AWO International
AWO International e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit (founded 2001) and the specialized humanitarian-aid Fachverband of Germany's Arbeiterwohlfahrt network, implementing 50+ development and emergency projects across 16+ countries through local partner NGOs to serve vulnerable populations affected by conflict, displacement, climate change, and poverty.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What AWO International does
AWO International e.V. is a German non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2001 in Berlin, operating as the specialized Fachverband for development cooperation and humanitarian aid within the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) network — Germany's oldest and largest welfare organization. The organization implements more than 50 humanitarian and development projects across at least 16 countries in Europe, East Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central America, and the Middle East, working through vetted local partner NGOs (Madhyam Foundation in India, COVOID in Uganda, SARD in Syria, ASECSA in Guatemala, SOS Humanity for Mediterranean rescue, and others) to deliver WASH programs, disaster risk reduction, climate-resilient agriculture, psychosocial support, and migration policy work to vulnerable populations including refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, women, and smallholder farmers.
Its core operational capabilities include WASH infrastructure (well construction, sanitation facilities, hygiene education), disaster risk reduction systems (early warning, climate-adapted agriculture, inclusive emergency planning), mobile clinic medical care for maternal and child health, and a cross-cutting framework mandating integration of gender equality, inclusion, and climate/environmental protection across all projects, formalized through a 2024 partner-organization guideline. The organization also runs a digital global-learning portfolio including an e-learning platform, biannual weitblick magazine, methodology readers, fair trade educational guides, and loanable methodology boxes for educators in the German welfare sector.
The business model is a diversified non-profit funding stack: institutional government grants (primarily BMZ, Engagement Global, Aktion Mensch), coalition emergency funding (Aktion Deutschland Hilft), individual one-time and recurring online donations, a Fördermitglied supporting-membership subscription program, legacies and occasion-based giving, fair trade product sales (AWO Gourmet Coffee, AWOpresso, AWO Tea, sugar packets from cooperatives in Nicaragua) to German B2B buyers, and educational services including workshops and e-learning courses. Suggested donation tiers range from €10 (medical protective equipment) to €800 (shallow well installation). Headcount in Berlin is approximately 18 staff plus 4 volunteers and 6 contract workers.
AWO International firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AWO International
- Legal name
- AWO International e.V.
- Website
- https://awointernational.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AWO International e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit (founded 2001) and the specialized humanitarian-aid Fachverband of Germany's Arbeiterwohlfahrt network, implementing 50+ development and emergency projects across 16+ countries through local partner NGOs to serve vulnerable populations affected by conflict, displacement, climate change, and poverty.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AWO International industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Aid and International Development Cooperation
- NAICS
- Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), International Affairs (928120), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- SIC
- International Affairs (9721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA), Climate, Environment & Natural Resource Management Aid Programs (BPADABAI), Emergency Food Assistance & Nutrition Response (BPADADAE), Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Multilateral Global Health Agencies (UN/IFIs) (HLAJAKAA)
Keywords
Where AWO International is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
AWO International business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting humanitarian aid and development projects. Donors can contribute online with various payment options.
- Supporting Membership (Fördermitglied): Regular funding contributions from supporting members that enable politically independent operations and long-term project sustainability.
- Institutional Funding: Project funding from government agencies and institutional donors including Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ), Aktion Deutschland Hilft, Engagement Global, and Aktion Mensch.
- Fair Trade Product Sales: Sale of fairly traded and ecologically produced products including coffee, tea, and sugar. Revenue supports small farmers and sustainable agriculture in Global South countries.
- Legacies and Bequests: Inheritance donations (Erbschaften) and occasion-based donations (Anlassspenden) as part of legacy giving programs.
- Educational Services: Workshops, seminars, educational materials, and e-learning courses for global education and development policy education.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Medical Protection Materials |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Public Awareness Megaphone |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Handwashing Stations |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Medical Equipment |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Maternal Healthcare |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Agricultural Learning Center |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Water Well Installation |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Vegetable Garden Support |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Disaster Preparedness Kit |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Livestock and Beekeeping Training |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Garden Tools |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Family Garden Package |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Livestock Training Package |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Emergency Kit |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Sea Rescue Food Supply |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Sea Rescue Life Jacket |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Beekeeping for Returnees |
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | Vocational Training for Returnees |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
AWO International product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AWO International e.V. delivers humanitarian aid and long-term development cooperation projects in crisis-affected regions of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central America, including emergency relief, food security, WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene), disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, psychosocial support, and safe migration programming. The organization also distributes fair trade coffee, tea, and sugar sourced from cooperatives in the Global South, and offers global education materials, e-learning courses, workshops, and publications for German educators and donors. Implementation is carried out primarily through vetted local partner NGOs in each project country.
