Magsaysay award for Educate Girls, Indian non-profit working for gender parity

An Indian non-profit organisation, Educate Girls, working towards addressing gender injustice in education in India’s rural and remote areas has been chosen for the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2025. Educate Girls is the first Indian non-profit organisation to receive the honour.

The award has also been given to Shaahina Ali from the Maldives for her environmental work and Flaviano Antonio L Villanueva from the Philippines for his efforts to uplift the poor and marginalised.

“In 2005, a young graduate of the London School of Economics then working in San Francisco, US, decided to return home to India to take on this challenge. After two years of studying the problem, Safeena Husain established the Foundation to Educate Girls Globally (FEGG) or ‘Educate Girls’, a non-profit organisation dedicated to mobilising community and government resources for girls’ education in rural and educationally disadvantaged areas of India,” the award citation said.

Beyond enrolling young girls, Educate Girls also launched Pragati, an open-schooling programme that allows young women aged 15-29 to complete their education and avail themselves of lifelong opportunities. Its initial cohort of 300 learners has grown to over 31,500 learners.

“Girls’ education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems. It is one of the best investments a country can make, impacting nine of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, including health, nutrition, and employment,” Husain said.

She said Educate Girls remained committed to breaking the cycle of illiteracy and poverty for girls. “By scaling our programmes, deepening government partnerships, and embedding community-led solutions, we strive to create a brighter, more equitable future—one girl at a time,” she added.

Each awardee will receive a medallion bearing the likeness of former Philippines President Ramon Magsaysay, a citation, and a cash prize, the foundation said.

The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Award ceremony is scheduled for November 7 in Manila.