At the Bond annual Conference on Monday 18 March, the Bond International Development Awards were presented. The awards celebrate the ‘inspiring humanitarian and development work’ conducted across the world.

Islamic Relief scooped the Innovation Award for its Eliminating extreme poverty through Alternative Livelihoods for Orphaned families (ALO) programme in Bangladesh. The project supports orphans and their guardians to establish sustainable livelihoods. It combines productive cash transfers with building the knowledge, skills, and rights-awareness to help transform the lives of orphaned families – enabling families to graduate out of extreme poverty, build diversified assets and promote and protect child rights.

The Advocacy Award winner this year went to Save the Children for its Remember Rohingya campaign. The campaign mobilised 45,000 people asking UK government to call in the International Criminal Court at the UNSC.

The Hidden Entrepreneur Appeal from Traidcraft Exchange was awarded the Fundraising Campaign Award (sponsored by Al-Khair Foundation). The Hidden Entrepreneur appeal highlighted Traidcraft Exchange’s work with people who have the drive and determination to succeed but lack the opportunities. The campaign raised more than half a million pounds which was then doubled by UK Aid Match.

Diversity Award winner (sponsored by Diversity Travel) went to Oxfam GB Trainee Scheme. Introduced to improve diversity and serve as an entry route to the Third sector, Oxfam’s paid Trainee Scheme recruits people from diverse backgrounds to work for Oxfam for 11 months. In return for training, development and experience, trainees help improve practices by sharing their diverse insights and experiences.

Plan International UK’s work with Credit Suisse won them the Corporate Sponsorship Award (sponsored by Western Union). Working in partnership since 2008, Plan International and Credit Suisse have improved access to, and quality of, education for some of the world’s poorest children. Together they have built schools and facilities, provided teacher training and resources, and ultimately built a multi-country Financial Education for Girls programme.

Continuing the theme of working well together, Christian Aid was awarded the Collaboration honour for its Anticipating disease outbreaks in Ethiopia. The project’s aim was to strengthen the system for reporting diseases, to better anticipate and respond to outbreaks. Working with AMREF, the National Meteorological Agency and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, the project has improved reporting of diseases and averting outbreaks.

Four women took centre stage as the individual awards were given out:

The Humanitarian Award acknowledges the often overlooked heroes working in the humanitarian field. The award went to Christine Ngbaazande for her tireless work with World Vision in Sudan, inspiring activism for the rights and respect of women and children in her community and helping to change attitudes towards survivors of sexual violence.

Volunteer of the Year went to Gill Price & Linda Richardson for their creation of All in Diary which offers quick, essential information to aid workers in disaster situations.

The final award of the evening was the Special Recognition Award which highlights those who have made a ‘lasting contribution’ to international development. This was awarded to Glenys Kinnock in recognition of her dedication to challenging global injustice, championing human solidarity and tackling poverty. Glenys Kinnock (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead) is Co-President of the EU-Africa, Caribbean Pacific Joint Parliamentary Assembly and FCO Minister of State for Africa and the UN.