A Nigerian nonprofit is gaining international recognition for an approach to gender-based violence prevention that begins with a simple principle that ensures that boys must be part of the effort to build a society where women and girls are treated with dignity and their rights are respected.
Boys Champions, founded in 2018 by gender-based violence prevention advocate Noel Ifeanyi Alumona, has won the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion award at the 2026 .Org Impact Awards in Washington DC. The organisation works to nurture boys who respect girls, value equality and are willing to defend the rights of women, with a focus on encouraging healthier expressions of masculinity.
Its recognition comes with a $10,000 prize to support the expansion of its work in Nigeria, where it has spent eight years promoting the role boys and men can play in preventing gender-based violence.
Alumona sees the award as affirming the thinking behind the organisation's establishment which is meaningful progress towards a safer and more equal society requires boys and men to participate in thereby changing the attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violence against women.
“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,” he said.
The 2026 .Org Impact Awards received submissions from more than 4,200 organisations across 145 countries, placing Boys Champions among a highly competitive international field.
Alumona said the recognition was particularly meaningful because it brought global attention to work developed in Nigerian communities.
“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,” he said.
Organised annually by the Public Interest Registry, the .Org Impact Awards feature seven categories. The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion category recognises organisations or individuals working to remove barriers, amplify underrepresented voices and create opportunities for a more inclusive and equitable world.
Boys Champions' work reflects that objective by encouraging boys to grow into responsible men and challenging the idea that preventing gender-based violence should be left primarily to women. Its approach places responsibility on men to contribute to a culture of respect and equality, while helping shape attitudes that can influence how future generations relate to women.
The $10,000 award will provide additional resources for the organisation to extend this work in Nigeria. Its international recognition brings attention to a Nigerian-led effort to address gender-based violence through early intervention, personal responsibility and the active involvement of boys and men.
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