Educate Girls Wins 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award

On August 31, 2025, Educate Girls, officially known as the Foundation to Educate Girls Globally, achieved a historic feat by becoming the first Indian organisation to win the Ramon Magsaysay Award, one of Asia’s most prestigious honours. The award recognises the NGO’s relentless efforts in transforming the educational landscape for out-of-school girls in India’s remotest regions.

This year’s other awardees include Shaahina Ali from the Maldives for her work in environmental conservation and Flaviano Antonio L Villanueva of the Philippines for supporting marginalised communities.

About Educate Girls: Vision and Achievements

Founded in 2007 by Safeena Husain, a graduate of the London School of Economics, Educate Girls was born out of a mission to tackle female illiteracy in India. Husain left her corporate career in San Francisco and returned to India with a single-minded focus: to bring every girl child into school.

Impact at Scale

Starting in the desert villages of Rajasthan, Educate Girls identified communities most resistant to girls’ education. The NGO’s grassroots model led to:

• Enrolment and retention of over 2 million girls
• Expansion to 30,000+ villages across India
• School retention rate exceeding 90%

Innovation: Development Impact Bond (DIB)

In 2015, the NGO pioneered the world’s first Development Impact Bond in education, linking investor funds to measurable educational outcomes. This model attracted global attention and catalysed scalable interventions in India’s rural education sector.

Pragati: Empowering Young Women

Recognising the educational gap among adolescent girls and young women, Educate Girls launched Pragati, an open-schooling programme aimed at learners aged 15–29. Starting with 300 participants, the programme now supports over 31,500 learners, helping them resume education and access better life opportunities.

Why the Organisation Was Awarded

According to the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), Educate Girls was selected 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.”

This recognition reflects the power of grassroots movements and innovative education financing to enact long-lasting social change.

Understanding the Ramon Magsaysay Award

Origins and Prestige

Established in 1957 by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Philippine government, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is often dubbed the “Asian Nobel Prize.” It celebrates exemplary leadership, integrity, and public service.

Over the years, more than 300 individuals and organisations across Asia have been honoured. Notable past Indian recipients include:

• Arvind Kejriwal (former Delhi CM, 2006)
• Ravish Kumar (journalist, 2019)
• Bezwada Wilson (activist, 2016)
• Sonam Wangchuk (environmentalist, 2018)

The Ceremony and Legacy

The award is formally presented each year on November 7 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila, Philippines, and commemorates the birth of Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay, former President of the Philippines (born August 31, 1907). He was a WWII guerrilla leader, automobile mechanic, and a leader who rose from humble beginnings to become a symbol of people-centric governance.

His presidency was marked by anti-corruption reforms and a deep trust in the common citizen’s dignity. His untimely death in a plane crash in 1957 gave rise to the award in his memory, celebrating “greatness of spirit” in public service.