Doha, Qatar: Safeena Husain, an advocate for education in India, has been honored with the 2023 WISE Prize for her unwavering commitment to empowering communities for girls' education in some of India's most challenging villages.
Her Highness Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, presented the award to Safeena Husain, the Founder and Board Member of Educate Girls, during the 11th World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha.
The WISE Prize for Education is a unique global award that recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to education.
Upon receiving the WISE Prize for Education, Husain stated, “I am honored to accept the WISE Prize for Education on behalf of the millions of girls in India. This award is a collective win for all of us working towards girls’ education - the government, the communities, and our supporters. It is a testament to the array of initiatives that are actively addressing this global challenge, embracing grassroots innovations and technology-driven solutions that are tirelessly working to ensure that every girl, in every village, is in school and learning well.”
Her association with WISE began in 2014 when Educate Girls received a WISE Award, acknowledging its commendable social impact and scalability. Over the years, Educate Girls has successfully facilitated the enrollment of more than 1.4 million girls and provided support in the learning journey of over 1.9 million children in India. Leveraging the power of AI through a precision targeting method, Educate Girls can achieve in five years what would otherwise take 45 years – reaching the same number of out-of-school girls. Operating through a network of over 21,000 community-based champions situated in some of the most marginalized communities, the organization is dedicated to disrupting the intergenerational cycle of inequality and exclusion.
Educate Girls has evolved into a leading global force, harnessing innovative financing and AI technology to bridge the gender gap in education.
“AI can help us find the most vulnerable girls faster, and help us deliver quality education at scale while the human touch remains the indispensable element on the frontline,” said Husain.
She added, “...Girls’ education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet to solve some of the world’s most complex problems. We must recognize that the right to education is a girl’s inherent right – a right that must always take centre stage.”