Wedu: Bridging the Gender Gap and Redefining Women’s Leadership

Wedu enables women leaders in South and Southeast Asia to access leadership capabilities, a lifelong community, and ample capital.

The organization focuses on three key enabling factors to ensure the success of women leaders:

• Capability: Wedu transforms women leaders by developing their capabilities and expanding their definition of leadership.
• Capital: Wedu invests in women leaders to facilitate access to education and leadership development opportunities.
• Community: Wedu nurtures women leaders through a lifelong supportive network of mentors, allies, and friends.

Closing the global gender leadership gap is projected to take 134 years—roughly five generations beyond the 2030 target set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In South and Southeast Asia, over 1 billion women face significant barriers that hinder them from reaching their full leadership potential. These barriers revolve around limited access to four key forms of resources: the ability to make decisions (Decisional Capital), the freedom to dream and aspire (Dream Capital), financial resources (Financial Capital), and social networks and support systems (Social Capital).

For women leaders in the region, these challenges are further intensified by three overlapping crises: the climate crisis, the burden of unpaid care work, and restrictions on economic empowerment. Together, these issues create systemic obstacles that not only affect the women themselves but also have profound intergenerational impacts on their families, communities, and the future generation of female leaders.

Wedu addresses these challenges through a comprehensive and structured approach that empowers women leaders at multiple levels: the individual, the collective, and the broader societal environment.

At the individual level, the organization supports women in taking purposeful steps toward achieving their leadership goals, helping them develop critical skills and overcome barriers. At the collective level, Wedu fosters a strong community of women leaders who uplift and support one another, creating networks that amplify their impact. At the societal level, the organization engages gender equity allies—individuals and institutions committed to closing the leadership gap—to champion women’s leadership, create opportunities, and challenge systemic biases.

The vision of Wedu is a world where women leaders thrive and are well-represented across all domains. By investing in women’s leadership, the organization aims to achieve far-reaching societal outcomes. These include promoting climate-resilient leadership aligned with SDGs 4, 5, 13, and 17; redefining how unpaid care work is valued and shared (SDGs 5, 8, 10, and 17); and driving economic empowerment for women (SDGs 1, 5, 8, and 10).

Through this multi-faceted approach, Wedu works to break down systemic barriers and create an environment where women leaders in South and Southeast Asia can access the resources, networks, and opportunities they need to succeed, ultimately driving transformative change for themselves and their communities.

Over the past 12 years, Wedu has developed a range of complementary solutions to empower women leaders in South and Southeast Asia. These solutions aim to address barriers to accessing Social, Financial, Decisional, and Dream capital, enabling women to thrive in their personal and professional lives.

The organization operates four core programs: the Global Mentorship Programme, Leadership Development Training, Education Funding, and Community Engagement. Each of these initiatives strengthens the capabilities, capital, and community of women leaders in the region.

Building Capability: Addressing Decisional and Dream Capital

Wedu’s leadership development programs, such as the Introduction to Leadership course and the Women’s Leadership Academy, are designed to help women expand their capacity to dream freely and pursue leadership positions. These programs challenge gender stereotypes and societal biases, equipping participants with the tools to overcome barriers and redefine their roles in society.

These initiatives focus on empowering women at the individual level, ensuring they gain the confidence and skills needed to lead effectively.

Building Capital: Addressing Financial Capital

Wedu’s Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs) provide accessible, customizable, and flexible financial support for women in South and Southeast Asia. Unlike conventional education financing options such as scholarships or loans, ISAs serve as a critical form of “stop-gap” financing, addressing urgent financial needs that traditional systems often overlook.

Cultural, societal, and legal barriers frequently prevent women in the region from accessing mainstream financing. Wedu’s ISAs step in to fill this gap, offering a lifeline that allows women to invest in their education and leadership development. Wedu is recognized as the longest-standing and most experienced operator of ISAs in Asia, as well as the only women-focused provider in this space.

These efforts support women both individually and collectively, fostering their leadership potential while addressing structural financial inequities.

Building Community: Addressing Social Capital

The Global Mentorship Programme connects women leaders with gender equity allies who act as mentors, providing valuable access to influential social networks. This program creates opportunities for career and leadership advancement, ensuring women have the social capital needed to succeed in environments where such networks are often inaccessible.

This program supports women at both the collective and societal levels, helping to create a more inclusive environment where their voices and contributions are recognized and valued.

Through these initiatives, Wedu continues to break down systemic barriers and empower women leaders, creating a ripple effect that extends to their families, communities, and beyond. By building capabilities, providing financial support, and fostering strong networks, the organization is helping to pave the way for a future where women are well-represented and thrive in leadership roles across South and Southeast Asia.

Unlocking Social, Financial, Decisional, and Dream Capital: Empowering Women Leaders

Wedu has supported over 5,000 women from 29 countries in South and Southeast Asia through programs focused on mentorship, leadership training, access to education, and financial resources. These initiatives are designed to address systemic barriers to gender equality, specifically targeting the challenges faced by women in accessing essential forms of capital necessary for personal and professional growth.

Unlocking Social Capital: Building a Supportive Community

Through the Rising Stars program and the Global Mentorship Programme, Wedu creates opportunities for women to connect with professional mentors and a wider network of support. These programs aim to enhance leadership development by providing guidance and access to social resources that can influence career trajectories.

Key outcomes include:

• Engagement of 1,700 professional mentors
• Support for 1,525 women leaders through the Rising Stars program
• Over 90,000 hours of mentorship facilitated
• Formation of 2,320 mentorship pairs to date

The mentorship program and community initiatives focus on reducing social isolation, fostering career growth, and enhancing leadership skills, in alignment with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

Unlocking Financial Capital: Flexible Funding for Education and Growth

The Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs) program provides financial support for women in South and Southeast Asia, addressing a critical gap in traditional funding mechanisms such as scholarships and loans. ISAs are designed to offer flexible, needs-based financing to help women overcome economic barriers, particularly in regions where cultural, societal, and legal challenges often exclude them from mainstream financial systems.

Program results indicate:

• 117 women from 15 countries have received ISA funding
• 96% of participants completed their intended education
• 83% secured employment within six months of completing their education
• Contributions from former participants have funded the education of 18 additional women, creating a self-sustaining funding cycle

These outcomes reflect the program’s role in enabling access to education and professional opportunities, contributing to SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Unlocking Dream and Decisional Capital: Lifelong Learning and Leadership

Wedu’s leadership programs aim to build the skills and confidence needed for women to pursue their goals and make informed decisions in their careers. The Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA) focuses on delivering sector-specific training and creating networks that enable women to advance in their fields.

Program achievements include:

• 14 academies conducted, supporting 1,111 participants
• Allocation of over $86,000 in funding for 32 seed grant projects and 36 alumnae initiatives
• Partnerships with the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) by the US Mission to ASEAN to support alumnae projects

Feedback from participants indicates a high level of satisfaction with the programs. The overall Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 77 exceeds the nonprofit benchmark of 60, and 81% of participants report that they would recommend the programs to peers.

By addressing social, financial, decisional, and dream capital, these programs contribute to building the capacity and resilience of women leaders in South and Southeast Asia. The initiatives focus on enabling individuals to overcome systemic barriers and access opportunities that support their long-term leadership and career development.