Latin American Women's Aid

What Latin American Women's Aid does

Latin American Women's Aid (LAWA) is a London-based registered charity (No 299975) founded in 1988 that delivers specialist gender-based violence (GBV) support to Latin American women and wider Global Majority women in the UK. Operating from Hackney, it runs the only refuges in the UK and Europe designed specifically 'by and for' Latin American women survivors. Its service mix spans refuge accommodation, one-to-one and group counselling, immigration and welfare rights advice, advocacy, ESOL provision, and dedicated children and young people's programmes. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, with annual reach exceeding 1,500 women.

The organisation delivers against a bilingual, intersectional, trauma-informed model that explicitly recognises compounding barriers — insecure immigration status, language, racism, and gendered economic exclusion — faced by its beneficiary group. Flagship programmes include Change Makers (launched 2017) and Growing Together (launched 2019), alongside the WAHA research project delivered with OYA Consortium partners. The headcount is 32 staff, supplemented by volunteers who provide capacity beyond what paid resourcing alone enables.

LAWA's revenue model is multi-source and grant-dependent, drawing on institutional grants (Community Fund, Disrupt Foundation, Impact on Urban Health, BBC Children in Need, MOPAC, London Borough of Islington, Trust for London, HSF Health Plan), donations, and volunteer labour. It co-founded the OYA Consortium in 2016 with other specialist 'by and for' Black and Minority Ethnic organisations, formalising a cross-referral and joint-advocacy platform. The charity was named Voluntary Team of the Year in 2024, but operates against a backdrop of UK Government cuts to refuge funding, which materially affects the specialist refuge sector.

Name

Latin American Women's Aid

Legal name

Latin American Women's Aid

Website

https://lawadv.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

London-based registered charity (No 299975), founded 1988, providing specialist refuge, counselling, and immigration advice to Latin American and Global Majority women survivors of gender-based violence across the UK; the only 'by and for' Latin American women's refuge network in Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Violence Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Housing Services (62422), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

Keywords

• Domestic violence support
• Gender-based violence services
• Refuge accommodation
• Trauma-informed counselling
• Immigration advice services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: LAWA accepts monetary donations from individual donors, monthly donors, and corporate partnerships. Donations can be made through their website (Enthuse platform), cheque, or corporate charity partnerships.
2. Public/Government Funding: LAWA receives public funding for refuges and services, though the organization notes that public funding for refuges is drastically decreasing due to government cuts.
3. Volunteer Programme: While volunteers contribute free labor, the programme serves as a pathway for community members to engage with LAWA's mission and potentially transition to paid employment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Latin American Women's Aid provides confidential, specialist domestic violence and gender-based violence support services for Latin American and Black/Global Majority women in the UK. Core offerings include a helpline, casework and advocacy, refuge accommodation, specialist training, community programmes, and research and policy work. Founded in 1988 and registered as a charity (No. 299975), the organization operates a "by-and-for" model with bilingual, culturally competent staff.

