Afghan Women's Educational Center

What Afghan Women's Educational Center does

Afghan Women's Educational Center (AWEC) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian, nonpolitical, nongovernmental organization founded in 1991 by educated Afghan women while in exile and headquartered in Kabul, Afghanistan. The organization delivers a multi-sector program portfolio spanning education, livelihoods, protection and peacebuilding, WASH, humanitarian response, grant management, capacity building, social rehabilitation, and access to justice. AWEC reports reach of more than 2.1 million beneficiaries through 15+ active projects, executed through full-fledged provincial offices in at least 11 provinces (Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Badakhshan, Parwan, Paktia, Paktika, Laghman, Nuristan) with Bamyan planned as a twelfth site.

The organization's product surface is anchored by the Aseel App, an online marketplace designed to connect Afghan women entrepreneurs with buyers and address the distribution gap created by mobility and commercial-access restrictions on women. Beyond direct delivery, AWEC operates as an implementing and grant-management partner for international donor consortiums, including its role in the Education Cannot Wait-funded Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) with Save the Children International and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

AWEC's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue is sourced from international institutional donors — including UN Women, UNICEF, ECW, FCDO, SIDA, UN OCHA, SCI, NRC, TDH, and SPARC — channeled through project awards, sub-grants, and capacity-building contracts (e.g., the SIDA-funded ACREP program announced March 2023). The organization does not generate commercial revenue, and financial sustainability is contingent on continued donor appetite for Afghan women's civil society programming amid a contracting post-2021 aid environment.

Name

Afghan Women's Educational Center

Legal name

Afghan Women's Educational Center

Website

https://www.awec.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Afghan Women's Educational Center (AWEC) is a Kabul-based nonprofit founded in 1991 that delivers education, livelihoods, protection, and humanitarian programs to 2.1M+ beneficiaries across 11+ Afghan provinces, funded primarily by international institutional donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Development Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADALAC

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

SECONDARYEDADALAG

Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

Keywords

• Women's education programs
• Humanitarian aid services
• Livelihood training programs
• Community development NGO
• Protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kabul

HQ country

Afghanistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: AWEC operates as a nonprofit NGO funded primarily through grants and funding from international donors, UN agencies, and development organizations. Revenue is generated through project-based grants for humanitarian, educational, livelihood, and protection programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AWEC is a Kabul-based, Afghan-led nonprofit organization founded in 1991 that delivers education, livelihood, protection, WASH, humanitarian response, capacity building, social rehabilitation, and access to justice programs to vulnerable women, children, IDPs, and refugees across 12 provinces of Afghanistan. It supplements its community-based programs with the Aseel App, an online marketplace supporting women entrepreneurs.

Product overview

AWEC offers a portfolio of interconnected humanitarian and development programs rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include Education Programs (CBE classes, Kankor prep, literacy courses), Livelihood Programs (vocational training, business development, the Aseel App marketplace), Protection and Peacebuilding services, WASH initiatives, Humanitarian Response, Grant Management, Capacity Building, Social Rehabilitation, and Access to Justice programs. These programs work together to provide comprehensive support to vulnerable women, children, and communities across Afghanistan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Programs Community-based education programs delivered to Afghan women, children, and vulnerable populations to expand access to learning and literacy.
• Livelihood Programs Skills training, economic empowerment, and income-generation support for vulnerable women and households across Afghanistan.
• Protection and Peacebuilding Programs Programs to protect women and children from harm and to support peacebuilding in conflict-affected communities.
• WASH Programs Water, sanitation, and hygiene programs for vulnerable communities, including in displacement and rural settings.
• Humanitarian Response Emergency humanitarian assistance and crisis response for affected populations, including women, children, IDPs, and refugees.
• Grant Management Administration and management of grants received from international donors, UN agencies, and partners to deliver programs on the ground.
• Capacity Building Training and organizational development support for staff, community partners, and target groups to strengthen program delivery and local institutional capability.
• Social Rehabilitation Social rehabilitation services for vulnerable groups, including women and children affected by conflict or displacement.
• Access to Justice Programs that improve access to justice for women and girls, including legal awareness, referral, and rights-based support.
• Aseel App — Online Marketplace for Women Entrepreneurs An online marketplace application that enables women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan to list and sell products, expand their customer base, and participate in digital commerce.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,520 beneficiaries in Empowerment of Women and Adolescent Groups project
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 core and minor.

