National Association for Women's Action in Development (NAWAD)

What National Association for Women's Action in Development (NAWAD) does

National Association for Women's Action in Development (NAWAD) is a Ugandan non-profit organization founded in 2009 and headquartered in Kyaliwajala, Namugongo (Kampala metropolitan area). It operates as a women's-empowerment implementing organization across four thematic areas: Agriculture and Women's Economic Empowerment, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Social Justice, and Organizational Capacity Strengthening. NAWAD delivers programs directly to beneficiaries — primarily rural women smallholder farmers, women affected by gender-based violence, youth, and women in refugee settlements — through a community-based model combining capacity building, research, advocacy, and direct service provision. Active programs include AINAPI (agro-industrialization advocacy in Mbarara and Rubirizi), PROCOWCA (climate-smart agriculture), Women's Financial Inclusion Phase III with milling facilities, CCSBR (clean cooking in BidiBidi refugee settlement), and a Youth-Led SRH Movement in Wakiso and Nwoya. The reported reach through these programs is 1,532 trained women smallholder farmers, 780 practicing climate-smart agriculture, 472 women through the PDM program, and 72,300 broader beneficiaries through sensitization campaigns.

NAWAD is funded through project-based grants from a roster of international development partners including USAID, EWMI, Global Fund for Women, Global Greengrants Fund, UN Women, UK Aid, Womankind Worldwide, and the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). It is governed by a Board of Directors with a Secretariat Team managing daily operations, and is staffed by 1-10 employees. The organization has no disclosed revenue, no commercial pricing, and no parent company or private equity backing; it operates as a membership-based association with community groups and individual beneficiaries as primary stakeholders. Strategic delivery partners include NAPE, ARUWE, and WECF on the POWER and Women 2030 projects.

Name

National Association for Women's Action in Development (NAWAD)

Legal name

National Association for Women's Action in Development

Website

https://nawad.co.ug

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NAWAD is a Ugandan non-profit founded in 2009 that empowers women and girls through capacity building, advocacy, and direct service provision across agriculture, climate change, gender-based violence, and youth sexual and reproductive health, funded by international development grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Women's Empowerment Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF), Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

Keywords

• Women's empowerment programs
• Climate-smart agriculture
• Gender-based violence prevention
• Capacity building services
• Sexual reproductive health

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyaliwajala, Namugongo

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding: NAWAD operates as a non-profit organization funded by international development partners and donors including USAID, EWMI, Global Fund for Women, Global Greengrants Fund, UN Women, and UK Aid to implement women's empowerment programs

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NAWAD is a non-profit women's empowerment organization that delivers programs across four thematic areas: Agriculture and Women's Economic Empowerment, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management, Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Social Justice, and Organizational Capacity Strengthening. The organization implements targeted projects such as AINAPI (agricultural advocacy), PROCOWCA (climate-smart agriculture), Women's Financial Inclusion, CCSBR (clean cooking for refugees), and youth-led SRH movements, serving rural women, GBV survivors, youth, and refugee communities in Uganda.

