By Rani Pramesti | Executive Director
This quarter, Wedu continued building the capability, capital, and community that women across South and Southeast Asia need to lead resilient futures.
On 30 June, more than 90 women began Introduction to Leadership Cohort 36, our most immersive programme yet, featuring a new interactive learning platform and live sessions with leadership and social impact experts.
Meanwhile, we continued our long-standing commitment to refugee communities along the Thai-Myanmar border. After seven years partnering with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Thailand, Wedu is launching a new phase of support in partnership with the Office of Camp Education Committee at Nu Po Temporary Shelter. Thanks to the generosity of private donors, 30 refugees will take part in a year-long programme combining one-on-one mentorship, peer mentoring circles, entrepreneurship training, and seed funding to start or grow income-generating activities. The programme officially began in July 2026, investing in both leadership and livelihoods to help refugee communities shape their own futures.
Our climate work also scaled through the Climate Alliance for Women Leaders in Asia (CAWLA), launched at the historic 2026 Women Deliver conference in Narrm, Melbourne, Australia in April. Selected from nearly 80 expressions of interest, 30 founding members held their second convening in June. CAWLA aims to engage 150-180 women climate leaders by the end of 2027.
On the financing side, our 2025 ISA Annual Check-in surfaced that financial wellbeing and career transitions remain top concerns for our members. In response, in Q2 2026, we rolled out three skill-building clinics on earning power and personal finance, alongside two networking events, giving members practical tools to navigate transitions with more confidence.
Finally, we're proud to share that Wedu has been named a Regional Learning Hub under the Women's Voice and Leadership Learning Partnership, co-leading work across Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe alongside the Center for Gender and Forced Displacement at the Asian Institute of Technology. We'll be accompanying four country partners: women's rights organisations across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Ukraine, in strengthening locally led feminist Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning methodologies.
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By Rani Pramesti | Executive Director
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