Bisi Alimi Foundation

Location: Nigeria

Focus: LGBTQI human rights

Website: https://www.bisialimifoundation.org

The Bisi Alimi Foundation advocates for the rights and dignity of LGBTQI people in Nigeria. The organisation was founded by Bisi Alimi, an LGBTQI rights activist who gained international attention in 2004 when he became the first Nigerian to come out on television. After an attempt on his life, he fled to the UK where he was granted political asylum. In 2015, he set up BAF to challenge homophobia in Nigeria and West Africa. 

Nigerian law criminalises same-sex relationships, with prison sentences of up to 14 years. In parts of Northern Nigeria governed by Sharia Law, homosexuality is punishable by death – one of the few countries where this is the case. 

In 2021, GiveOut’s grant will support BAF’s core costs and their work advancing social acceptance of LGBTQI people in Nigeria. They cultivate change through four thematic areas: research into the perceptions Nigerians have of LGBTQI people; training journalists and lawyers to better understand SOGIE; engagement with politicians, police, religious leaders and other influential people to accelerate social acceptance; and harnessing the potential of business to be a force for social and economic inclusion. 

GiveOut is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Registered Charity Number 1176434).