In a landmark achievement for India’s education sector, Educate Girls has become the first indian organisation to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s most prestigious honour. Recognised for its transformative work in rural education, the award highlights the organisation’s role in breaking cultural barriers, combating illiteracy, and empowering young girls to reach their full potential.

1. What Is the Ramon Magsaysay Award?

Often called the Asian Nobel Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award celebrates outstanding contributions in leadership, public service, and community development across Asia. The award has previously honoured indian icons such as Vinoba Bhave, M.S. Subbulakshmi, kiran Bedi, and Satyajit Ray, placing Educate Girls in an elite league of changemakers.

2. Educate Girls: A Quick Snapshot

Founded: 2007

Mission: Promote education for girls in rural India

Reach: Operates in 30,000 villages, with support from 55,000 volunteers

Impact:

More than 2 million girls brought back to school

Remedial learning provided for 2.4 million children

Future Goal: Reach 10 million learners in the next decade through collaborations with government and communities

3. Breaking Barriers and Changing Lives

Educate Girls has worked tirelessly to challenge societal norms that often prevent girls from attending school in rural India. Through community mobilisation, volunteer engagement, and partnerships with local governments, the organisation has not only increased enrolment but also improved the quality of learning for children who had fallen behind.

Founder Safeena Husain described the award as a global spotlight on India’s people-powered education movement, while CEO gayatri Nair Lobo emphasised that the organisation’s success was built on strong partnerships with government, philanthropy, and local communities.

4. How Educate Girls Works

The organisation’s approach focuses on three key pillars:

Enrolment Drives: Identifying out-of-school girls and ensuring they return to the classroom

Community Engagement: Mobilising parents, local leaders, and volunteers to create a culture that values education

Remedial Learning: Offering tailored support to children lagging behind academically, ensuring no student is left behind

By combining grassroots action with innovative education methods, Educate Girls has become a model for sustainable, scalable social impact.

5. Recognition on a Global Stage

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation praised Educate Girls for its commitment to social change through education, a testament to the organisation’s deep and lasting impact. The award also brings international visibility to the cause of girls’ education in India, encouraging other initiatives to adopt similar community-driven models.

Other awardees this year include:

Shaahina Ali (Maldives): Recognised for her fight against marine plastic pollution

Fr. Flaviano Villanueva (Philippines): Honoured for his work with Manila’s homeless

The awards will be formally presented at a ceremony in Manila on 7 november 2025.

6. Why This Matters

This recognition is more than just an award; it symbolises the power of education to transform lives and communities. By focusing on rural girls, Educate Girls addresses gender disparities in education while creating ripple effects in health, economic participation, and social development.

Educate Girls’ historic achievement is a beacon of hope and inspiration, demonstrating how grassroots action, volunteer energy, and community engagement can drive large-scale societal change.