LSE alumna honoured as TIME Woman of the Year

LSE alumna and honorary doctor Safeena Husain has been named a TIME Woman of the Year, recognising her work as the founder of Educate Girls, a Mumbai-based non-profit that has helped more than 2 million girls in some of India’s most remote villages get back into the classroom.

Having grown up facing poverty and disrupted schooling, Safeena returned to India after working in the U.S. non-profit sector to focus on girls excluded from education. Through storytelling and advocacy, she highlights systemic gender barriers, aiming to expand Educate Girls’ reach to 10 million students by 2035 and draw attention to the 133 million girls worldwide still out of school.

Commenting on the accolade, Safeena said: "I am honoured to be named alongside such trailblazing leaders on the TIME Women of the Year 2026 list. This recognition brings much-needed attention to India's grassroots movement for girls' education and spotlights our girls and their grit, resilience, and determination to shape their own futures. It strengthens our resolve to reach ten million more by 2035 and ensure every last girl has voice, choice, and agency. It doesn’t surprise me that LSE has two alumni this year on the TIME list, both working with and for girls - and I congratulate Mahnoor too!"

A graduate of Economic History class of 1995, Safeena reflected on her time at LSE, adding: "My time at LSE was truly formative. The education I received there gave me the intellectual rigour and the confidence to ask hard questions and pursue ambitious answers. This changed the trajectory of my life. Those are exactly the tools you need when you are trying to break the barriers that keep girls out of education."

Read the TIME article here.