Juliette Gimon Courage Awards

Announcing the 2024 winners

Coalición Indígena de Migrantes de Chiapas and Shobujer Ovijan Foundation Win the 2024 Juliette Gimon Courage Awards!

This year’s winners are Coalición Indígena de Migrantes de Chiapas in Mexico and Shobujer Ovijan Foundation in Bangladesh, recognized and honored for their dedication to protecting the rights of children and young people who are forced to migrate in search of safety and better lives.

These organizations have prioritized the safety and care of migrant children in vulnerable circumstances, including those facing violence, exploitation, and lack of opportunities. Both organizations have displayed unwavering commitment to advocating for the rights of children despite the numerous risks and challenges involved.This year, the Courage Award Selection Committee is recognizing not only the two award winners but also the four finalists, celebrating their inspirational courage and perseverance in addressing the needs of children and youth and fighting for social change.

About the awards

Juliette possessed a brave and passionate spirit that helped to change hundreds of thousands of young lives. The Courage Awards honor her legacy.

Juliette Gimon, former Board Chair of Global Fund for Children, passed away on February 24, 2018. Global Fund for Children established the Juliette Gimon Fund for Courageous Leadership, a more than $1 million endowment made possible by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and other generous donors.

Annual awards from the fund – the Juliette Gimon Courage Awards – recognize innovative grassroots organizations around the world that are positively impacting children in especially challenging circumstances. Some recipients will have overcome considerable obstacles to pioneer an innovation that transforms circumstances for children and youth. Others will demonstrate the courage of resilience, thriving amid unusual contextual challenges; still others will have leaders who have navigated personal hardship and channeled adversity into their organization’s cause.

Meet our winners

2024: COALICIÓN INDÍGENA DE MIGRANTES DE CHIAPAS (CIMICH) & SHOBUJER OVIJAN FOUNDATION (SOF)

Read the press release

Coalición Indígena de Migrantes de Chiapas (CIMICH) – Mexico

CIMICH was formed in response to high rates of migration from Indigenous communities in Chiapas to North Mexico and the United States. The organization raises awareness about migration issues, promotes human rights, and offers alternatives to migration.

Identity workshop with the Indigenous Coalition of Migrants from Chiapas. © Coalición Indígena de Migrantes de Chiapas

“We became aware of the violation of human rights and exploitation, as well as the violence faced by migrants,” said Diego López Aguila, CIMICH’s General Coordinator. “Receiving the Juliette Gimon Courage Award means that CIMICH can continue strengthening its work with migrant children and youth, as well as building new strategies for community participation.”

CIMICH provides information on migrants’ rights, translation services, and uses art to engage children and youth on issues of interculturality, migration, gender, and violence. Despite threats and challenges, CIMICH continues to support Indigenous migrant communities, defending their rights and promoting equitable participation.

Shobujer Ovijan Foundation (SOF) – Bangladesh

SOF is a rights-based feminist organization that supports and empowers young women who migrate to urban areas in Bangladesh due to lack of employment and livelihood opportunities in their home communities. These women work in garment factories and as domestic workers, often settling in slum areas. SOF promotes their rights and well-being through specialized daycare centers, healthcare, livelihood skills training, and leadership development.

Children engaged in a team building activity. © Shobujer Ovijan Foundation

“This recognition by Global Fund for Children fuels our determination to continue advocating for a more inclusive and equitable society, where every individual, regardless of their circumstances, can lead a life filled with courage and dignity,” said Mahmuda Begum, SOF’s Executive Director.

SOF also addresses issues such as child labor, child marriage, exploitation, and abuse, working courageously to challenge gender norms and advocate for equal opportunities.

