Safeena Husain


Safeena Husain, an active social worker, is the founder and Executive Director at Educate Girls – a non-profit organisation that is headquartered in Mumbai, India. It focusses on mobilising communities for girls’ education in India’s rural and educationally backward areas. Under her leadership, Educate Girls’ launched world’s first Development Impact Bond in education which on its completion in 2018 surpassed both its target outcomes.

Early life and education

Safeena graduated from the London School of Economics and has worked in the development sector with both rural and urban under-served communities around the world. From 1997 to 2004, she was the Executive Director for Child Family Health International in San Francisco, CA USA, managing and supporting a range of development programs in the area of health. Safeena was also Board Chair of the International Development Exchange. in San Francisco, a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable solutions to counter poverty in Africa, Asia & Latin America.

Recognition & Awards

In 2011, she was elected one of the Asia 21 Young Leaders by the Asia Society. She is a Rainer Arnhold Fellow and was featured as a speaker at a TEDxASB event on the subject of "Rejuvenating Government Schools in India for Girls' Education". She was also featured as a Times Now "Amazing Indian"