Boys Champions has won the 2026 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award at the .Org Impact Awards in Washington, DC, United States of America.
Founded in 2018 by Nigerian gender-based violence prevention advocate Noel Ifeanyi Alumona, Boys Champions works to prevent gender-based violence by nurturing a generation of boys who respect girls, value equality and actively defend women’s rights.
The .Org Impact Awards are organised annually by the Public Interest Registry (PIR) and feature seven categories. Boys Champions emerged winner in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion category this year.
According to the organisers, the award “recognizes an organization or individual fostering a more inclusive and equitable world by breaking down barriers, amplifying underrepresented voices, and driving meaningful change that creates opportunities for all.”
The award comes with a $10,000 cash prize to support the organisation’s efforts to expand its programmes in Nigeria.
Boys Champions described the recognition as a testament to its work in helping boys develop healthier and more positive expressions of masculinity.
The organisation said this year’s awards attracted submissions from more than 4,200 organisations across 145 countries, making the recognition a significant milestone for its work and the communities it serves.
In a statement made available to Vanguard in Port Harcourt, Alumona, the organisation’s president and chief executive officer, said the award reinforced its belief that its work was making a difference.
“When we started Boys Champions in 2018, we believed that if we wanted to build a safer and more equal society, we could not afford to leave boys and men out of the conversation.
Eight years later, seeing that belief and the work we have built around it recognised on a global stage is deeply meaningful. To emerge as a winner among more than 4,200 organisations from 145 countries tells us that the work we are doing in Nigeria matters far beyond our immediate communities.”
Over the years, Boys Champions has worked to teach boys how to grow into responsible men, maintaining that men and boys have an important role to play in preventing gender-based violence.
The organisation said its programmes were designed to challenge harmful expressions of masculinity, which it believes affect both society and men themselves, particularly young men.
According to Boys Champions on its website:
“The version of masculinity promoted by the world is harmful — not just to society as a whole but also to men themselves, especially young men. Many young men in Nigeria are faring poorly in school and often pushing back against gains in women’s rights.
Our work is investing in boys and men so they can be caring, connected boys and men who embrace and live equality and non-violence. Our detailed programmes help young, high-risk boys find their purpose, navigate their journey to manhood, and gain a better understanding of the responsibilities they owe to their families and communities.”
