Educate Girls Wins Award for Transforming Girls’ Education in India
AMN / WEB DESK
Manila: The Foundation to Educate Girls Globally (FEGG), widely known as ‘Educate Girls‘, has been named the recipient of the prestigious 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s highest honor, for its groundbreaking work in empowering girls and young women through education in India’s most underserved regions.
The Magsaysay Award Foundation praised Educate Girls 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.”
Founded in 2007 by Safeena Husain, a London School of Economics graduate, the nonprofit began its mission in Rajasthan, India’s largest state and home to the highest female illiteracy rates. The organization mobilized communities through its volunteer network, Team Balika, to identify out-of-school girls, convince families to send them to school, and ensure their continued enrollment.
What began as a pilot program in 50 village schools has today expanded to more than 30,000 villages across India, directly impacting the lives of over two million girls. With a retention rate of over 90%, Educate Girls has been credited with changing mindsets, breaking social barriers, and strengthening community-driven solutions to education.
In 2015, the organization pioneered the world’s first Development Impact Bond (DIB) in education, linking financial support to measurable outcomes. By the end of the DIB project in 2018, Educate Girls had exceeded its enrollment targets by 116% and its learning outcomes by 160%.
The nonprofit also introduced Pragati, an open-schooling program for women aged 15 to 29 who had dropped out earlier. The initiative, which started with just 300 learners, now supports over 31,500 young women to complete their schooling and pursue employment or higher education.
Safeena Husain, on receiving the news of the award, said: “Girls’ education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems. It impacts health, nutrition, employment, and nine of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. At Educate Girls, we remain committed to breaking the cycle of illiteracy and poverty—one girl at a time.”
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as Asia’s Nobel Prize, is given annually to individuals and organizations who demonstrate integrity, courage, and service to the people of Asia. With this recognition, Educate Girls joins a distinguished list of laureates who have transformed societies through grassroots action and social innovation.
The award not only honors Educate Girls’ achievements but also highlights the urgency of addressing gender disparities in education. As the foundation continues to scale its programs and deepen government partnerships, its mission is clear: to ensure that every girl, regardless of background, has the chance to learn, grow, and take her rightful place in society.