First Indian organisation to receive Asia’s highest honour for transformative leadership
Educate Girls, an Indian non-profit working to bring out-of-school girls into classrooms in rural India, has been named among the winners of the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s most prestigious honour often called the “Nobel Prize of Asia.”
The announcement marks history, as Educate Girls becomes the first Indian organisation to win the award. Founded in 2007 by Safeena Husain, the organisation has been recognised for
“its commitment to breaking cultural stereotypes and empowering young women through education, skills, and confidence to achieve their full potential,” the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) said in a statement.
From Rajasthan to National Impact
Starting in the villages of Rajasthan, Educate Girls worked to identify communities with the greatest gaps in girls’ education, enrol out-of-school girls, and support them until they completed their studies. Over the years, the organisation has expanded to 30,000 villages across India, impacting more than two million girls with a retention rate of over 90%.
In 2015, it pioneered the world’s first Development Impact Bond (DIB) in education, tying funding directly to measurable learning outcomes. The group also launched Pragati, a programme that allows women aged 15–29 to return to education through open schooling. Today, more than 31,500 young women are enrolled in the initiative.
Calling the award a “historic moment,” Husain said, “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 part of Rajasthan.”
Other 2025 Awardees
The other winners of the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award include:
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Shaahina Ali (Maldives): Honoured for her work in protecting the Maldives’ fragile marine ecosystems with community-driven conservation.
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Fr. Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva (Philippines): Recognised for his mission to uphold the dignity of the poor, including helping families of victims of the government’s drug war.
Each awardee will receive a medallion bearing the likeness of former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, a certificate of recognition, and a cash prize. The 67th Award Ceremony will be held on November 7, 2025, at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila.
India’s Legacy at the Magsaysay Awards
Over the decades, several Indians have been honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award, including Mother Teresa (1962), Jayaprakash Narayan (1965), Satyajit Ray (1967), Arun Shourie (1982), Kiran Bedi (1994), Aruna Roy (2000), Arvind Kejriwal (2006), Sonam Wangchuk (2018) and Ravish Kumar (2019).
With Educate Girls joining this list, India’s role in showcasing people-driven change in Asia gains another proud milestone.