2023:LUHANSK REGIONAL ORGANIZATION – ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES OF THE EASTERN DONBAS (AMI-East) & SUPRAVA PANCHASHILA MAHILA UDDYOG SAMITY (SPMUS)

Read the press release

Luhansk Regional Organization – Association of Women, Youth, and Families with Disabilities of the Eastern Donbas (AMI-East) – Ukraine

AMI-East has pioneered support for children and youth with disabilities in a society where they face social exclusion and lack of opportunities. The organization provides legal, psychological, medical, educational, and social assistance to children and young people living with disabilities. Since February 2022, the AMI-EAST staff have bravely been supporting children and youth who were forced to flee their homes because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Suprava Panchashila Mahila Uddyog Samity (SPMUS) – India

SPMUS works with women and children in West Bengal, which has one of the highest rates of trafficking and child marriage in India. The organization rescues, rehabilitates, and reintegrates trafficked women and girls; works to prevent domestic violence and early marriage; and cares for and supports deserted women. The courageous staff of SPMUS often face a community that is resistant to their efforts to change ingrained customs. But they believe in creating opportunities for the children and women in their community and advocating for their rights.

2022: AFGHAN INSTITUTE OF LEARNING (AIL), IRODA & WOMEN AGAINST VIOLENCE AND EXPLOITATION IN SOCIETY (WAVES)

Read the press release | Watch the winner event

Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) – Afghanistan

Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) has increased access to education in Afghanistan by providing girls and women with private schools and learning centers and by fostering literacy. With growing concerns about girls’ access to schools and education again, AIL is exploring safe ways to bring education to girls and women, including a partnership with TV Meraj for a televised education program that would reach children without access to school.

IRODA – Tajikistan

IRODA provides access to quality services appropriate for the unique needs of children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD); trains professionals and parents on working with children with ASD; facilitates a parent support group; and helps children with ASD enroll in formal school. The organization has also set up both the first social enterprise café and the first early intervention resource center in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Women Against Violence and Exploitation in Society (WAVES) – Sierra Leone

WAVES empowers girls to speak out against sexual and gender-based violence and to advocate for their sexual and reproductive health and rights, while engaging adults in the community to adopt more supportive attitudes and practices. The organization also advocates for policy changes that benefit girls and women.

2021: FREE MINDS, YOUTH SAFETY AWARENESS INITIATIVE & THIRD WINNER

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Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop – United States

Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop uses books and creative writing to help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth and adults realize their full potential and build connections with the community. The organization also provides workforce development, peer support, trauma healing, and violence prevention programs.

Youth Safety Awareness Initiative – Kenya

Dedicated to reducing rates of incarceration and recidivism among Kenyan youth, Youth Safety Awareness Initiative works directly in prisons to develop young people’s leadership and livelihood skills. The organization also works in areas with high crime rates to empower young people and keep them from coming into conflict with the law.

Third Winner

For the first time, the Courage Award Selection Committee has also chosen a third winner that has worked courageously to prevent violence against children and to promote their health and rights in its home country.

2020: AVANI & CHALLENGING HEIGHTS

Watch the announcement | Read the press release

Avani – India

In India, Avani rescues children from hazardous labor in Kolhapur’s brickyards and sugarcane farms and coordinates their comprehensive rehabilitation – providing them with safe housing, food, education, vocational training, and more.

Challenging Heights – Ghana

Working along Ghana’s Lake Volta, Challenging Heights rescues children from slavery in the fishing industry and provide them with comprehensive rehabilitation services, including helping them safely reunite with their families.

2019: ASOGEN & MAVI KALEM

Watch the announcement | Read the press release

ASOGEN – Guatemala

In the Guatemalan states of Chimaltenango, Sacatepéquez, and Sololá, ASOGEN is the only community-based organization to offer survivors of gender-based violence the legal aid, medical services, and psychological support they urgently need.

Mavi Kalem – Turkey

Mavi Kalem has spent nearly two decades mobilizing community volunteers to empower impoverished women and children in Istanbul, including rapidly adapting to meet the needs of Turkey’s growing Syrian refugee population.

Check out the stories below to learn more about the Courage Awards!