Educate Girls: This Indian organization won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for sending 2 million girls to school door-to-door; read the full story.

Educate Girls: India's non-profit organization, Educate Girls, has been honored with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award 2025. This honor was given for revolutionizing the education of millions of girls and transforming it into a mass movement through community support. The organization dedicated this award to its 55,000 Team Girl volunteers.

Educate Girls: India's non-profit organization, Educate Girls, has been honored with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award 2025, considered the Nobel Prize of Asia. This honor was given for bringing extraordinary change to the education and lives of millions of underprivileged girls in India. Educate Girls has brought pride to the country by becoming the first Indian organization to win this award. In a grand ceremony held in Manila on November 7th of this month, the organization dedicated this honor to its more than 55,000 Team Girl volunteers. These volunteers often come from struggling families. However, they are spreading the word about education in over 30,000 villages across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, ensuring that no girl remains illiterate.

Volunteers have connected over 2 million girls with the organization.

Established in 2007, Educate Girls has done significant work at the grassroots level to break the vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy. To date, with the support of over 55,000 community volunteers and youth mentors, the organization has enrolled over 2 million girls in school. This demonstrates that education can be transformed into a mass movement through the participation of the local community. The Ramon Magsaysay Award specifically honored Educate Girls for challenging social stereotypes, freeing girls from the shackles of illiteracy, and instilling skills, courage, and self-reliance in them. The organization works in coordination with the education policies of the central and state governments.

Dedicated to girls who study late into the night

Receiving the award, Founder Safina Hussain said, "This award is dedicated to the girls who inspire us every day with their courage, bravery, and determination. Girls who study late into the night while juggling household chores to build a better future for themselves and their families." She added that this honor is dedicated to the parents, teachers, and 55,000 Team Balika volunteers who stand as their shield. CEO Gayatri Nair Lobo described it as a testament to collective power and said that when communities, governments, and all stakeholders come together, even the impossible can become possible in the field of education.

Now Aiming to Reach 10 Million Learners

After receiving the honor, Educate Girls has moved forward toward its next goal. The organization aims to reach 10 million learners by 2035. The CEO said that millions of girls are still waiting for the opportunity to learn, and the organization doesn't want them to wait any longer. The event was also emotionally significant for the organization, as Team Balika volunteers and learners, who were flying internationally for the first time, also arrived in Manila to attend the event.