An Indian non-profit dedicated to educating out-of-school girls in remote villages has been named among the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees, Asia’s most prestigious honour for public service.

The Foundation to Educate Girls Globally, widely known as Educate Girls, is the first Indian organisation to receive the award, often described as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Founded in 2007 by Safeena Husain, an alumna of the London School of Economics, the organisation has worked across more than 30,000 villages in India, enrolling and retaining over two million girls in schools.

Recognised 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,” the NGO has pioneered initiatives such as the world’s first Development Impact Bond in education and the Pragati open-schooling programme, which has already enabled over 31,500 young women to continue their studies.

Husain described the award as a “historic moment for Educate Girls and for the country,” adding that it shines a global spotlight on India’s grassroots movement for girls’ education.

The other 2025 awardees include Maldivian environmentalist Shaahina Ali, honoured for her work protecting the marine ecosystem, and Filipino priest Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva, recognised for his mission to uphold the dignity of the poor and victims of the government’s anti-drug campaign.

The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Award presentation ceremony will be held on 7 November at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila.

Previous Indian recipients include Mother Teresa, Jayaprakash Narayan, Satyajit Ray, Aruna Roy, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Sonam Wangchuk and journalist Ravish Kumar.

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