Growing up in India, Safeena Husain, the founder of Educate Girls, was always encouraged by her father to follow her own path. This led her to study in London before taking a job with a startup in Silicon Valley and then quitting that to pursue her “calling” in life and work in community-based global development.
In 2004, after 10 years working with underserved communities in South America, Africa, and Asia, Husain returned to India. While she was aware of the opportunities, achievements, and skills afforded to her by her education, a trip to a rural village to set up a clinic with her father reminded her that this is not the case for all girls. During that trip, Husain saw how the women in the village pitied her father for having only a daughter.
“This incident stayed with me for several days,” Husain said, “and I could not hold myself from thinking about the other girls living in such communities who are often seen as a liability and a burden.” It was then that she decided to start a program that could “challenge the patriarchal attitudes that deny girls equal opportunities in life, a program that gave them their right to a quality education.”
About the author
Emma Smith
For four years, Emma Smith covered careers and recruitment, among other topics, for Devex. She now freelances for Devex and has a special interest in mental health, immigration, and sexual and reproductive health. She holds a degree in journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University and a master’s in media and international conflict.
