The Asian Women & Children's Network (AWC) is a group working mainly on education support to protect the rights of women and children in Asia. It was founded in May 1996 after a group of mothers visiting a hill-tribe village in Thailand met parents and children staging a sit-in to demand access to school. It has no membership fees and asks supporters for donations project by project.
In Thailand, it has supported school meals since 2022 at the Rai Fang Child Learning Center in Fang District, Chiang Mai Province, near the Myanmar border, and has delivered quilts and toys donated from Japan. Through its "Otagaisama (We help each other) Project" in Chiang Rai Province, it has supported a private dormitory to help young people finish junior high school, built chicken coops and donated sewing machines, backing people's independence with small steps.
In Japan, it has submitted a petition for legal reform to the presidents of both houses of the Diet every year since 2015, calling for an end to sexual violence against children. On October 20 it held a symposium in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture, attended by more than 60 people. The top page also carries a notice about its participation in an event in April 2026.
Key points
- A group founded in 1996 from mothers' wish to do something
- Flexible support that can respond when it is needed, as a small group
- Education and meal support in Thailand alongside petitions and awareness-raising in Japan
Why this organization's work stands out
Its approach is striking: rather than covering living costs, it helps people who are trying hard on their own with start-up needs such as their first equipment. With education at the center, it supports local people's independence.
Alongside its support abroad, it continues to call for legal reform in Japan to protect children. Linking issues at home and abroad is a useful reference.
Editor's comment
The words "as people living in the same Asia, we want to work hand in hand" convey the group's starting point.
The latest activity reports are on the official website. Please take a look.