Product overview
AWO International is a humanitarian aid and development organization that offers a portfolio of fair trade products and educational materials. The fair trade product line includes AWO Gourmet Coffee, AWOpresso, AWO Tea, and AWO Sugar Packets, all sourced from cooperatives in the Global South under fair trade conditions. The educational offerings include the biannual weitblick Magazine and Annual Reports for stakeholders, alongside extensive methodology readers and guides such as Methodenreader Globale Gerechtigkeit, Malbuch, Gerecht Einkaufen, SDG Factsheet, and publications on migration, global learning, and social inequality. The organization provides E-Learning courses covering topics like SDGs, climate justice, fair trade, and inclusion, along with methodology boxes available for loan. A Guideline for Crosscutting Issues supports partner organizations in implementing cross-cutting themes. The portfolio is distributed free to members and donors, with selected materials available for download or purchase through the organization's publications page.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AWO Gourmet Coffee Fair trade and ecologically produced coffee sourced from the Boaco department in the Nicaraguan highlands, grown by the Cosatin-Tierra Nueva cooperative association. Sold to German offices, companies, canteens, and restaurants to support smallholder farmers with decent working and living conditions.
- AWOpresso Fair trade coffee product offered as part of AWO International's fair trade product line supporting smallholder farmers.
- AWO Tea Fair trade tea product offered as part of AWO International's fair trade product line supporting sustainable trade relationships.
- AWO Sugar Packets Fair trade sugar packets offered as part of AWO International's fair trade product line for institutional buyers in Germany.
- weitblick Magazine Biannual magazine covering AWO International's humanitarian aid and development cooperation activities. Distributed free to members and donors.
- Annual Reports (Jahresberichte) Annual reports providing overviews of AWO International's development cooperation projects, humanitarian aid activities, disaster preparedness work, and engagement in global learning and fair trade. Published annually each August.
- Methodenreader Globale Gerechtigkeit Accessible methodology reader for global learning and development policy educational work, featuring practical methods on climate justice, resource justice, social and global justice for workshops, seminars, and project days.
- Gerecht Einkaufen (Fair Shopping Guide) Consumer guide on ethical and sustainably produced fashion, covering alternative consumption models, transparent supply chains, and fair working conditions for textile workers.
- SDG Factsheet Factsheet explaining the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the 2015 Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
- Die Reise einer Jeans Inclusive board game where players become jeans producers learning about global cotton cultivation, processing, and production interconnections, environmental impacts, and working conditions. Adapted for different support needs and available for loan.
- Guideline for Crosscutting Issues Practical guidelines for partner organizations on implementing gender equality, inclusion, and climate/environmental protection as mandatory cross-cutting issues in all humanitarian projects. Available in English and Spanish.
- E-Learning Courses Digital learning courses enabling full-time and voluntary workers in non-statutory welfare sector to learn about global learning, education for sustainable development, and global citizenship education. Includes courses on SDGs, climate justice, fair trade, migration, inclusion, and more. Supported by Engagement Global with BMZ funds.
Quantifiable outcome
- 37,000+ people saved from drowning in Mediterranean through SOS Humanity partnership
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use AWO International
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
AWO International technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
AWO International partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VENRO e.V.coreAssociation of Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid - German NGO association for development policy and humanitarian aid. AWO International is a member, participating in advocacy and policy work.
- SOLIDARminorEuropean network for social justice - AWO International is a guest member in this European network, participating in transnational advocacy and cooperation.
- AWO BundesverbandcoreThe umbrella organization of German Workers' Welfare associations - Parent organization providing institutional support, salary structures aligned with AWO tariff agreements, and connection to nationwide AWO network.
- SOS HumanitycoreCivilian sea rescue organization operating in the Mediterranean - Since 2016, AWO International has supported SOS Humanity's search and rescue operations. Over 37,000 people have been saved through this partnership.
