WATAN UK

What WATAN UK does

Watan UK is a UK-registered humanitarian charity (registered charity no. 1145092, legal entity Human Care Foundation Worldwide, formerly operating as Human Care Syria), founded in 2011 and headquartered at 27 Old Gloucester Street, London. The organization delivers on-the-ground humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), with field operations concentrated in northern Syria (Idlib, Aleppo) and the Turkish border region (Hatay, Reyhanli). Its stated mission is community revival rather than short-term relief, framed around sustainable, healthy and educated communities.

The core product set comprises six on-ground programs: Food Security & Livelihoods, Water & Sanitation, Orphan Sponsorship and Education (supporting over 1,600 students and 120+ teachers), Shelter and Non-Food Aid, Emergency Response, and Health and Medical Emergencies (including health clinics, COVID-19 isolation centers, a thalassemia center, and a physiotherapy center in Reyhanli). Complementary offerings include Islamic religious-due services — a Zakat Calculator, Sadaqah, Sadaqah Jariyah, and Fidya/Kaffarah. Reported beneficiary reach extends to millions of Syrians, with specific outcomes including response to 700,000 displaced people, 1,600+ students educated, and 400+ families served by the water filter project.

Watan UK operates as a non-profit with no product pricing; revenue is generated entirely through charitable donations from individual donors (via the watan.org.uk website and the JustGiving platform), corporate partners (e.g., Accenture, Giving Children Hope), faith-based partners (Islamic Relief Deutschland, Muslim Aid, Muslim Aid USA), and institutional funders including the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN agencies (UNICEF, UNHCR, OCHA, CARE). Distribution is executed through directly-staffed field teams operating in Syria and Turkey, and the organization is independently managed with a very lean staff of 8 employees.

Name

WATAN UK

Legal name

Human Care Foundation Worldwide

Website

https://watan.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Watan UK is a UK-registered humanitarian charity founded in 2011 that delivers food, water, shelter, education, and healthcare programs to Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons through field teams operating in northern Syria and Turkey, funded by individual, corporate, faith-based, and institutional donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC), Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Food security programs
• Water and sanitation
• Orphan sponsorship
• Emergency relief

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Watan UK generates revenue through donations from individual donors, corporate partners, and institutional funders. The organization receives one-time and recurring donations via its website, JustGiving platform, and fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Watan UK is a UK-registered charity that delivers humanitarian aid programs to Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons in northern Syria and Turkey. Its offerings include food security and livelihoods support, water and sanitation, orphan sponsorship and education, shelter and non-food aid, emergency response, and health and medical emergencies. Services are funded and accessed through individual donations, corporate partnerships, and institutional grants solicited via its website, JustGiving, and fundraising events.

Product overview

WATAN UK operates as a humanitarian aid organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs addressing the needs of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons. The core offerings include Food Security & Livelihoods, Water & Sanitation, Orphan Sponsorship and Education, Shelter And Non-Food Aid, Emergency Response, and Health and Medical Emergencies programs. These are complemented by religious services (Zakat Calculator, Sadaqah Jariyah) and various emergency appeals for specific crises. The organization functions as a charity platform rather than a technology product, with all programs focused on delivering humanitarian assistance on the ground in Syria and neighboring countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Security & Livelihoods Program A program addressing food insecurity among displaced Syrian populations by distributing nutritious food baskets containing rice, lentils, beans, cheese, oil, canned food, tea, coffee, flour, and when available fresh meat and baby formula, and supporting livelihoods for affected families.
• Water & Sanitation
• Orphan Sponsorship and Education
• Shelter and Non-Food Aid Program
• Emergency Response
• Health and Medical Emergencies
• Zakat Calculator
• Sadaqah Jariyah

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.6 million displaced people supported
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UNICEF for water and sanitation projects in Syria. WATAN aims to restore water and sanitation networks, expand public water networks, and cover operating costs for IDP camps.
• CAREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian partnership with CARE for supporting displaced populations in Syria.
• OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UN OCHA for coordination of humanitarian efforts in Syria.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) for refugee support programs.
• Islamic Relief DeutschlandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Islamic Relief Deutschland for humanitarian aid coordination.
• Muslim AidmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Muslim Aid for education projects in Turkey, including the school project in Hatay Reyhanli benefiting 620 Syrian students.
• Muslim Aid USAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Muslim Aid USA for education project in Hatay Al-Reyhanli, Turkey, providing schooling for 620 Syrian students from grades 1 through 4.
• Grif Aid (Save the Water Trust)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater filter project in partnership with Grif Aid for families in southern suburbs of Aleppo. Grif Aid matches each water filter provided, doubling the reach of donations.
• Giving Children HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with US-based charity Giving Children Hope for sending containers with clothing, Toms Shoes, pillows, and bedding to besieged areas in Syria. Items worth £300,000.
• AccentureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate volunteers from Accenture traveled to Turkey to support Watan UK projects, visiting orphanages and distributing educational games and furniture. Accenture match-funded approximately £6,000 raised by staff.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Islamic Relief Worldwide: Largest Islamic faith-based humanitarian NGO globally and existing WATAN UK partner (via Islamic Relief Deutschland). Broader geographic and programmatic scope but directly comparable faith-aligned donor model and overlapping Syria/Turkey humanitarian programming.
• CARE International: Major global humanitarian organization and existing WATAN UK partner for Syria displaced-population programs. Larger scale and broader mandate but directly comparable WASH, food security, and emergency response programming in the same Syrian geographies.
• Mercy Corps: Major international humanitarian NGO with active Syria programming focused on food security, WASH, and livelihoods. Larger scale and institutional funder access, but overlapping operational geographies and similar multi-sector integrated program approach.
• UNHCR Syria: UN Refugee Agency and existing WATAN UK partner for refugee support programs. Global mandate and significantly larger funding base but overlapping refugee registration, shelter, and humanitarian assistance programming for Syrian displaced populations.
• UNICEF Syria: UN children's agency and existing WATAN UK partner for WASH and IDP camp programs. Larger mandate and budget, but overlapping education, water/sanitation, and child protection programming in the same Syrian operating geographies.

Direct peers

• Syrian Arab Red Crescent: Syria's principal domestic humanitarian actor delivering food, medical, and shelter assistance inside Syrian governorates including Idlib and Aleppo. Directly comparable operational footprint and beneficiary base; serves as the dominant in-country humanitarian counterpart.
• Hand in Hand for Syria: UK-based charity focused on Syrian humanitarian relief and recovery. Direct peer operating in overlapping Syrian geographies with comparable grassroots UK-donor fundraising model and similar small-team operational structure.
• IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation: Major Turkey-based humanitarian NGO with extensive Syria cross-border operations. Directly comparable in faith-aligned donor base, Turkish operational hub, and Syrian IDP/refugee program focus; represents a larger, more established regional competitor.
• Syria Relief: UK-registered Syrian humanitarian NGO delivering food, medical, and education aid inside Syria. Most directly comparable peer — same UK base, same Syrian IDP/refugee focus, same diaspora fundraising model, and similar UK Charity Commission registration profile.
• Muslim Aid: UK-based international Muslim humanitarian charity and existing WATAN UK partner. Comparable faith-aligned giving model (Zakat, Sadaqah), UK headquarters, and overlapping Syria/Turkey program delivery, particularly the joint Hatay-Reyhanli education project.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/watan-uk

Compliance1 record

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 WATAN UK