Magsaysay Award for 'Educate Girls' a historic moment for India: non-profit's founder Safeena Husain

Mumbai, Aug 31 (PTI) The Ramon Magsaysay Award for 'Educate Girls' is a historic moment for India, and it places the global spotlight on a people-powered movement that began with a single girl in a remote village in the country, said the non-profit's founder, Safeena Husain, on Sunday.

The Foundation to Educate Girls Globally, widely known as 'Educate Girls,' has made history as the first Indian organisation to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, a statement from the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) said.

'Educate Girls' has been named for Asia’s premier prize and highest honour 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 to achieve their full human potential," the RMAF statement said.

Reflecting on the milestone, Husain said, "Being the first Indian non-profit to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award is a historic moment for Educate Girls and for the country. This recognition places a global spotlight on India’s people-powered movement for girls' education, one that began with a single girl in the remotest village and grew to reshape entire communities, challenging traditions and shifting mindsets." The award honours dedicated Team Balika volunteers, valued partners, passionate gender champions, and supporters, and acknowledges the millions of girls who reclaimed their right to education, she said.

"As we work to reach 10 million learners in the next decade and share this blueprint beyond India, we carry forward a simple truth that when one girl is educated, she takes others with her, multiplying change across families, generations, and nations," Husain said.

The organisation's CEO, Gayatri Nair Lobo, said, "At Educate Girls, we believe that education is one of the greatest levers for development. But above all, education is every girl's fundamental and inherent right. This prestigious award recognises the transformational change that is possible through partnerships with the government, philanthropic institutions, corporations, and grassroots communities, working together to tackle societal and systemic barriers and promote equitable and accessible education for girls everywhere." "We are deeply grateful to the Government of India for its phenomenal initiatives that have made this possible. Warm congratulations to our fellow awardees, Shaahina Ali and Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, whose work inspires us all," she added.

Starting from Rajasthan, Educate Girls identified the neediest communities in terms of girls’ education, brought unschooled or out-of-school girls into the classroom, and worked to keep them there until they were able to acquire credentials for higher education and gainful employment, the statement said.

“It started with 50 pilot village schools reaching over 30,000 villages across India’s most under-served regions, involving over two million girls, with a retention rate of over 90 per cent,” the Foundation said.

The organisation is being 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 to achieve their full human potential, a release said. PTI VT ARU