Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative

What Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative does

Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI) is a Nigerian non-governmental organization founded in April 2008 in Kaduna by Safiya Ibn Garba DTRF, a Desmond Tutu Reconciliation Fellow. Headquartered in Kaduna with regional offices in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos, EWEI operates a portfolio of nine programs addressing educational exclusion, gender-based violence, civic underrepresentation, and economic disempowerment of women and girls in northern Nigeria. Core programs include the Educational Subsidy Programme (ESP, running since 2008), Learning Without Limits (LWL, 2020) for virtual and supplementary education, Know and Say No (KSN, 2021) for GBV prevention, Our Safe Spaces (OSS) for survivor support, Together We Can (TWC, 2022) with UN Trust Fund backing, Civic Education and Participation for Women Project (CEPWOP), We For Them (WFT), The Women's Parliament (TWP), and EmpowerHer (focused on FGM and early marriage). Beneficiary reach totals more than 8.2 million across programs and digital advocacy campaigns, with 89% of funds going directly to program expenditure.

The organization's revenue model is grant-funded, anchored by institutional donors including the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls (flagship), Obama Foundation's Girls Opportunity Alliance, Africa Women's Development Fund, Inti Raymi Fund, Mundo Cooperante, and Save the Children, supplemented by individual donations via GlobalGiving and PayPal. Programs are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries through community-based implementation in partnership with local schools, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Kaduna, the Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, and community leaders. EWEI maintains specialized functional capacity across MEAL, communications, partnerships, fundraising, and regional operations, supported by a team of approximately 29 employees and volunteers, and operates a research-oriented sub-brand, Kabilun Africa Think Tank (KATT), to extend into policy advocacy.

EWEI's go-to-market is community-led rather than technology-led: it operates no proprietary technology platform, no app, no API, and no AI/ML capability, instead relying on grassroots outreach, referrals through community leaders, school and transport union partnerships, and a multi-channel digital advocacy presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Name

Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative

Legal name

Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative

Website

https://eweing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI) is a Nigerian nonprofit founded in 2008 that operates nine programs in Kaduna, Abuja, Kano, and Lagos to advance girls' education, prevent gender-based violence, and empower women economically and civically, funded primarily by international foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's empowerment and gender-based violence prevention services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE), Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD), Education in Emergencies (EiE) & Safe Schools (BPADAKAJ)

Keywords

• Women empowerment programs
• Gender-based violence prevention
• Girls education support
• Civic participation training
• Community development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaduna

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Institutional Grants: EWEI receives funding from international foundations and institutional donors to implement specific programs. Donors include UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, Obama Foundation's Girls Opportunity Alliance, Africa Women's Development Fund, Inti Raymi Fund, and Mundo Cooperante.
2. Individual Donations: The organization accepts individual donations through platforms like Global Giving and PayPal for specific projects such as the 'Educate, Equip and Empower 230 Girls and Women' campaign.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EWEI is a Nigerian non-governmental organisation that delivers free, community-based programmes for girls and women across education, gender-based violence prevention, civic participation, economic empowerment and psychosocial support. Services are implemented directly through trained staff, mentors and volunteers in target communities, complemented by partnerships with schools, transport unions, government ministries and international funders. The organisation runs nine core programmes including the Educational Subsidy Programme, Learning Without Limits, Know and Say No, Our Safe Spaces, The Women's Parliament, CEPWOP, We For Them, Together We Can, and EmpowerHer.

Product overview

EWEI operates as a multi-programme NGO portfolio focused on women's and girls' empowerment in Nigeria. The organisation delivers nine distinct programmes addressing education, gender-based violence prevention, civic participation, and economic empowerment. These include the Educational Subsidy Programme (ESP) for schooling support, Learning Without Limits (LWL) for digital education, Know and Say No (KSN) and We For Them (WFT) for violence prevention, Our Safe Spaces (OSS) for survivor support, The Women's Parliament (TWP) and Civic Education and Participation for Women Project (CEPWOP) for civic engagement, Together We Can (TWC) for community-based violence response, and EmpowerHer for protection against harmful traditional practices. The programmes collectively engage millions of beneficiaries through direct service delivery, advocacy, and community mobilisation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kabilun Africa Think Tank (KATT): A think tank initiative operated by EWEI focused on research and policy advocacy.

