What is the Guardian International Development Achievement award?

The Guardian International Development Achievement award is designed to recognise some of the unsung heroes of international development. These are people who have made a profound contribution to the alleviation of poverty, working above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference to the lives of some of the world's poorest people. This contribution can be made either directly - through their own work or activities - or indirectly as a result of others using their achievements to improve their lives (e.g. technological inventions or agricultural research).