India, Sept. 2 -- An interruption of about three years in her education after Class 12 made Safeena Husain (54) realise how that affected her confidence. Years later, she became the first person in her family to pursue her undergraduate studies overseas at the London School of Economics (LSE). On Sunday, 18 years after she founded Educate Girls, it became the first Indian non-profit to win the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, a journey that Husain describes as "incredible".

"Because of a lot of difficulties in my childhood, my own education was interrupted," said Husain. "So, I know how an out-of-school girl feels when your friends move ahead and you are sitting at home. You have no self-esteem or confidence left in yourself. The shame...