African Women and Youth Action For Development

What African Women and Youth Action For Development does

African Women and Youth Action For Development (AWYAD) is a Ugandan nonprofit humanitarian organization founded in 2010 and headquartered in Kampala. It delivers community-based programs across six focus areas — Gender Empowerment, Education and Skilling of Children, Sustainable Livelihoods Empowerment, Advocacy and Influencing, Vulnerable Persons Protection (child protection and SGBV prevention/response), and Health and Wellbeing (SRH, MHPSS, WASH) — to refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities in Uganda. AWYAD reached over 1.1 million beneficiaries in 2023, with cumulative reach exceeding 3.7 million from 2019 to 2024. Programs are delivered through trained staff, lead volunteers, and community structures including Child Protection Committees, Community Protection Committees, and Girls/Boy Empowerment Clubs, applying adapted methodologies such as GALS, SASA!, Community Conversations, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Safe to Learn, Good School Approach, and MHPSS protocols (IPT-G, TeamUp, EASE). Mobile phone-based channels (WhatsApp Groups, Caller-Groups, SMS alerts) are used for SRH education and community communication.

AWYAD's business model is grant-funded nonprofit operations. Revenue flows from institutional donors and partners including UNHCR, WFP, the European Union, NRC, War Child Holland, Save the Children, UNICEF, Oxfam, CARE, ADRA, VSO, LWF, Education Cannot Wait, and HelpAge, alongside individual donations. Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries. The organization is registered with the Uganda NGO Bureau and participates in localization platforms (Charter for Change, Grand Bargain, Western Uganda Humanitarian Platform) that aim to shift aid decision-making toward local actors. Operations are supported by 22 staff, supplemented by volunteers and an active 2026 hiring pipeline that includes GBV Officers, CP Officers, MEAL Assistants, and Case Workers.

Name

African Women and Youth Action For Development

Legal name

African Women and Youth Action For Development

Website

https://awyad.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

African Women and Youth Action For Development (AWYAD) is a Ugandan nonprofit founded in 2010 that delivers gender, education, livelihoods, protection, and health programs to refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities across Uganda through community-based and partner-supported humanitarian programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Development Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG)

Keywords

• Gender empowerment programs
• Humanitarian development services
• Refugee assistance programs
• Child protection services
• Livelihood empowerment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampala

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: AWYAD's programs are funded through grants from development partners, donations from individuals and institutions, and collaborative projects with humanitarian organizations. Funding sources include institutional donors, foundations, and individual supporters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AWYAD is a Ugandan-based NGO delivering free humanitarian and development programs to vulnerable women, youth, and children across six interconnected focus areas: Gender Empowerment, Education and Skilling, Sustainable Livelihoods, Advocacy, Vulnerable Persons Protection, and Health and Wellbeing. The organization serves refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities through community-based programming, evidence-based methodologies (such as SASA!, GALS, MHPSS), and partnerships with major humanitarian actors.

Product overview

AWYAD is a non-profit humanitarian organization operating as a single unified entity rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its programs include six interconnected focus areas: Gender Empowerment, Education and Skilling of Children, Sustainable Livelihoods Empowerment, Advocacy and Influencing, Vulnerable Persons Protection, and Health and Wellbeing. These programs are designed to work synergistically, with interventions in areas like gender empowerment supporting health outcomes, and livelihood programs complementing education initiatives. The organization serves refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities in Uganda, reaching over 1.1 million beneficiaries in 2023.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gender Empowerment Program A comprehensive program that equips women and girls with knowledge, skills, resources, and confidence to assert their rights, make informed decisions, and actively participate in society. It employs approaches including Gender Action Learning Systems (GALS), Community Conversations, and HeForShe solidarity campaigns.
• Education and Skilling of Children Program A program advancing education in both emergency and development contexts, focusing on improving education governance, expanding access to equitable education, and enhancing quality of teaching and learning through approaches such as Child-Centered Learning, Competency-Based Learning, and Technology-Enhanced Learning.
• Sustainable Livelihoods Empowerment Program A program dedicated to fostering long-term economic resilience for women and youth by addressing income generation, food and nutrition security, and environmental conservation through entrepreneurship training, commercial agriculture support, and financial literacy initiatives.
• Advocacy and Influencing Program A comprehensive advocacy program focusing on women, children, and youth rights through community engagement, policy advocacy, and media outreach. Covers sexual and reproductive health rights, protection from violence, gender equality, and humanitarian advocacy including localization initiatives.
• Vulnerable Persons Protection Program A comprehensive protection program focused on child protection and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) prevention and response. Implements strategies including Child Protection Committees, Community Conversations, SASA! approach, case management, and survivor-centered support services.
• Health and Wellbeing Program A holistic health program encompassing sexual and reproductive health, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and hygiene and sanitation. Includes interventions such as Maama Kits for pregnant women, therapeutic services using evidence-based approaches like TeamUp and EASE, and Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS).

