Mumbai: The Ramon Magsaysay Award for 'Educate Girls' is a historic moment for India, placing the global spotlight on a people-powered movement that began with a single girl in a remote village, said the non-profit's founder, Safeena Husain.

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, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) said.

'Educate Girls' received Asia's premier prize for "its commitment to addressing cultural stereotyping through the education of girls and young women, liberating them from illiteracy and infusing them with skills, courage, and agency to achieve their full potential," the RMAF statement said.

Reflecting on the milestone, Husain said, "Being the first Indian non-profit to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award is historic for Educate Girls and for the country. This recognition highlights 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."

The award also honours dedicated Team Balika volunteers, valued partners, gender champions, supporters, and the millions of girls who reclaimed their right to education.

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

Educate Girls CEO Gayatri Nair Lobo said, "Education is one of the greatest levers for development and every girl's fundamental right. This award recognises transformational change possible through partnerships with government, philanthropic institutions, corporations, and grassroots communities to promote equitable and accessible education for girls."

Starting from Rajasthan, Educate Girls identified the neediest communities, brought unschooled or out-of-school girls into classrooms, and worked to retain them until they gained credentials for higher education and employment. Beginning with 50 pilot village schools, the programme now reaches over 30,000 villages across India's underserved regions, involving over two million girls with a retention rate above 90%, the Foundation said.

The organisation is recognised for challenging cultural stereotypes and empowering girls to achieve their full human potential.