Product overview

Latin American Women's Aid (LAWA) is a service-based organization, not a technology product company. It provides a comprehensive suite of holistic and intersectional services for Latin American and other Black and Global Majority women and children fleeing gender-based violence. The core offerings include: emergency accommodation and refuges (the only such facilities in Europe and the UK by and for Latin American women); a Gender-based Violence Advice Centre (including specialized LBTQ+ services); counselling in Portuguese, Spanish, and English; immigration advice; housing advice; and general advice services. Community engagement is supported through the Change Makers Programme (with Chavitas for young girls), the Growing Together Programme for women over 50, and English (ESOL) classes with childcare. The WAHA (Women Against Homelessness and Abuse) project provides research and advocacy on housing rights. A volunteer programme creates employment pathways, while training services share expertise with professionals. All services operate within a trauma-informed, feminist, and anti-racist framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domestic Violence Helpline Confidential telephone helpline providing immediate advice, safety planning, and referrals to Latin American and Black/Global Majority women experiencing domestic violence in the UK.
• Casework and Advocacy Service One-to-one casework offering practical and emotional support, advocacy, and guidance to survivors navigating legal, housing, welfare, and other statutory systems.
• Refuge Accommodation Safe accommodation providing refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence, with culturally sensitive support.
• Specialist Training Training programmes for professionals on issues affecting Latin American and Black/Global Majority women, including domestic violence awareness and culturally competent response.
• Community Programmes and Events Community programmes and events (such as International Women's Day activities) that bring together women across the UK, raise awareness, and combat isolation.
• Research and Policy Work Research and policy work aimed at influencing UK government policy on issues affecting Latin American women and children, including domestic violence and inequality.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of women said it made a difference that the service was available at a Latin American/Black and minority ethnic women-led organization
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OYA ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016OYA is a collective of specialist organizations for Black and Global Majority women working to end violence against women and girls (VAWG). Members include LAWA, London Black Women's Project (LBWP), Ashiana Network, and Asha Projects. OYA was established in response to the systemic neglect of Black and Global Majority women's needs in both housing and VAWG services in the UK. OYA members provide specialist refuges, legal and immigration support, counselling, and protection services.
• London Black Women's Project (LBWP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the OYA Consortium, providing specialist services for Black women survivors of domestic and gender-based violence
• Ashiana NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the OYA Consortium, providing specialist refuge and support services for women from Black and minority ethnic communities
• Asha ProjectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the OYA Consortium, providing specialist services for women survivors of domestic violence
• English for ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for Latin American and Global Majority women. LAWA offers two English lessons per week, 2 hours each, at beginner, elementary, and intermediate levels. Childcare is available during classes. Both services are completely free.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ashiana Network: London-based specialist refuge and support service for women from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities affected by domestic violence; co-founding member of the OYA Consortium alongside LAWA, with directly comparable by-and-for service model and refuge-based delivery.
• Solace Women's Aid: London-based charity providing refuges, advice, and advocacy for women and children experiencing domestic and sexual violence; directly comparable as a London-focused GBV service provider with overlapping service lines including refuge accommodation, advice, and counselling.
• Women's Aid Federation of England: National federation coordinating domestic abuse services in England; LAWA is a full member of Women's Aid and operates within the same federation structure, making it directly comparable as a specialist member organization delivering refuges and advice under the same national framework.
• Asha Projects: Specialist service for women survivors of domestic violence, particularly those from Black and minority ethnic communities; OYA Consortium co-member providing services directly comparable to LAWA's refuge and advice offerings in the same London catchment.
• Refuge: UK's largest domestic abuse charity operating women's refuges and helpline services nationwide; directly comparable as a refuge operator serving GBV survivors with similar service mix (emergency accommodation, advice, advocacy), though at much larger scale and without LAWA's by-and-for Latin American specialization.
• Galop: UK LGBT+ anti-abuse charity providing helpline, advocacy, and casework for LGBTQ+ survivors of abuse; directly comparable to LAWA's specialist LBTQ+ service for Latin American women, addressing overlapping intersectional needs of sexual and gender minority abuse survivors.
• London Black Women's Project: Specialist organization providing holistic services for Black women survivors of domestic and gender-based violence in London; OYA Consortium co-member with LAWA offering refuges, advocacy, and culturally-specific support to directly overlapping populations.
• Nia Domestic Abuse Service: East London-based charity providing refuge, advocacy, and recovery services for women and children affected by domestic and sexual violence; directly comparable London-focused GBV service provider with overlapping service lines including refuge accommodation and specialist advice.
• Imkaan: National umbrella organization for Black and minoritized women specialist VAWG services in the UK; LAWA is a member of Imkaan and serves a comparable specialist BME women survivor population with similar intersectional, culturally-competent service model.

Others

• Respect: UK membership organization for VAWG sector and operator of the Respect Phoneline for perpetrators; operates in the same VAWG ecosystem as LAWA but focuses on perpetrator behaviour change rather than survivor support, making it a sectoral peer rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/latin-american-women's-aid

Compliance5 records

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 Latin American Women's Aid