- SozialBankminorSpecialized bank for social enterprises and non-profits in Germany. AWO International maintains its donation account (Spendenkonto) at SozialBank.
- EPIZ! BerlinminorIntercultural learning center in Berlin - Collaboration on educational materials for children including 'Super-Bücher' and 'Globales Lernen für zukünftige Erzieher*innen' publications.
- Christoffel BlindenmissionminorInternational Christian development organization - Partner in Central America inclusive disaster risk reduction network alongside AWO International and ASB.
- Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB)minorGerman humanitarian organization - Partner in Central America inclusive disaster risk reduction network alongside AWO International and Christoffel Blindenmission.
- ENGAGE EU Project Partners (Romania, France, Czechia)minorEuropean consortium for youth education - Collaboration to develop free e-learning course for youth leaders based on needs identified in survey.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AWO International competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Welthungerhilfe: One of Germany's largest privately funded humanitarian and development aid NGOs, focused on fighting hunger and poverty through emergency relief and long-term development projects — directly comparable in mission, German donor base, BMZ funding, and project geography (including food security and WASH).
- Oxfam Deutschland: German affiliate of Oxfam International, working on humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy on inequality and migration — comparable in advocacy-driven humanitarian model and German institutional/individual donor funding mix.
- Malteser International: German humanitarian relief organization of the Sovereign Order of Malta providing emergency medical aid, disaster relief, and reconstruction — comparable in emergency response and development project delivery.
- Caritas international: International humanitarian aid division of the German Caritas Association — closely comparable in welfare-association roots, emergency response and development programming, and German Catholic donor base, though larger in scale.
- CARE Deutschland: German arm of CARE International, focused on humanitarian aid and development cooperation with global projects in WASH, food security, and women's empowerment — closely comparable in programmatic themes and German donor market.
- Misereor: Catholic German development agency funding self-help projects for the world's poorest, with comparable focus on development cooperation, partnership-based delivery, and German donor engagement.
- Brot für die Welt: German development and relief organization of the Protestant churches in Germany, supporting development cooperation, humanitarian aid, and advocacy on global justice — directly comparable in scope, donor base, and educational/policy work in Germany.
- Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB): German welfare and humanitarian aid organization — direct partner of AWO International in the Central America inclusive disaster risk reduction network, and highly comparable in welfare-association positioning, emergency aid, and German donor base.
Emerging players
- SOS Humanity: German civilian sea rescue organization in the Central Mediterranean — a direct operational partner of AWO International with whom it has saved 37,000+ people since 2016; comparable as a German humanitarian NGO but narrower in scope (sea rescue only).
Others
- HelpDirect e.V. / Aktion Deutschland Hilft: Coalition of more than 20 German aid agencies (including AWO International) coordinating disaster response in Germany and abroad — included as an ecosystem-level ally that channels funding and joint appeals back to AWO during crises.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AWO International social profiles
Digital presenceAWO International compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
AWO International financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AWO International leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
AWO International funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AWO International M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AWO International
What does AWO International do?
AWO International e.V. delivers humanitarian aid and long-term development cooperation projects in crisis-affected regions of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central America, including emergency relief, food security, WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene), disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, psychosocial support, and safe migration programming. The organization also distributes fair trade coffee, tea, and sugar sourced from cooperatives in the Global South, and offers global education materials, e-learning courses, workshops, and publications for German educators and donors. Implementation is carried out primarily through vetted local partner NGOs in each project country.
Is AWO International a public or private company?
AWO International is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was AWO International founded?
AWO International was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AWO International based?
AWO International is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does AWO International make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are supporting Membership (Fördermitglied), institutional Funding, fair Trade Product Sales, legacies and Bequests and educational Services.
Who are AWO International's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Welthungerhilfe, Oxfam Deutschland, Malteser International, Caritas international, CARE Deutschland, Misereor, Brot für die Welt and Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB). SOS Humanity is listed as an emerging player. HelpDirect e.V. / Aktion Deutschland Hilft is listed as an others.
Does AWO International have an API?
No public API is recorded for AWO International.
What industry is AWO International in?
AWO International's product category is Humanitarian Aid and International Development Cooperation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAAAH, Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance, with a secondary code of BPADAEAA, Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery). Its NAICS code is 6242 and its SIC code is 9721.