AWO International

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.

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

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

• Humanitarian aid services
• Development cooperation projects
• Disaster risk reduction
• Fair trade products
• Global education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting humanitarian aid and development projects. Donors can contribute online with various payment options.
2. Supporting Membership (Fördermitglied): Regular funding contributions from supporting members that enable politically independent operations and long-term project sustainability.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Legacies and Bequests: Inheritance donations (Erbschaften) and occasion-based donations (Anlassspenden) as part of legacy giving programs.
6. Educational Services: Workshops, seminars, educational materials, and e-learning courses for global education and development policy education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core 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

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VENRO e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation 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.
• SOLIDARminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network for social justice - AWO International is a guest member in this European network, participating in transnational advocacy and cooperation.
• AWO BundesverbandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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 HumanitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivilian 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.
• SozialBankminorOthersSpecialized bank for social enterprises and non-profits in Germany. AWO International maintains its donation account (Spendenkonto) at SozialBank.
• EPIZ! BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntercultural learning center in Berlin - Collaboration on educational materials for children including 'Super-Bücher' and 'Globales Lernen für zukünftige Erzieher*innen' publications.
• Christoffel BlindenmissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Christian development organization - Partner in Central America inclusive disaster risk reduction network alongside AWO International and ASB.
• Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman humanitarian organization - Partner in Central America inclusive disaster risk reduction network alongside AWO International and Christoffel Blindenmission.
• ENGAGE EU Project Partners (Romania, France, Czechia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean 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

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-GnSEPZ4kvRa_nwOgYgj2w/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/awointernational.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/awo_international
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awo-international

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 AWO International