Handicap International wins $1.5m Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize
Howard Lake | 16 March 2011 | News
Disability charity Handicap International has won the 2011 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize of $1.5 million, the world’s largest humanitarian prize. An independent international jury selected the charity for its “extraordinary work to alleviate human suffering”.
Formed in 1982 by two French doctors to help Cambodians seriously injured by landmines, Handicap International now provides assistance to acutely vulnerable people around the world including those disabled from natural disasters, injury, armed conflict, disease and poverty. It is running 300 projects in 60 countries and has become a major first responder for persons with disabilities in emergency situations.
Headquartered in Lyon, France, Handicap International affiliates in France, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States formed the Handicap International Federation in 2009.
Steven M. Hilton, president and CEO of the Hilton Foundation, said of the award: “In just three decades, Handicap International has transformed the way the world deals with persons with disabilities who have been overlooked and underserved, especially in emergency situations. By dedicating its resources and talents to working with and advocating for people with disabilities, Handicap International gives help and hope to the most vulnerable among us.”
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Richardier, CEO of Handicap International and one of the original founders along with Claude Simonnot who retired from the NGO in 2004, said: “We will, from now on, be in a much stronger position to convince donors to include the most vulnerable from the onset of an emergency and to ensure that long-term inclusive development for all becomes the norm rather than the exception.”
The 2011 Hilton Prize will be formally presented at a special ceremony at the Global Philanthropy Forum’s 10th annual conference on 13 April 2011, at the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City, California.
www.handicap-international.org
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.