Our #OnePerson for July is Funke Adeoye
Funke is a distinguished lawyer, human rights defender, and social entrepreneur. She is the founder and Executive Director of Hope Behind Bars Africa, an organisation dedicated to promoting human rights and criminal justice reforms through legal aid, research, evidence-based advocacy, and technology. Funke’s commitment to justice stems from personal experiences.
Her father’s unjust detention and the tragic loss of a child due to the failings of a government health facility ignited her unwavering commitment to securing justice for the underserved. These experiences drive her to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to strengthen government systems and address systemic failures.
Before founding Hope Behind Bars Africa in 2018, Funke worked as a programmes manager at Global Rights, an international human rights organisation that amplifies grassroots voices. During her tenure, she co-engaged the ECOWAS Court over the Nigerian government’s ban on Twitter, led the convening of a pan-African conference on Business and Human Rights, and built the capacity of over 400 grassroots organisations on government regulatory compliance. She also engaged the Upper Chamber of Nigeria’s parliament on the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020, legislation that could negatively impact the civic space.
At Hope Behind Bars Africa, Funke provides free legal services and direct support to indigent individuals in contact with the criminal justice system while promoting reforms through research, evidence-based advocacy, and technology. In 2020, she implemented the COVID-19 Grassroots Justice Fund Project supported by Namati and Funds for Global Human Rights, which provided support to 5,000 justice-involved individuals whose justice needs were grossly impacted by the coronavirus. Funke’s technology innovation, “Justice Padi,” emerged as the grand winner of the Unleash Plus Dragons’ Den in December 2022, out of 86 other solutions from around the world.
So far, over 8,000 justice-involved individuals have benefitted from Funke’s interventions. She has championed several campaigns, including the initiative to decriminalise poverty, and her work has fostered access to justice for hundreds of indigent pre-trial detainees. Funke’s remarkable contributions have not gone unnoticed. She has been recognised as a Cornell University Capital Defence Fellow in 2019, a finalist for the Future Africa Award for Advocacy in 2019, and a winner of the Accountability Lab SDG 16 Innovation Challenge in 2019. In 2020, she was listed by The Attic London as one of the lawyers changing the world for the better. Additionally, she has been a LEAP Africa Social Innovation Fellow in 2020, a One Young World Ambassador in 2021, and the grand winner of the Unleash Plus Dragons’ Den in 2022.
Her other accolades include the Innocent Chukwuma Social Impact Fellowship in 2022, grants from Funds for Global Human Rights and The Pollination Project in 2022, the Civichive Fellowship in 2022, and the Commonwealth Scholarship at the University of Oxford in 2023. She was also honoured with the Waistliz Global Citizen Prize in 2023, the Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2023, and the Acumen West Africa Fellowship in 2023.
Funke’s vision for Nigeria is one with strong institutions essential for promoting good governance, transparency, and accountability. She desires a Nigeria where young people are allowed to contribute to the decision-making process and where women have equal opportunities, representation, and decision-making power in all aspects of society. Her advice to aspiring changemakers is to be fearless, as on the other side of fear lies a world of opportunities that will benefit them and the communities they seek to impact. Funke credits her impact to her tenacity, the strength of her team, and the benevolence of friends, family, and partners who have supported her along the way. In her words, “In this work, your network is your net worth.”
Well done, Funke. Keep inspiring and making a difference!
