Oluwafunke Adeoye, a human rights attorney from Nigeria, has won the $75,000 Waislitz Global Citizens’ Choice Award 2023 prize.
The Waislitz Global Citizen Awards, which annually give away a total of $250,000 in cash, honor people who have excelled in their efforts to alleviate extreme poverty.
There are three awards totaling $100,000 for the top prize and another two prizes of $75,000 each.
Adeoye is the founder and executive director of Hope Behind Bars Africa, an NGO that closes the justice gap by offering free legal services and hands-on assistance to impoverished prisoners while advocating for criminal justice reforms through research, evidence-based advocacy, and technology.
In a statement, Adeoye said: “My organization has supported over 7,000 incarcerated individuals through their numerous interventions, ranging from providing access to justice to providing welfare, support, and rehabilitation as well as reformation for ex-inmates.
“With the Waislitz Global Citizen award, I plan to fully launch Justicepadi, a tech platform that will revolutionize legal aid in West Africa and expand the organization’s work for justice-involved individuals.
“The Waislitz Global Citizen Awards are annual cash prizes totaling $250,000 that recognize the excellence of individuals in their work to end extreme poverty. The grand prize is $100,000 with two additional prizes at $75,000 each for a total of three prizes.
“The awards are presented by the Waislitz Foundation and Global Citizen, and supported by the leading United States (U.S.) and Australian-based cellular medicines company, Mesoblast Limited and Unico Capital Holdings.”
