Educate Girls becomes first Indian NGO to win Ramon Magsaysay Award 2025

The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Award will be presented on November 7 at Manila’s Metropolitan Theatre.

Indian non-profit Educate Girls has been announced as one of the winners of the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award, making it the first Indian organisation to ever receive the honour, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) confirmed on Sunday.

The award, often described as Asia’s Nobel Prize, recognises outstanding individuals and organisations for courage, service, and transformative impact in society. While several Indians have been honoured individually in the past, this is the first time an Indian NGO has earned the recognition.

This year’s other awardees include Shaahina Ali from the Maldives, for her environmental initiatives, and Flaviano Antonio L Villanueva from the Philippines, for his work to empower the poor and marginalised. Each recipient will be awarded a medallion featuring President Ramon Magsaysay, a citation, and a cash prize.

Founded in 2007 by Safeena Husain, a London School of Economics alumna, Educate Girls focuses on enrolling and retaining out-of-school girls in some of India’s most underserved communities. Husain, who returned to India after years in San Francisco, began the initiative in Rajasthan and gradually expanded its reach to over 30,000 villages, benefiting more than two million girls with a retention rate above 90%.

The organisation’s impact-driven approach includes the world’s first Development Impact Bond (DIB) in education launched in 2015, which tied financial support directly to measurable outcomes. In addition, its Pragati programme offers open-schooling opportunities for women aged 15–29, enabling thousands to complete their education and gain new prospects. From an initial batch of 300 learners, the programme has now scaled to more than 31,500 participants.

According to RMAF, Educate Girls was selected for “challenging cultural stereotypes and empowering girls and young women through education, freeing them from the cycle of illiteracy, and equipping them with skills and confidence to realise their potential.”

The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Award ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 7 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila.