The Chinwe Bode-Akinwande (CBA) Foundation has emerged as a notable winner at the 2025 Pitcher Awards, receiving two major honors for its impactful advocacy campaign, The Repression of Widowhood. The initiative, which addresses harmful widowhood practices and promotes dignity and empowerment for widows in Nigeria, won a Silver award for Societal Impact in the Effectiveness Category and a Bronze award for Non-Profit Organizations under the Pitcher for Good category.
The campaign, which began as a podcast series aimed at educating widows about their legal rights, has evolved into a broad-based social intervention program tackling issues of stigma, neglect, and financial exclusion suffered by widows across the country.
Responding to a Silent Crisis
According to recent estimates, Nigeria is home to more than 15 million widows, many of whom are subjected to harmful traditional practices, social ostracism, and severe economic hardship. In some cases, widows are blamed for the deaths of their husbands, evicted from their homes, or left without access to basic healthcare and education for their children.
The CBA Foundation’s campaign set out to change this narrative.
“What began as a podcast became a national movement,” said Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, founder of the CBA Foundation. “This campaign was never about awards. It was about restoring dignity, giving voice to the voiceless, and creating a society where widows are not forgotten.”
Measurable Social Impact
The campaign drew support from five Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies and translated online advocacy into real-world results. Key outcomes from the campaign include:
- Provision of food relief and healthcare to 412 widows in Lagos, Ogun, and Anambra States
- Seed funding and business support for over 20 widows to start small-scale enterprises
- Free medical care for 202 widows
- Educational support that enabled 169 children to return to school
- Seven podcast episodes that reached an audience of more than 51,000 listeners
- Launch of Art Piece of Hope, a sustainable income initiative that trained widows in tie-and-dye fabric production
“These are not just statistics—they are lives changed,” said Damilola Popoola, Head of Strategy at digitXplus, the creative agency that partnered with the Foundation. “It’s not every day you get to work on something that genuinely transforms communities.”
Awards That Reflect Purpose
At the 2025 Pitcher Awards, the campaign was recognized in two categories:
- Silver Award – Societal Impact (Effectiveness Category): This category honors campaigns that demonstrate measurable impact and drive meaningful societal change.
- Bronze Award – Non-Profit Organizations (Pitcher for Good Category): This category recognizes work by or in partnership with non-profit organizations that address social or environmental issues.
“These awards validate the voices of the women we serve,” said Bode-Akinwande. “It’s a reminder that we are being heard and that our work is making a difference.”
Looking Ahead
The CBA Foundation says it is committed to building on this momentum. Plans are underway to expand its reach, scale its empowerment programs, and strengthen advocacy to influence policy and cultural attitudes toward widowhood in Nigeria.
“This is not the end. It is the beginning of deeper work,” Popoola said. “We’re walking for hope—until every widow can stand tall again.”
The recognition at the Pitcher Awards is seen as not just a victory for the Foundation, but for every widow whose life has been touched by the campaign.
About the CBA Foundation:
The Chinwe Bode-Akinwande Foundation is a non-governmental organization committed to improving the lives of underprivileged widows and children through advocacy, healthcare, education, and economic empowerment.
About digitXplus:
digitXplus is a digital-first marketing and communications agency focused on delivering data-driven, purpose-led creative solutions for brands and social impact campaigns.
For more information or to support the campaign, visit www.cbafoundation.org.
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