Mumbai: For the first time, an Indian non-profit has received Asia’s most prestigious honour — the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Educate Girls, founded by Safeena Husain, has been recognised for transforming girls’ education in India’s most underserved regions.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) said Educate Girls was chosen “for its commitment to addressing cultural stereotyping through the education of girls and young women, liberating them from the bondage of illiteracy and infusing them with skills, courage, and agency to achieve their full human potential.”

From a single village to a nationwide movement

What began with one girl in a remote village of Rajasthan has now grown into a nationwide movement. Educate Girls started with 50 pilot schools and today reaches over 30,000 villages across India. The initiative has enrolled more than two million girls, with a retention rate of over 90 per cent.

Husain called the recognition a “historic moment for Educate Girls and for the country,” saying it honours not only the organisation but also volunteers, partners, gender champions, and “the millions of girls who reclaimed their right to education.”

Carrying forward the mission

Looking ahead, Husain said the organisation aims to reach 10 million learners in the next decade. “When one girl is educated, she takes others with her, multiplying change across families, generations, and nations,” she added.

Education as a right

CEO Gayatri Nair Lobo underlined that education is “every girl’s fundamental and inherent right.” She said the award reflects the power of partnerships — from government to grassroots — in breaking systemic barriers. She also extended congratulations to fellow awardees Shaahina Ali and Fr. Flaviano Villanueva.

With PTI inputs