Refugee Women’s Centre

What Refugee Women’s Centre does

Refugee Women's Centre (RWC) is a grassroots, women-for-women nonprofit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Grande-Synthe, Hauts-de-France, France. It is a membership-only charity specialized in supporting displaced women and families living without shelter on the France-UK border in northern France. Its primary beneficiaries are parents with children, unaccompanied women, single parents, and separated families — including an estimated high proportion (up to 70%) of people with unfinished or failed asylum claims in other EU member states — who are encountered in informal outdoor settlements in Calais and Dunkirk and in accommodation centres in surrounding areas.

The organization operates as a mobile service, traveling daily to settlements using vehicles, rather than from a fixed day centre. Core services include (i) material distributions of non-food items (clothing, hygiene products, bedding), (ii) psychosocial support activities such as arts, crafts, pampering sessions, language exchanges, and movement-based activities, (iii) information provision and connection to professional services (medical, legal, psychological), and (iv) advocacy for access to shelter, water, and other human rights. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying "technology" is the mobile service-delivery model and a partner coordination network of approximately 40 allied organizations, including a core relationship with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

The business model is a charitable funding model rather than a commercial one. Revenue streams comprise individual donations (one-off and monthly recurring in EUR, GBP, or USD via bank transfer), material donations, third-party organized fundraisers, an annual €10 membership fee, and grants from a diversified roster of small institutional funders (e.g., AA-Ullman, CCFD-Terre-Solidaire, Donate4Refugees, Fondation Abbé-Pierre, Fondation des Femmes, Lemon Tree Trust, Fondation Raja, micro-scooter, Haella, PHF, Maternity Aid Cascade). Marketing is conducted through organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) and an annual-report-driven transparency program. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the organization does not have a traditional pricing model.

Name

Refugee Women’s Centre

Legal name

REFUGEE WOMEN'S CENTRE

Website

https://refugeewomenscentre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Refugee Women's Centre is a grassroots French nonprofit founded in 2015 that provides mobile, women-for-women humanitarian support — material aid, psychosocial activities, and advocacy — to displaced women and families in informal settlements in Calais and Dunkirk.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Refugee support programs
• Psychosocial support activities
• Displaced persons assistance
• Women's rights advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Calais

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: One-off or monthly donations in EUR, GBP or USD via bank transfer. Regular donations allow planning and income anticipation.
2. Material Goods Donations: Acceptance of clean, good condition material donations from a regularly updated list for distribution to beneficiaries.
3. Fundraising: Third-party organized fundraisers supporting activities on the ground.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Refugee Women's Centre provides direct, ground-level humanitarian support to displaced women and families living without shelter in the Calais and Dunkirk border region of northern France. Its core offering combines daily mobile outreach, distribution of material goods (clothing, hygiene items, bedding), psychosocial support activities (arts, crafts, pampering, language exchange, movement sessions), referrals to medical, legal, and psychological services, and advocacy for access to shelter and basic human rights. Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries and funded by donations, grants, and a €10/year membership.

Product overview

Refugee Women's Centre is a grassroots humanitarian charity, not a technology company. It does not offer a product, software platform, or technology-based services. The organization provides direct on-the-ground support services for displaced women and families in northern France, including material distributions, psychosocial support activities, advocacy for shelter and human rights, and case work support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mobile ground support service for displaced women and families Daily mobile outreach service delivered to displaced women and families living in informal outdoor settlements in Calais and Dunkirk and in accommodation centres in surrounding areas, providing holistic on-the-ground humanitarian support.
• Material distributions of non-food items (NFI)

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AMiSminorOthersPartner organization working with displaced populations in northern France
• Calais AppealminorOthersPartner organization in Calais supporting migrant communities
• Calais Food CollectiveminorOthersCollective providing food support in Calais
• Care4CalaisminorOthersHumanitarian organization supporting refugees in Calais
• Channel Info Project (CHIP)minorOthersInformation resource for displaced people at the channel
• Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group (CamCRAG)minorOthersUK-based refugee support group
• Das KOLLECTIVminorOthersPartner collective organization
• EffátaminorOthersPartner organization in the region
• Emmaüs Grande-SyntheminorOthersEmmaüs community in Grande-Synthe supporting migrants
• First Aid Support Team (FAST)minorOthersFirst aid support for displaced populations
• Human Aid NowminorOthersHumanitarian aid organization
• Humans for Rights NetworkminorOthersHuman rights monitoring network
• Human Rights Observers (HRO)minorOthersHuman rights observation and documentation
• Indigo VolunteersminorOthersVolunteer coordination organization
• L'Auberge des MigrantsminorOthersMigrant support organization in the region
• Maison SésameminorOthersPartner organization supporting displaced populations
• Maria Skobtsova HouseminorOthersRefugee house in Calais
• Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF)coreOthersInternational medical humanitarian organization providing healthcare support
• Mobile Refugee SupportminorOthersMobile support services for refugees
• No Border MedicminorOthersMedical support organization
• Plateforme des Soutiens aux Migrant.e.s (PSM)minorOthersPlatform supporting migrants
• Project PlayminorOthersPlay and activity project for displaced children
• Refugee Community KitchenminorOthersCommunity kitchen providing meals
• Safe PassageminorOthersOrganization advocating safe passage for refugees
• SalamminorOthersPartner organization in the region
• Utopia56minorOthersYouth and migrant support organization
• WoodyardminorOthersProject under L'Auberge des Migrants
• Psychologues Du MondeminorOthersPsychology organization providing mental health support

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• L'Auberge des Migrants: Grassroots humanitarian organization operating in the same Calais/Dunkirk border region, distributing material aid and providing direct support to displaced populations. Directly comparable in geography, beneficiary population, and mobile distribution model.
• Care4Calais: UK-rooted volunteer-led charity operating in Calais to provide aid and support to refugees. Directly comparable in target geography (Calais), beneficiary base (displaced populations), and volunteer-driven grassroots service model.
• Safe Passage: Organization advocating for safe legal passage for refugees, with operational presence in Calais. Comparable in operating geography and advocacy orientation toward refugee rights in northern France.
• Utopia56: French association supporting exiles and migrants across multiple French cities including Calais/Dunkirk. Directly comparable in grassroots service delivery model, beneficiary base, and operating region in northern France.
• Calais Food Collective: Collective providing food support in Calais to displaced populations. Directly comparable as a grassroots volunteer collective operating in the same geographic area serving overlapping beneficiaries.
• Refugee Community Kitchen: Volunteer-driven community kitchen serving refugees in northern France including Calais and Dunkirk. Directly comparable as a grassroots, volunteer-staffed aid organization operating in the same field sites with similar distribution philosophy.
• Human Rights Observers (HRO): Human rights monitoring and documentation organization active in the Calais/Dunkirk area. Comparable as an NGO operating in the same northern France displacement context, focused on rights-based support and field documentation.
• Emmaüs Grande-Synthe: Emmaüs-affiliated community in Grande-Synthe supporting migrants in the same northern France region. Comparable in community-based social services, geographic proximity (literally the same commune), and beneficiary population.

Emerging players

• Maison Sésame: Partner organization supporting displaced populations in northern France. Comparable as a smaller grassroots peer in the same regional ecosystem, with narrower or more specialized service scope.

Broad incumbents

• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): International medical humanitarian organization listed as a core partner of RWC. Comparable as a major humanitarian actor operating in the same northern France displacement context, but vastly broader in scale, geographic reach, and service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/refugeewomenscentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refugee-women%E2%80%99s-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/refugee_womens_centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Refugee Women’s Centre