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Asia’s highest honour recognises the organisation’s community-powered model that has brought over 2 million girls back to school.
MUMBAI, India, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — India’s leading non-profit organisation Educate Girls has been named a 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Asia’s premier prize and highest honour. It is the first Indian organisation ever to receive this award, in recognition of ‘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.’
Educate Girls becomes first Indian non-profit to win Ramon Magsaysay Award
The non-profit joins a lineage of distinguished laureates, including filmmaker Satyajit Ray, singer M.S. Subbulakshmi, social reformer Kiran Bedi, and Vinoba Bhave, alongside international icons such as Nobel Peace Prize laureates the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa, as well as Oscar-winning storyteller Hayao Miyazaki.
“Being the first Indian nonprofit to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award is a historic moment for Educate Girls and for the country. This recognition places a global spotlight on India’s people-powered movement for girls’ education, one that began with a single girl in the remotest village and grew to reshape entire communities, challenging traditions and shifting mindsets. This Award honours our dedicated Team Balika volunteers, valued partners, passionate gender champions, and supporters, and acknowledges the millions of girls who reclaimed their right to education. As we work to reach 10 million learners in the next decade and share this blueprint beyond India, we carry forward a simple truth that when one girl is educated, she takes others with her, multiplying change across families, generations, and nations,” said Safeena Husain, Founder, Educate Girls, reflecting on this milestone.
“At Educate Girls, we believe every girl deserves an education, it’s her right, and one of the most powerful tools for change. This award is a tribute to what’s possible when governments, communities, and changemakers come together to break barriers and open doors. We’re deeply thankful to the Government of India for its incredible support, and we celebrate our fellow awardees, Shaahina Ali and Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, whose work continues to inspire,” added Gayatri Nair Lobo, CEO, Educate Girls.
Educate Girls, founded in 2007, empowers girls through education to break cycles of poverty and illiteracy. Since its inception, mobilising 55,000+ volunteers, it has brought back over 2 million girls to school and supported over 2.4 million children with remedial learning. It operates in over 30,000 villages, aligning with the government’s priorities and initiatives. With a goal to reach 10 million learners in the next decade, the organization drives systemic change through government partnerships and ensures last-mile access for the most vulnerable. Its global recognition underscores the transformative power of investing in girls’ education.
Completing the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award roster are Shaahina Ali (Maldives), honored for combating plastic pollution and protecting marine ecosystems, and Fr. Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva (Philippines), recognized for restoring dignity to Manila’s poor and homeless.
The 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees will formally receive their medallions and certificates during the 67th Ramon Magsaysay Awards Presentation Ceremonies on 7 November 2025 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila, Philippines.