Products and services

• Educational Subsidy Programme (ESP) Supports vulnerable girls with school fees, uniforms, and learning materials to enable them to stay in school and complete secondary education. Beneficiaries also receive internship opportunities preparing them for higher education and leadership.
• Learning Without Limits (LWL) Provides virtual and supplementary education to adolescent girls, bridging the digital divide during school closures and the COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthens academic performance and demonstrates community-driven solutions to educational disruption.
• Know and Say No (KSN) Empowers women, girls, and community stakeholders with knowledge and tools to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Strengthens institutional capacity, promotes reporting of abuse, and mobilises communities to speak out against violence.
• Our Safe Spaces (OSS) Provides protection, counselling, and livelihood support to over 450 women and girls, including internally displaced persons and survivors of violence. Restores dignity, improves emotional wellbeing, and enables beneficiaries to regain independence and stability.
• The Women's Parliament (TWP) Creates a safe and inclusive space for women and girls to engage policymakers, voice concerns, and advocate for change. Strengthens leadership skills, increases civic participation, and promotes accountability in governance.
• Civic Education and Participation for Women Project (CEPWOP) Empowers women to participate in governance through civic education, town hall meetings, and advocacy engagements. Empowers women to engage decision-makers and influence policies affecting their communities.
• We For Them (WFT) Increases public awareness, strengthens reporting systems, and promotes safer public spaces through partnerships with transport and education unions. Improves access to support services for survivors of sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
• Together We Can (TWC) Provides mentoring, psychosocial support, and community advocacy to survivors of violence in high-risk communities. Engages men and boys as allies to address root causes of violence and foster safer, more supportive communities.
• EmpowerHer Protects at-risk girls from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early marriage by providing education, vocational skills, legal aid, psychosocial support, and safe spaces. Mobilises communities to challenge harmful traditional practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% of funds go directly to program expenditure
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry partner for stakeholder engagement and capacity building. The ministry's staff participate in self-care and trauma-informed training provided by EWEI for those working to end violence against women and girls.
• National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), KadunacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the We For Them program on sexual harassment in public places. Transport workers received training on reporting harassment through appropriate channels, improving access to support services for survivors.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE): FAWE is a pan-African NGO focused on girls' education and women's empowerment through scholarships, mentorship and advocacy, mirroring EWEI's Educational Subsidy and Learning Without Limits programs across multiple African countries.
• Girl Rising: Girl Rising is a global non-profit using storytelling, education and advocacy to advance girls' education and empowerment, mirroring the educational support and digital advocacy core of EWEI's mission.
• Plan International (Nigeria): Plan International's Nigeria office delivers comparable multi-state programs on girls' education, child marriage prevention and gender-based violence response, operating from a similar NGO model with international donor backing and community-based delivery.

Others

• African Women's Development Fund (AWDF): AWDF is a pan-African grantmaking intermediary that funds women's rights organizations across the continent, including EWEI's We For Them program. As a current financial partner, AWDF sits in the same ecosystem rather than competing for end-beneficiaries.

Broad incumbents

• Equality Now: Equality Now is an international human rights organization working to end violence against women and girls through legal advocacy and grassroots partnerships. Its focus on FGM, child marriage and GBV intersects directly with EWEI's EmpowerHer, KSN and Our Safe Spaces portfolios.
• BRAC International: BRAC operates large-scale education, women's empowerment and livelihoods programs across Africa, including in Northern Nigeria. Its multi-sector model and grassroots delivery share operational patterns with EWEI, though at significantly greater scale.
• UN Women (Nigeria): UN Women is the UN entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, working at global, regional and country levels on VAWG, economic empowerment, and political participation — overlapping directly with EWEI's Together We Can, CEPWOP, and Our Safe Spaces programs.
• Save the Children (Nigeria): Save the Children is a large international NGO operating across Nigeria on child rights, education and protection; EWEI has been rated 95% by the organization in a partnership quality assessment, indicating shared operational standards and overlapping program areas.

Regional players

• BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights: BAOBAB is a Nigeria-focused women's rights organization providing legal aid, advocacy and education on women's rights under Islamic and customary law, intersecting with EWEI's VAWG prevention, FGM/early marriage response, and civic participation work in Nigeria.
• WIMBIZ: WIMBIZ is a Nigerian non-profit advancing women's leadership, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment through mentorship and capacity building, overlapping with EWEI's economic empowerment and civic participation segments within the same Nigerian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eweinigeria
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@eweinigeria
• Facebookfacebook.com/eweinigeria
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eweinigeria
• Instagraminstagram.com/eweinigeria
• TikToktiktok.com/@ewei_nigeria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative