Mumbai, Feb 27: Safeena Husain, Founder of Educate Girls, has been featured in the TIME Women of the Year 2026 list, recognising global changemakers working toward a more equitable world.
Safeena is one of 16 global honourees, including actor Teyana Taylor, whose revelatory performance in One Battle After Another won over Hollywood; Sydney McLaughlin, Olympic gold medallist and record-breaking athlete redefining excellence in track and field; Lucy Liu, acclaimed actress and producer; and Shirley Lee Ralph, renowned actress and singer whose career spans television, film, and theatre. As a TIME Women of the Year honouree, the recognition brings global visibility to Safeena’s mission to bridge the gender gap in education.
Safeena founded Educate Girls in 2007 to address the challenge of out-of-school girls in India’s rural, remote, and tribal communities. What began in a handful of villages in Rajasthan has grown into one of India’s largest community-driven efforts to support girls’ education, reaching over 30,000 villages and 12 states. “From day one till today, it is focused on the out-of-school girl, because that’s my lived experience,”Safeena said in her TIME interview. “That’s what I know, [what it] feels like to be left behind.”
This honour follows a remarkable year for Safeena Husain and Educate Girls. In 2025, the organisation became the first Indian organisation to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award (often called Asia’s Nobel Prize), surpassed its TED Audacious Project goal, and supported over 2 million out-of-school girls to return to education. Safeena is also the author of Every Last Girl: A Journey to Educate India’s Forgotten Daughters, published in January, which combines her personal journey with the stories of girls in India’s most underserved communities, offering a ground-level account of the barriers that keep millions out of school and the solutions helping them return.
Reflecting on the recognition, Safeena Husain said,
“I am honoured and humbled to be named alongside such trailblazing leaders. This recognition brings much-needed attention to India’s grassroots movement for girls’ education and spotlights our girls and their grit, resilience, and determination to shape their futures. It strengthens our resolve to reach ten million more by 2035 and ensure every last girl has voice, choice, and agency.”
Gayatri Nair Lobo, CEO of Educate Girls, said the honour underscores the importance of sustained collaboration with governments and communities.
“We are immensely proud to see Safeena recognised on TIME’s global stage for a vision that has brought back over 2 million girls to education across rural India. This momentous recognition reinforces the importance of continued partnerships to reach the girls who are still out of education and to support them in staying and succeeding. It is also a reflection of the dedication of our 55,000+ community volunteers, thousands of gender champions, partners and supporters whose commitment makes this work possible.”
The recognition of Safeena Husain and Educate Girls signifies a new milestone in their mission to empower girls through education. This year’s list honours what TIME describes as “leaders who we believe are addressing the most pressing issues confronting women and girls in 2026.” TIME will celebrate the 2026 TIME Women of the Year list at the Women of the Year Leadership Forum and Women of the Year Gala on March 10 in Los Angeles.