Educate Girls wins Ramon Magsaysay Award for helping girls return to school

Non-profit organisation Educate Girls has won the Ramon Magsaysay Award, one of Asia’s most respected honours. The group dedicated this award to its thousands of volunteers, coordinators, and mentors who have worked tirelessly to bring millions of girls back to school in rural parts of the country.

 

The Ramon Magsaysay Foundation praised Educate Girls for breaking gender stereotypes and empowering girls through education, helping them gain confidence, skills, and independence. The award was announced on August 31, and the ceremony took place on Friday (local time) in Manila, Philippines.

Founder dedicates honour to 55,000 volunteers

While receiving the award, Educate Girls founder Safeena Husain said the honour belongs to the organisation’s team members who work in villages across India. “Our coordinators go door to door to find every girl who has dropped out of school. They walk in the rain, climb mountains, and cross rivers so that no girl is left behind. Because of their effort, our work has grown from a few villages to more than 30,000 today,” she said.

 

Husain also praised 55,000 youth volunteers, called Team Balika, who have helped bring over 2 million girls back to school. Their motto, “Mera Gaon, Meri Samasya, aur Main hi Samadhan” (my village, my problem, and I am the solution), reflects their strong community spirit.

 

She added that 3,000 mentors, known as Preraks, help adolescent girls continue their education through local learning camps. Some mentors even babysit or take care of household chores so girls can study or attend exams.

About Educate Girls

Founded in 2007, Educate Girls works to close India’s gender gap in education by encouraging families and communities to send girls to school.

 

It operates in over 30,000 villages and has achieved over 90 per cent student retention. The organisation pioneered the world’s first Development Impact Bond (DIB) in education, linking donor funds to real learning and enrolment results.

 

It also runs the Pragati program, helping women aged 15–29 complete their education and access better job opportunities.

 

The Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called Asia’s Nobel Prize, was established in 1957 to honour former Philippines President Ramon Magsaysay. It celebrates individuals and organisations that show integrity, compassion, and excellence in public service, journalism, community leadership, and other fields.