Women's Empowerment Link (WEL)

What Women's Empowerment Link (WEL) does

Women's Empowerment Link (WEL) is a Kenyan non-profit, nonpartisan, non-governmental organization founded in 2007 and headquartered in Westlands, Nairobi, with a regional office in Nakuru County. The organization operates a portfolio of programs structured around five pillars: Transformative Leadership and Governance; Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls; Economic Empowerment for Sustainable Livelihoods; Climate Justice; and Institutional Development and Sustainability. WEL delivers these programs through direct community engagement, county government partnerships, and a network of trained community gender champions and peer educators, targeting women and girls in rural and marginalized communities across Kenya — with its FIYMA initiative alone reaching 28 counties — and selected cross-border programs in Tanzania and Burkina Faso.

WEL's product surface is service- and advocacy-oriented rather than technology-oriented. Core offerings include the Women in Power of Prevention Project (WPP, with DanChurch Aid, Nakuru), the BSR workplace financial inclusion partnership (5,000+ workers, 20 factories in Kericho since 2018), the Power of Equality multi-country human rights education project, the AEHRE project, and the FIYMA five-year financial inclusion program. The organization's primary technology asset is an e-learning portal hosting downloadable training PDFs on governance, gender-responsive budgeting, climate justice, and women's political leadership, supplemented by a Twitter channel (@wel2030_) and a website with publications and event listings.

WEL's revenue model is entirely grant- and donation-based. The organization is funded by institutional donors including DanChurch Aid, BSR, UN Women, UNDEF, NDI, Plan International, Aga Khan Foundation, SNV, Trocaire, ActionAid, WeEffect, Brot für die Welt, and Women Win. The website donation portal currently operates in test mode with no live donation processing, and no fees are charged for programs or services. GTM motion is community-led and event-driven: WEL staff and trained community gender champions deliver training sessions, workshops, SILC (Savings and Internal Lending Communities) groups, and community dialogues at county and community levels, with go-to-market measured in programmatic reach (e.g., 5,000+ workers, 300+ peer educators, 28 counties) rather than commercial sales.

Name

Women's Empowerment Link (WEL)

Legal name

Women's Empowerment Link

Website

https://wel.or.ke

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Women's Empowerment Link (WEL) is a Kenyan non-profit NGO founded in 2007 that advances women's rights through five programmatic pillars — transformative leadership, ending violence, economic empowerment, climate justice, and institutional development — serving women and girls across 28 Kenyan counties and select cross-border projects via grant-funded community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Rights Advocacy and Gender Equality Programs

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYBPAGAFAD

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPADAEAM

Safeguarding, Accountability & Compliance (ESG, Gender/GBV, Do No Harm)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Development & Technical Assistance

SECONDARYBPAGABAA

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Women's rights advocacy
• Gender equality programs
• Economic empowerment
• Gender-based violence prevention
• Climate justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: WEL receives donations from individual supporters through its website donation portal. The organization operates a test mode donation system and accepts offline donations.
2. Institutional Donor Funding: WEL receives funding from international development partners including DanChurch Aid, UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and private foundations to implement development programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WEL is a non-profit women's rights organization that delivers community-based programs across five thematic pillars: Transformative Leadership and Governance, Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, Economic Empowerment for Sustainable Livelihoods, Climate Justice, and Institutional Development and Sustainability. Programs are delivered through training, advocacy, community mobilization, SILC groups, and workplace-based financial inclusion, targeting women and girls across multiple Kenyan counties.