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached over 1.1 million beneficiaries in 2023, with cumulative beneficiaries exceeding 3.7 million from 2019–2024

Named customers3 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

Feature8 records

Partnerships

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

• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR is a key partner providing support for refugee programs. AWYAD works with UNHCR to deliver services to refugee populations in Uganda.
• World Food Programme (WFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFP partners with AWYAD on food security and nutrition programs for vulnerable populations including refugees and host communities.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRC collaborates with AWYAD on humanitarian programming for displaced populations.
• War Child HollandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWar Child Holland is AWYAD's core MHPSS partner, providing methodologies including IPT-G, TeamUp, EASE, Be There, Stronger Together, and ReachNow approaches for mental health and psychosocial support.
• OxfammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOxfam partners with AWYAD on humanitarian and development programs in Uganda.
• Save the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSave the Children collaborates with AWYAD, including co-developing the TeamUp movement-based psychosocial intervention for children.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF partners with AWYAD on child protection and development programs, including co-developing TeamUp with Save the Children.
• CARE InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARE partners with AWYAD on gender empowerment and humanitarian programs.
• ADRAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerADRA collaborates with AWYAD on development and humanitarian initiatives.
• VSOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSO partners with AWYAD on volunteer and development programming.
• Lutheran World Federation (LWF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLWF collaborates with AWYAD on refugee and humanitarian programs.
• Uganda Government (OPM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWYAD works with the Office of the Prime Minister and various government ministries on humanitarian response and development programs.
• HelpAgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelpAge partners with AWYAD on programs addressing the needs of older persons and intergenerational support.
• Western Uganda Humanitarian PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWYAD participates in this local-level platform for humanitarian coordination and advocacy.
• Charter for ChangemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWYAD participates in this global initiative calling on international NGOs to commit to supporting local and national actors in leading humanitarian response.
• Grand BargainmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWYAD participates in the Grand Bargain, engaging with donors and humanitarian organizations to improve aid efficiency and localization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TPO Uganda: A Ugandan NGO providing mental health and psychosocial support, gender-based violence response, and community-based protection programming. Directly comparable to AWYAD in operating geography, beneficiary focus (refugees, IDPs, host communities), and methodology-driven service delivery.
• War Child Holland: International NGO specializing in MHPSS and child protection in conflict zones. AWYAD's core MHPSS partner and source of methodologies (TeamUp, EASE, IPT-G), making it the closest methodological peer and a natural comparator for program design.
• HIAS Uganda: Refugee-focused INGO delivering protection, GBV response, livelihoods, and legal aid in Uganda. Comparable to AWYAD on refugee beneficiary focus, GBV programming, and partnership-based service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International Uganda: Country office of a global child- and girls'-rights INGO active in Uganda. Overlaps with AWYAD on gender empowerment, education, child protection, and SRH programming for refugee and host-community children.
• Oxfam in Uganda: Country office of Oxfam, delivering humanitarian and development programs in Uganda. Comparable to AWYAD on livelihoods, gender, and humanitarian response for displaced populations.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (Uganda): Country office of NRC delivering protection, shelter, WASH, and livelihoods to refugees in Uganda. Direct programmatic overlap with AWYAD and an active strategic partner.
• Save the Children Uganda: Country office of a global children's-rights INGO. Co-develops TeamUp with War Child Holland and is a strategic partner of AWYAD, with overlapping portfolios in child protection, education in emergencies, and MHPSS.
• CARE International Uganda: Country office of a major humanitarian and gender-equity INGO. Overlaps with AWYAD on women's empowerment, GBV prevention, SRH, and refugee response in Uganda.
• Mercy Corps Uganda: Country office of a humanitarian INGO with operations across Uganda. Comparable on livelihoods, food security, youth empowerment, and humanitarian programming for refugees.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC) Uganda: Country office of a major refugee-response INGO operating across Uganda. Overlaps with AWYAD on GBV case management, women's protection, health, and education programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AWYAD_UG
• Facebookfacebook.com/787002236926041
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-women-and-youth-action-for-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/awyad2010?igsh=YzljYTk1ODg3Zg==

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 African Women and Youth Action For Development