Afro Ark

What Afro Ark does

Afro Ark is a women-led non-governmental organization founded in 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, that addresses sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), HIV prevention, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and economic vulnerability among adolescent girls, young women, teenage mothers, women with disabilities, and key populations. Its intervention portfolio is delivered through programs including the Urubohero Relief Program (rights-based life-skills and vocational training), Women Spaces for on-site SRHR and HIV services, short-stay homes for SGBV victims, peer-education networks, and referral partnerships with health facilities and Rwanda Biomedical Center. The organization now operates field offices in at least six Rwandan districts and contributes to the multi-country Women Gaining Ground consortium.

The organization's most technology-forward asset is the Buy East Africa e-commerce platform, jointly developed with Resilience Organization of South Sudan under GIZ's IIDEA program, which connects women and youth entrepreneurs in agribusiness across Rwanda and South Sudan. The platform includes standard features such as producer identity verification, customer reviews, market price information, and content moderation. Beyond this, Afro Ark's technology footprint is conventional: social media presence, newsletters, a website, and digital literacy training for beneficiaries, with no documented proprietary AI/ML systems, APIs, or software products sold to external customers.

Afro Ark's business model is that of a grant-funded NGO: services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries, and operating revenue is sourced from institutional development partners including UNAIDS, GIZ, AWDF, IMBUTO Foundation, Kvinna Til Kvinna, Segal Family Foundation, AHF, the WGG consortium, and DOT Rwanda. Pricing details and audited financials are not publicly disclosed. The Buy East Africa platform represents a nascent quasi-commercial diversification angle, but no transaction economics, GMV, or monetization model has been disclosed.

Name

Afro Ark

Legal name

Afro Ark

Website

https://afroark.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Afro Ark is a women-led Rwandan NGO founded in 2018 that delivers SRHR, HIV prevention, SGBV response, and economic empowerment programs to adolescent girls, teenage mothers, women with disabilities, and key populations across at least six districts, funded primarily by international development grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Rights and Health NGO Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Women's health services
• SRHR advocacy
• HIV prevention programs
• Gender equality initiatives
• Economic empowerment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyarugenge

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: Afro Ark operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through grants from development partners, foundations, and international organizations. Revenue comes from donor funding for specific programs in HIV/AIDS, SRHR, gender-based violence, and women's empowerment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Afro Ark is a women-led non-governmental organization that delivers community-based programs in sexual and reproductive health rights, HIV prevention and counseling, sexual and gender-based violence response, and social-economic empowerment for adolescent girls, teenage mothers, and vulnerable women in Rwanda. Its core offerings include the Urubohero Relief Program (rights-based life skills training), the Buy East Africa cross-border e-commerce platform for agribusiness, Women Spaces providing on-site SRHR services, and short-stay shelters for SGBV victims.

Product overview

Afro Ark is a women-led NGO offering a portfolio of programs and services rather than a single software product. The core offerings include the Urubohero Relief Program (rights-based life skills platform for vulnerable women), the Buy East Africa e-commerce platform for agricultural trade between Rwanda and South Sudan, and participation in the Women Gaining Ground consortium. Additional services encompass SRHR advocacy, SGBV victim support including temporary housing, women spaces for health services, and social-economic empowerment through vocational training in areas like tailoring, shoemaking, digital literacy, and farming. The organization focuses on adolescent girls, young women, teen mothers, women with disabilities, and sex workers in Rwanda.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urubohero Relief Program A rights-based life skills and innovation platform for adolescent girls and young women who dropped out of school. Provides psycho-social support, encourages return to education including STEM, and teaches digital literacy, shoemaking, weaving, and tailoring skills.
• Buy East Africa E-commerce Platform An e-commerce platform jointly developed with the Resilience Organization of South Sudan, connecting women and youth entrepreneurs in agribusiness between Rwanda and South Sudan, with potential for scalability to other East African countries. Includes features such as producer identity verification, market price information, customer reviews, and content moderation.
• Women Spaces for SRHR Women-focused physical spaces in Nyagatare and Gatsibo districts that bring health service providers onsite to deliver family planning, HIV testing and counseling, and other SRHR services to women in rural communities.
• SRHR Advocacy Services Parent-adolescent communication meetings, psychosocial support, peer support groups, and linkages to SRHR services including ANC, PNC, family planning, and Isange One-Stop Center services.
• Short-Stay Homes for SGBV Victims Temporary shelter and support services for gender-based violence victims, helping them access health services and develop socio-economic skills.
• Social-Economic Empowerment Programs Vocational training in digital literacy, tailoring, shoemaking, weaving, soap production, and hair beauty, plus farming initiatives including beekeeping, chicken rearing, pig rearing, goat rearing, rice and maize growing.
• Women Gaining Ground (WGG) Consortium Program A Global South-led consortium programme on feminist leadership, movement-building, and advocacy operating in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda where Afro Ark is a strategic partner.