• UN WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Women partnered with AWEC to host a 4-day exhibition showcasing women SMEs from Balkh and Parwan provinces, providing a platform for hundreds of Afghan women entrepreneurs to display their products and gain valuable exposure.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF is listed as a partner organization supporting AWEC's humanitarian and development programs.
• Education Cannot Wait (ECW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECW, the UN global fund for education in emergencies, partners with AWEC to implement the Afghanistan Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP), benefiting children in underserved regions through community-based education.
• Save the Children International (SCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCI is part of the consortium with AWEC and NRC implementing the Afghanistan Multi-Year Resilience Programme funded by Education Cannot Wait.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRC is part of the consortium with AWEC and SCI implementing the MYRP for education access in Afghanistan's underserved regions.
• Terre des Hommes (TDH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDH funds AWEC projects including Kankor preparation classes, vocational training (mobile phone repair, literacy courses), and CBE classes in Paktika province.
• CAFODminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAFOD is listed as a partner organization supporting AWEC's programs.
• ActionAidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActionAid is listed as a partner organization supporting AWEC's humanitarian and development work.
• AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHF is listed as a partner organization supporting AWEC's programs.
• World VisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Vision is listed as a partner organization supporting AWEC's humanitarian work.
• SPARCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPARC partners with AWEC in a consortium grant for RPSA project, providing educational services to IDPs, refugees, and marginalized communities in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Afghan Institute of Learning: Founded in 1995 by Sakena Yacoobi, Afghan Institute of Learning is an Afghan-founded NGO delivering education, health, and livelihood programs to women and children. It is the closest direct peer to AWEC in mission, founding era, and beneficiary focus.
• Women for Afghan Women: Women for Afghan Women is an Afghan women's rights organization providing shelters, education, legal aid, and economic empowerment programs across multiple provinces. It is directly comparable in mission (women's empowerment) and operational model (NGO service delivery in Afghanistan).
• BRAC Afghanistan: BRAC Afghanistan delivers education, livelihoods, health, and community empowerment programs through a large field network. It is comparable to AWEC in program mix (CBE classes, livelihood, women's empowerment) and community-based delivery across Afghan provinces.
• Norwegian Refugee Council: NRC is AWEC's consortium partner on the ECW-funded MYRP and a major implementer of education-in-emergencies and protection programs in Afghanistan. Highly comparable in humanitarian mandate, donor base, and Afghan field operations.
• Save the Children International: Save the Children co-leads the ECW MYRP consortium with AWEC and NRC and runs large-scale education and child protection programs in Afghanistan. Directly comparable in education-in-emergencies programming and donor relationships.
• Relief International: Relief International is a humanitarian and development NGO operating across Afghanistan with education, livelihoods, and WASH programs targeting vulnerable women and children. Comparable in program portfolio and grant-funded delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• CARE International: CARE is a major global humanitarian organization with a significant Afghanistan country office running women's empowerment, education, and humanitarian response programs. It is comparable in mission and donor base but at much larger global scale.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps operates in Afghanistan with youth employment, livelihoods, and humanitarian programming targeting women and marginalized groups. Comparable in livelihoods and education focus but as part of a much broader global portfolio.
• International Rescue Committee: IRC delivers education, protection, and economic recovery programs for women and children in crisis-affected settings including Afghanistan. Comparable in program mix and target populations, but operates at substantially greater global scale.
• Aga Khan Foundation: Aga Khan Foundation runs education, health, and rural development programs across northern Afghanistan including in Badakhshan. Comparable in long-duration community development and education focus, but with a broader multi-country remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/awec1991
• Facebookfacebook.com/afghanwomenseducationalcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afghan-women-s-educational-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Afghan Women's Educational Center