Educate Girls Becomes First Indian NGO to Win Ramon Magsaysay Award

Educate Girls has become the first Indian organisation to win the prestigious 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s highest honour for public service.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often called “Asia’s Nobel Prize.” It honours outstanding leadership and community service.

Alongside Educate Girls, this year’s awardees include Shaahina Ali (Maldives) and Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva (Philippines). They were recognised for their public service.

Educate Girls was founded in 2007 by Safeena Husain, a London School of Economics graduate. She returned to India from San Francisco to tackle female illiteracy.

The NGO works with governments and communities to re-enrol out-of-school girls. It also works towards improving learning outcomes and shifting gender mindsets.

In its citation, the Foundation said Educate Girls is “an Indian organisation whose groundbreaking work in addressing gender injustice in education uplifts families, communities, and entire societies.” (Source: The Hindu)

The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Award ceremony will be held on November 7 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila. Each awardee receives a medallion, a citation, and a cash prize.