The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) awarded an Honorary Doctorate to Safeena Husain, Founder of Educate Girls, in recognition of her exceptional contribution to girls' education in India.

Educate Girls, a nonprofit organisation founded in 2007, is dedicated to expanding access to girls’ education in India’s underserved villages. Under Safeena’s leadership, the organisation has mobilised over 1.8 million girls for school enrolment and provided remedial learning support to 2.2 million students through the efforts of nearly 20,000 community-based gender advocates in India’s most marginalised communities.

LSE reserves Honorary Doctorates for individuals who have demonstrated significant achievements in scholarship or public service. Safeena’s innovative approach, combining door-to-door engagement with advanced analytics and technologies, has propelled Educate Girls to the forefront of global development. The organisation has garnered numerous accolades, including the NITI Aayog Women Transforming India Award and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. It has also received recognition from the World Bank, USAID, and King Charles.

Most recently, in 2023, Safeena became the first Indian woman to be named a WISE Laureate, one of the most prestigious awards in the global education landscape. This honour recognises her unwavering commitment to girls’ empowerment through education and her efforts to expand her organisation’s reach.

“I have experienced the power of education, and my education has made me who I am today,” Safeena said. “I truly believe that we women will not be equal unless that last girl has equality. That is why we have to ensure that every girl accesses her right to an education.’’

Safeena expressed her gratitude for the honour and recognition and revealed her organisation's ambitious plan to improve access to education for girls. “Education is a girl’s fundamental human right and a powerful catalyst for change, positively impacting issues like child marriage, poverty, health, and climate change. It influences nine out of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. Given the size of the challenge today, our goal is to enhance access to quality education for 10 million learners within the next 10 years.”

The honorary doctorate ceremony took place at LSE on 29 May, featuring opening remarks from LSE President Larry Kramer and oration by Professor Stephan Chambers, Director and Professor in Practice at the Marshall Institute, the home of 100x Impact Accelerator.

Larry said: “Safeena Husain is a champion for the pressing cause of girls’ education and a pioneering social entrepreneur – in the language of LSE’s 100x Accelerator, she has built a “social unicorn,” or an enterprise that, through its combination of technical innovation and cultural intelligence, is making a significant positive impact on society on a massive scale. LSE could not be prouder of her, both as an alum and as a humanitarian fulfilling the promise of our School’s mission.”