The 42-year-old actor was given the Favourite Humanitarian Award at the 2015 People's Choice Awards on Wednesday (Jan 7th), due to his work for the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI).
Ben Affleck is one of Hollywood's most successful stars, and he has won multiple awards for his work as an actor, director, writer, and producer, but the 42-year-old's latest honour may take him a while getting used to.
Affleck was awarded the Favourite Humanitarian Award at the 2015 People's Choice Awards
While accepting the Favourite Humanitarian Award at the 2015 People's Choice Awards on Wednesday (Jan 7th), Affleck said, "I've been called a lot of things in my life, but I'm not sure that 'humanitarian,' until recently, has been one of them."
More: Michael Keaton Not Jealous of Ben Affleck, "Because I'm Batman"
If anyone else is also trying to figure out why the 'Ago' director received this recognition, his good friend and 'Batman v Superman' co-star Amy Adams was on hand to explain that he is a worthy winner, especially because of his work for the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), which he founded in 2010.
"The same qualities that make my friend Ben Affleck a phenomenal actor, director and writer are also what make him an extraordinary humanitarian," said an emotional Adams. "He puts his heart and soul into everything he does. When Ben heard about the crisis in the eastern Congo - where over five million people have died due to violence and disease - he didn't just write a check."
She continued, "He dove in head-first, completely immersing himself in the problems, meeting with the Congolese leaders and ex-warlords, child soldiers and refugees to comprehend everything he could about the issues that plagued the area."
More: Amy Adams' Refusal To Discuss Sony Hacks Results In 'Today' Show Cancellation
Adams, who also called Affleck's efforts with the ECI "game changing," also told the audience, "It's making it possible for kids to go to school, helping businesses flourish and giving millions of abuse victims a voice to finally be heard, all thanks to Ben. In his words, this is a country of survivors. Helping them survive and thrive is his legacy."
Amy Adams emotionally presented Affleck with the award
The ECI is a grant-making initiative that strives to improve the lives of the Congolese people by providing aid and raising funds for the poverty-stricken nation.
"It's important for me to try my hand at philanthropy because I want to leave behind a record of someone who did more than just gobble up stuff for himself," Affleck shared during the night. "I realize a life lived just for yourself is not much of a life."
The planet is in turmoil. Superman is apparently dead and crime rates have surged around...
In the wake of his friend Clark Kent's monumental sacrifice, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince...
Ben Affleck launched his directing career 10 years ago with his film of Dennis Lehane's...
While this slick dramatic thriller plays with some intriguing ideas and themes, it never actually...
Joe Coughlin was born and raised in a good family, his father was the police...
DC Comics' villains team up for an overcrowded action movie that never quite finds its...
Bruce Wayne knows that the Earth is under threat from evil forces much worse than...
Ben Affleck is cast as Christian Wolff in this new action thriller film The Accountant....
The Suicide Squad was formed by Amanda Waller, the head of Belle Reve Penitentiary and...
After 2013's beefy Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder goes even bigger and darker with...
Every superhero has a dark side and being 100% human, Batman is in doubt over...
When there's nowhere left to turn, the bad guys might just turn out to be...
What happens when two superheroes with vastly differing opinions come head to head? Well, not...
Clark Kent is a reporter for the Daily Planet in his everyday life, but a...