Recently, Foundation to Educate Girls Globally (popularly known as Educate Girls) became the first Indian organisation to win the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s most prestigious public service honour.

About Ramon Magsaysay Award 2025

• It is often dubbed Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, established in 1957 to honour individuals and organizations demonstrating exceptional courage, integrity, and selfless service to the people of Asia.
• Recognition for Educate Girls: For its commitment to addressing cultural stereotyping and empowering girls with skills, courage, and agency to achieve their full potential.
• Other 2025 Awardees:
  • Shaahina Ali (Maldives): Grassroots environmentalist fighting plastic pollution.
  • Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva (Philippines): Priest supporting families of extrajudicial killing victims.
• Award Components: Medallion (embossed with Magsaysay’s image), Certificate, Cash Prize.
• Past Indian Recipients (Individuals): Vinoba Bhave, Arvind Kejriwal, Ravish Kumar, Bezwada Wilson, Sonam Wangchuk, among others.
  • Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first Indian recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1958.

About the Ramon Magsaysay Award

• Established by: Trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (US) and the Philippine Government in 1957.
• Nature: Considered Asia’s Nobel Prize, recognising leadership, public service, and community impact.
• Process: Confidential nominations, followed by trustee investigation.
• Presentation: Every year on August 31 (Magsaysay’s birth anniversary), followed by a formal ceremony in November in Manila.
• Awarded to date: Over 300 individuals/organisations across Asia.

About Educate Girls

• Founded: 2007 by Safeena Husain in Rajasthan.
• Mission: Mobilise community and government resources to promote girls’ education in rural and disadvantaged areas.
• Core Motto: “One girl at a time” – highlighting grassroots change and personalised support.
• Approach:
  • Identifies the most educationally backward communities.
  • Brings out-of-school girls into classrooms.
  • Ensures retention till they complete basic credentials for higher education and employability.
  • Uses community mobilisation + government partnerships to fight cultural stereotypes restricting girls’ education.
• Impact:
  • Work spread across 30,000+ villages.
  • Re-enrolled 7 lakh+ girls in Rajasthan.
  • Impacted 2 million+ children.
  • Network of 23,000+ “Team Balika” volunteers.
• Flagship Programmes:
  • Vidya: Focuses on the enrolment of girls up to age 14.
  • Pragati: Second-chance open schooling for young women aged 15–29.

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