The Change Maker: Safeena Husain, Founder, Educate Girls Her NGO pioneered the world's first Development Impact Bond (DIB) in education, surpassing targets with 160 per cent of its learning outcome goal and 116 per cent of its enrollment goal.

Seventeen years ago, Safeena Husain set out on a mission to challenge deep-rooted gender biases and transform the future of India's most vulnerable girls. Today, Educate Girls stands as a beacon of hope, proving that when a girl is given the right to education, she can rewrite her destiny.

After graduating from the London School of Economics, Safeena took the conventional route—heading to Silicon Valley to work with a startup. But amidst the tech hustle, a deeper calling emerged. Volunteering with grassroots organizations ignited a passion for social impact, leading her to spend over a decade working with underserved communities across South America, Africa, and Asia.

The defining moment arrived when she returned to India to set up a clinic near Uttarakhand. A group of women, upon learning that she was an only child, reacted with profound sorrow—as if being a daughter was a tragedy. "This incident lingered in my mind, and I couldn't help but reflect on girls in such communities, often seen as liabilities, who are excluded systematically from education due to deep-seated patriarchal biases and gender-based discrimination," she said. Safeena knew that everything she had achieved thus far in life was only because of her education. That conviction led to the birth of Educate Girls.

In many parts of India, particularly rural areas, educating girls remains an afterthought. Entrenched patriarchy, economic hardship, and societal norms continue to keep millions out of school. Educate Girls set out to change this by identifying, enrolling, and retaining out-of-school girls aged 7–14 while improving foundational literacy and numeracy for all children. A key driver of the initiative is the Team Balika network—local young volunteers and gender champions who navigate complex societal structures to ensure girls enter and stay in school.

Recognizing that many adolescent girls may never return to formal schooling, Educate Girls launched Pragati, a 'Second Chance' program in 2021. Pragati empowers young women by helping them build life skills and complete their education through government state open schools, offering them a renewed pathway to learning and independence.

The journey started small—a pilot program in 50 schools in Rajasthan's Pali district under the Rajasthan Education Initiative. The success of this model led to a broader expansion, with 500 schools joining the movement. Today, Educate Girls is an organization that thrives on synergy, working alongside government initiatives like the Right to Education Act to maximize its reach.

Safeena has never shied away from ambitious goals. Her NGO pioneered the world's first Development Impact Bond (DIB) in education, surpassing targets with 160 per cent of its learning outcome goal and 116 per cent of its enrollment goal. Today, it stands as Asia's first TED Audacious Project, harnessing AI and advanced analytics to scale its impact further. "More recently, we became one of India's first non-profits to be listed on the Social Stock Exchange (SSE)—once again reinforcing the credibility and sustainability of our model," she rejoices.

The results speak for themselves: over 1.8 million girls have been mobilized back into school, while more than 2.2 million children have benefited from remedial learning programs. These numbers are a testament to the grassroots power of Team Balika and the unwavering commitment to serving 'the last girl.'

Safeena's mantra is clear: effective social entrepreneurship demands measurable, replicable solutions. "Build with evidence, track progress rigorously, and refine your approach based on data," she advises. Most importantly,

For Safeena and Educate Girls, the work is far from over. But every girl enrolled, every barrier broken, and every stereotype challenged is a step closer to a future where education is not a privilege, but a right for all. She emphasizes staying true to the mission. "No mission drift, no mission creep—the girl is always at the center of everything we do."