past in Switzerland. Ondru conducted workshops and shared their work at this international forum focused on reconciliation and healing.
• Shamama AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Shamama Association for the Human Thesis: Hazara Stories project. The association represents the Hazara community in Dandenong, and the project was developed through art-based workshops with community members exploring themes of home, freedom, identity and belonging.
• City of Greater DandenongcoreOthersPartial funder of the Human Thesis: Hazara Stories project. The project exhibition is hosted at the Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre in Dandenong.
• City of WhittleseacoreOthersMajor funder of Dhum-Djirri Ngagu project and previous projects including Tears & Iron. The City of Whittlesea is deeply committed to truth-telling and reconciliation.
• NūlmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Fragments of Us Sri Lankan Identity Exhibition. Nūl co-presents the exhibition and conversation series with Ondru and Off the Kerb Gallery.
• Off the Kerb GallerymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for the Fragments of Us exhibition. Off the Kerb Gallery in Collingwood hosts the Sri Lankan identity exhibition.
• ALT EFFminorOthersListed as a supporter of Ondru.
• SukhamminorOthersListed as a supporter of Ondru.
• Pollyanna FilmsminorOthersListed as a supporter of Ondru.
• Melbourne Artists for Asylum Seekers (MAFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZsofia Samu, Associate Artist, is a curator at MAFA.
• Thornbury Picture HouseminorOthersVenue partner for Echoes of Afghanistan: Film & Art Showcase event.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Tandem (formerly Multicultural Youth Issues SA): South Australia-based nonprofit supporting CALD young people through arts and education programs; comparable model and beneficiary focus but operates in a different state.

Direct peers

• Melbourne Artists for Asylum Seekers (MAFA): Artist-led collective supporting asylum seekers through exhibitions and cultural programs; directly comparable to Ondru's refugee-focused art projects and shares an Associate Artist (Zsofia Samu).
• Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV): Melbourne-based arts nonprofit producing cultural programming for CALD communities; overlaps with Ondru's CALD storytelling and event-based model.
• Cultural Infusion: Australian arts-and-cultural-diversity organisation delivering multicultural programs, exhibitions, and reconciliation work; closely aligned to Ondru's CALD/Indigenous storytelling mission.
• Big hART: Australian arts-and-social-change nonprofit using film, theatre, and storytelling with marginalised communities; closest direct peer to Ondru's methodology and beneficiary mix.
• Asylum Seekers Resource Centre (ASRC): Melbourne-based nonprofit providing holistic support to people seeking asylum; overlaps with Ondru's refugee beneficiary segment though delivery is service-based rather than art-based.
• Pollyanna Inc. Australian arts-based social impact organisation using theatre and storytelling for marginalised voices; comparable methodology and beneficiary focus.

Broad incumbents

• Jesuit Social Services: Established Australian nonprofit running arts-based programs (e.g., Jesuit Theatre, cultural mentoring) for marginalised groups; comparable art-plus-social-justice model at a larger institutional scale.
• Settlement Services International (SSI): Large multicultural nonprofit delivering settlement, refugee, and community services across Australia; broader scope and scale than Ondru but serves overlapping CALD and refugee populations.
• Australian Red Cross: Major humanitarian organisation with refugee support and community programs in Australia; operates at vastly greater scale but shares the humanitarian/refugee segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/ondru
• Instagraminstagram.com/ondru_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ondru

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ondru