Product overview

NAWAD is a non-profit women's empowerment organization established in 2009, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of social development programs and advocacy initiatives focused on four thematic areas: Agriculture and Women's Economic Empowerment, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management, Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Social Justice, and Organizational Capacity Strengthening. The portfolio includes specific projects such as AINAPI (agricultural advocacy), PROCOWCA (climate-smart agriculture), Women's Financial Inclusion (Phase III with milling facilities), CCSBR (clean cooking for refugees), and youth-led SRH movements. The organization also conducts fundraising campaigns for portable grain storage silos to support women farmers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AINAPI - Advocate for the Implementation of the NDP III Agro-Industrialization Action Plan Project advocating for implementation of Uganda's National Development Plan III Agro-Industrialization Action Plan in Mbarara and Rubirizi districts, empowering women smallholder farmers through advocacy and policy engagement.
• PROCOWCA - Promoting Community-based Women-led Climate Justice Solutions in Agriculture Project promoting community-based, women-led climate justice solutions specifically focused on sustainable agriculture practices, targeting women in climate-vulnerable districts of Uganda.
• Women's Financial Inclusion Project (Phase III) Phase III project focused on increasing women smallholder farmers' access to processing technologies for value addition and markets for their agricultural products, including milling facility initiatives.
• CCSBR - Clean Cooking Solution in BidiBidi Refugee Settlement Project providing clean cooking solutions for refugees in BidiBidi settlement, addressing environmental degradation from cooking fuel collection and health impacts from indoor air pollution.
• Youth-Led SRH Movement Project Building a feminist youth-led movement to promote access to youth-friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services for adolescents in Wakiso and Nwoya districts.
• Parish Development Model Information System (PDMIS) Training Community sensitization and training on the Parish Development Model Information System (PDMIS), a web-based management platform that tracks parish-level data for economic development initiatives, implemented in Mbarara and Rubirizi districts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,532 female smallholder farmers trained in advocacy, local governance planning and budgeting processes
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

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 and minor.

• Womankind WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based women's rights organization; partner in the POWER project (2019-2021) focused on women's land rights and eco-feminist movement building. Also supported the 16 Days of Activism GBV campaign.
• Latek Stay Alliance UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner organization in Uganda working on specific program initiatives.
• NAPE (National Association of Professional Environmentalists)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUgandan environmental organization that partnered with NAWAD on the POWER project (2019-2021) to strengthen eco-feminist movements and protect women's land rights.
• ARUWE (Action for Rural Women Empowerment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in the Women 2030 project implementing Agenda 2030 and Paris Climate Agreement objectives in Nyabuhama, Biharwe sub-county, Mbarara district.
• WECF (Women Engage for a Common Future)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network supporting the Women 2030 project to build capacity of women's civil society organizations toward achieving Agenda 2030 and Paris Climate Agreement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UN Women Uganda: UN entity for gender equality and women's empowerment operating in Uganda as a major donor and convener — sets the agenda NAWAD aligns to and funds NAWAD directly.
• Global Fund for Women: Global women's rights foundation that is both a funder and an ecosystem peer to NAWAD; operates a comparable grantmaking-plus-partnership model across the Global South.
• Women for Women International: Global NGO providing economic and social empowerment programming for women in conflict-affected countries including Uganda and refugee settlements; comparable beneficiary model and refugee-focused work to NAWAD's BidiBidi CCSBR project.

Direct peers

• Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF): International network supporting women's civil society organizations on gender, climate, and Agenda 2030 implementation — co-funds NAWAD's Women 2030 work and shares overlapping thematic focus.
• Womankind Worldwide: UK-based women's rights organization focused on feminist movement building, land rights, and economic empowerment in Uganda and other countries — directly comparable mission and has already partnered with NAWAD on the POWER project.
• ActionAid Uganda: Ugandan affiliate of ActionAid International working on women's rights, climate justice, and economic empowerment through community mobilization, operating many overlapping districts with NAWAD.
• FIDA Uganda: Ugandan women's rights and legal aid organization focused on gender justice, women's land rights, and GBV response — directly overlapping NAWAD's GBV and social justice pillar.
• NAPE (National Association of Professional Environmentalists): Ugandan environmental NGO that partnered with NAWAD on the POWER project; comparable in scale and works at the intersection of environment and women's rights/community empowerment.
• ARUWE (Action for Rural Women Empowerment): Local Ugandan NGO focused on rural women's economic empowerment, agriculture, and food security — has already partnered with NAWAD on the Women 2030 project in Mbarara district.

Emerging players

• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: Global rapid-response fund supporting women's rights defenders and grassroots organizations; comparable in scale and mission to NAWAD's movement-building work, with overlapping donor ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nawadorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtx3IZjB2_fbve6N_drNkdQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/nawadorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/nawadofficial?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ODdmZWVhMTFiMw==
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-association-for-women-s-action-in-development-nawad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Association for Women's Action in Development (NAWAD)