Product overview

Women's Empowerment Link (WEL) is a non-profit, nonpartisan NGO established in 2007 dedicated to women's rights and empowerment. WEL operates as a program-centered organization rather than a technology product company, structured around five core programmatic pillars: (1) Ending Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG), (2) Women's Economic Empowerment, (3) Climate Justice, (4) Transformative Leadership and Governance, and (5) Institutional Development and Sustainability. These pillars are delivered through a portfolio of specific projects (e.g., the Women in Power of Prevention Project, Power of Equality, AEHRE, BSR Financial Inclusion Partnership, and the FIYMA agriculture program), supplemented by e-learning resources and training materials, publications, events, and consultancies. WEL's product portfolio is entirely service and advocacy oriented, with no standalone technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ending Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) Program WEL's flagship program focused on eliminating violence against women and girls through prevention, protection, and response mechanisms, including advocacy for laws such as the Sexual Offences Act, Anti-FGM Act, and Domestic Violence Act, and delivery of survivor support services and community mobilization.
• Women's Economic Empowerment Program Program promoting equitable economic benefit for women in public and private sector policies and programs, including financial inclusion initiatives, Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) groups, and support for women-led MSMEs in agriculture.
• Climate Justice Program WEL works with women-led and grassroots organizations to build widespread societal support for locally shaped climate solutions through inclusive and rights-based approaches, including advocacy for gender-responsive climate policies and climate finance access.
• Transformative Leadership and Governance Program Program focused on increasing women's and girls' participation in local decision-making structures through training, mentorship, and advocacy for gender-sensitive governance practices, delivered through the National Women's Leadership Academy and related initiatives.
• E-Learning Resources and Training Materials Downloadable PDF training manuals and resources covering governance, gender, climate justice, gender-responsive budgeting, grassroots women's leadership, political leadership, and women's management cooperatives, available through WEL's e-learning portal for partners and beneficiaries.
• Women in Power of Prevention Project (WPP) Two-year project in Nakuru County, supported by DanChurch Aid (DCA), aimed at reducing women and girls' experiences of gender-based violence and gendered inequalities through SILC groups and community mobilization.
• Power of Equality (PoE) Project Multi-country project (Kenya, Tanzania, Burkina Faso) implemented with Equitas, empowering human rights educators and defenders and promoting women's participation in Chief Barazas in Bomet County, culminating in a community-driven policy for women's voice in governance.
• Advancing Equality Through Human Rights Education (AEHRE) Project Project focused on increasing participation of women and girls in human rights education aimed at their empowerment.
• Workplace Financial Inclusion Program (BSR Partnership) Workplace-based financial inclusion program in partnership with BSR, empowering women workers in supply chains in Kenya through on-site financial literacy training and peer educator networks; has reached 5000+ workers across 20 factories and trained 300+ peer educators since 2018.
• Women's Leadership in Locally-Led Climate Action Project (Homabay County) Project ensuring women's voices are central to climate change decision-making and governance in Homabay County, supporting their participation in Ward Climate Change Planning Committees and locally-led climate initiatives.
• Financial Inclusion for Youth and MSMEs in Agriculture (FIYMA) Program Five-year program removing systemic barriers to financial inclusion and creating sustainable economic opportunities for financially disadvantaged young people, particularly young women, in Kenya's agricultural sector across 28 mostly rural, arid and semi-arid counties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000+ workers reached with financial literacy training
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• BSR (Business for Social Responsibility)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018WEL partners with BSR to implement workplace-based financial inclusion programs for women workers in supply chains in Kenya. WEL adapts BSR curricula and tools to local context and provides trainers. The program has trained 300+ peer educators and reached 5000+ workers across 20 factories since 2018.
• Equitas Human Rights (Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in the Power of Equality (PoE) project working across Kenya, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso to promote gender equality through human rights education.
• Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on advancing women's leadership and participation in locally-led climate initiatives. AMwA conducted monitoring visits to WEL's climate justice projects and collaborates on capacity building.
• UN WomenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency focused on gender equality and women's empowerment. WEL participates in UN Women initiatives and advocacy coalitions for women's rights in Kenya.
• Plan InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational development organization working on children's rights and gender equality. Partner in development initiatives and advocacy for girls' rights.
• SNVmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetherlands development organization working on agriculture, energy, and water sectors. Partner in development programs addressing economic empowerment and climate resilience.
• ActionAidmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal movement of people working to end poverty and injustice through community-led development and advocacy.
• NDI (National Democratic Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based nonprofit that supports and advances democracy worldwide through technical and financial assistance to strengthen democratic institutions.
• Women WincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization that advances women's economic empowerment through strategic programs. WEL collaborates on floriculture sector initiatives and regional forums.
• Tusonge Community Development Organization (Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTanzanian partner in the Power of Equality (PoE) multi-country project working to promote gender equality through human rights education.
• Mouvement Burkinabè des Droits de l'Homme et des Peuples (Burkina Faso)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurkina Faso human rights organization partner in the Power of Equality (PoE) project implementing human rights education across three African countries.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• African Women's Development Fund (AWDF): Pan-African grantmaking and capacity-building organization supporting women's rights organizations across Africa. Adjacent peer given shared African women's rights focus and overlap as both funder and implementer in the same ecosystem as WEL.
• Equality Now: International women's rights organization working on legal advocacy and policy reform across multiple countries. Broader incumbent given global scope and overlapping focus on ending sexual violence and advancing gender-responsive laws, though operates at significantly larger scale.
• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Rights: Global feminist fund providing rapid response grants to women human rights defenders. Adjacent peer given shared women human rights focus and overlap as both supporter and beneficiary in similar donor ecosystems.

Direct peers

• GROOTS Kenya: Kenyan grassroots women's rights and community-led development organization. Comparable given shared focus on rural women's empowerment, community-led programming, and county-level government engagement across multiple Kenyan counties.
• UHAI EASHRI: East African sexual rights and health activist fund supporting marginalized communities including women and girls in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania. Comparable given shared East African focus, support for women's rights organizations, and rights-based advocacy approach.
• FIDA Kenya (Federation of Women Lawyers): Kenyan organization providing legal aid and advocacy for women's rights, including GBV response and policy reform. Comparable given shared Kenya base, focus on women's rights enforcement, and policy advocacy through instruments like the Domestic Violence Act and Sexual Offences Act that WEL also engages with.
• Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW): Kenyan women's rights NGO working on women's empowerment, GBV prevention, and political participation. Direct peer given shared Kenya focus, similar programmatic pillars (leadership, VAWG, economic empowerment), and comparable scale and donor base.
• Tusonge Community Development Organization: Tanzanian community-based NGO working on women's empowerment, gender equality, and human rights education. Direct peer given formal partnership with WEL under the Power of Equality multi-country project and shared programmatic approach.
• Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA): Pan-African feminist organization headquartered in Uganda focused on women's rights, leadership, and gender equality across Africa. Direct peer given overlapping thematic focus and WEL's existing partnership with AMwA on climate justice and leadership programming.

Regional players

• Kenya Human Rights Commission: Premier Kenyan human rights organization with broader mandate across all rights. Comparable given shared Kenya base, policy advocacy, and community mobilization, though KHRC covers all rights categories while WEL specializes in women's rights.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WEL2030_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/womensempowermentlink

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Women's Empowerment Link (WEL)