Quantifiable outcome

• HIV testing and counseling provided to 400+ teenage mothers and vulnerable women
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• German Development Cooperation (GIZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022GIZ, through the Incubator for Integration and Development in East Africa (IIDEA), supported the development of the Buy East Africa e-commerce platform jointly developed by Afro Ark and Resilience Organization of South Sudan to facilitate cross-border agribusiness trade.
• Resilience Organization of South SudancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Jointly developed the Buy East Africa e-commerce platform with Afro Ark to connect women and youth entrepreneurs in agribusiness between Rwanda and South Sudan.
• Women Gaining Ground (WGG) ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Afro Ark is a strategic partner in the Women Gaining Ground consortium led by CREA, also including Akili Dada and IWRAW Asia Pacific. The five-year program (2021-2025) operates in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda focusing on feminist leadership, movement-building, and advocacy against SGBV.
• AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2020AHF funded Afro Ark to provide food and sanitary items to 200 vulnerable young mothers with children under 5 years in Nyagatare District.
• UNAIDS RwandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNAIDS Rwanda supports Afro Ark's HIV prevention and SRHR programs in Nyagatare, Gatsibo, and Gasabo districts. They fund peer education training, HIV testing and counseling initiatives, and projects targeting key populations.
• IMBUTO FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMBUTO Foundation supports Afro Ark's BAHONEZA project focusing on parent-adolescent communication meetings in Nyagatare district to mitigate conflicts arising from unwanted pregnancies.
• Kvinna Til KvinnasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner supporting Afro Ark's SRHR initiatives and women spaces program alongside UNAIDS.
• African Women Development Fund (AWDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWDF supports Afro Ark's short-stay homes for SGBV victims and the Urubohero Hub economic empowerment initiative for women and girls.
• Segal FamilysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSegal Family Foundation supports the Urubohero Hub initiative providing life skills and economic empowerment to teenage mothers and vulnerable women.
• Digital Opportunity Rwanda (DOT rw)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOT rw awarded Afro Ark's Urubohero Hub initiative for digital literacy training provided to adolescent girls and young women.
• Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC)secondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRBC provides recommendations and health systems guidance for Afro Ark's HIV/AIDS interventions among key populations in Gasabo District.
• Government of RwandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfro Ark collaborates with government authorities including local districts, health facilities, and community health workers for program implementation.
• Isange One Stop CentresecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReferral partner for SGBV victims to access legal support and comprehensive services at government-established one-stop centers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CREA: Lead organization of the Women Gaining Ground consortium of which Afro Ark is a strategic partner. Focused on feminist leadership, SRHR, and movement-building across the Global South; a natural programmatic peer and consortium lead.
• Akili Dada: Kenyan and East African feminist organization and WGG consortium partner investing in adolescent girls' leadership. Directly comparable as a WGG peer working on girls' empowerment and feminist movement-building.
• DUTERIMBERE NGO: Rwandan women's economic empowerment and SRHR organization with women's safe spaces and community outreach. Comparable in combining economic empowerment with health and rights programming for women.
• Rwanda Women's Network (RWN): Rwanda-based women's rights and SRHR NGO serving rural communities with GBV response and economic empowerment. Highly comparable to Afro Ark in mission, geography, and target populations, though operating at larger scale.
• Hagar International Rwanda: International NGO operating in Rwanda providing shelter, SGBV recovery, and economic empowerment to women and children. Closely comparable to Afro Ark's short-stay SGBV homes and economic empowerment programs.
• Health Development Initiative (HDI-Rwanda): Kigali-based NGO delivering SRHR, HIV, and GBV services with a strong community health worker model. Directly comparable to Afro Ark in intervention areas, beneficiary mix, and government partnership approach.

Regional players

• Solidarity for African Women's Rights (SOAWR): Pan-African coalition of women's rights NGOs advancing SRHR and gender equality across the continent. Conceptually aligned with Afro Ark's rights-based approach and regional advocacy scope.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International Rwanda: Global INGO focused on children's rights, adolescent girls, and SRHR in Rwanda. Closely aligned with Afro Ark's teen mother and AGYW programming but with larger institutional backing.
• CARE International Rwanda: Major international humanitarian NGO with women's empowerment, GBV, and adolescent girl programming in Rwanda. Comparable in focus on adolescent girls and SGBV but with global funding and operational scale.
• ActionAid Rwanda: Country office of a global INGO running women's rights, SRHR, and economic empowerment programs across multiple Rwandan districts. Overlaps with Afro Ark's mission but operates at significantly larger scale and budget.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afroark
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@afroark659
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afro-ark
• Instagraminstagram.com/afroark
• Facebookfacebook.com/Afroark

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Afro Ark