Educate Girls ‘rings the bell’ as India’s 1st NGO focused on girls’ education to get listed on the Social Stock Exchange

The event was hosted by the National Stock Exchange under the leadership of Shri Ashishkumar Chauhan, Managing Director & CEO, National Stock Exchange (NSE), and attended by Dr. Harish Ahuja, Head, Sustainability, Products & Strategy Development (Carbon & Power Markets), Investor awareness/Service, Primary Markets Relationships, National Stock Exchange (NSE), and Gayatri Nair Lobo, CEO, A.T.E. Chandra Foundation

Mumbai, India – May 15, 2024 – In a pioneering step towards bridging the gender gap in education in India, Educate Girls, a leading non-profit organisation, announced its listing on the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) of the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Marked by a bell-ringing ceremony, the event distinguished Educate Girls as the first organisation dedicated to girls’ education to be listed on the SSE. Educate Girls is among the first 10 NGOs listed on this innovative platform, alongside SGBS Unnati Foundation, Ekalavya Foundation, and Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, who have also embraced the SSE to further their missions.

Preceding the listing was the successful issue of Educate Girls’ Zero-Coupon Zero-Principal (ZCZP) bonds. These ZCZP bonds aimed to raise funds to mobilise over 7,000 marginalised children for enrolment, retention, and enhance learning outcomes in foundational literacy and numeracy in some of the most remote, rural, and educationally backward villages of Bahraich district, in northeastern Uttar Pradesh at the Indo-Nepal border.

The bell-ringing ceremony witnessed the participation of supporters of girls’ education. Notable supporters include EdelGive Foundation, Zerodha, and A.T.E. Chandra Foundation. The event was attended by Dr Harish Ahuja, Head, Sustainability, Products & Strategy Development (Carbon & Power Markets), Investor awareness/Service, Primary Markets Relationships, National Stock Exchange (NSE) who congratulated Educate Girls and the entire team. He appreciated the innovative use of technology and predictive algorithms by Educate Girls for social impact.

“A listing on the Social Stock Exchange is a significant milestone, not just for Educate Girls, but for every girl fighting for her right to education. With the SSE listing, we are setting a precedent that opens many doors for focused investments towards creating gender equality in education. We are immensely proud to be at the heart of carving out the path towards an equitable future,” said Safeena Husain, Founder and Board Member, Educate Girls.

“The SSE initiative is an innovative financial avenue endorsed by the Honourable Finance Minister, aimed at connecting social enterprises with impact investors. We are excited to be one of the first 10 NGOs to be listed in this initiative, which unlocks new possibilities for nation building. The introduction of Educate Girls into this network reflects a maturing ecosystem that values social returns on investment, setting a benchmark for future listings,” said Maharshi Vaishnav, CEO of Educate Girls.

As Educate Girls continues to champion the cause of accessible education for all girls, this listing on the SSE is a call to action for investors and policymakers to view education through a lens of sustainability and social impact. The success of this initiative is a testament to what can be achieved when innovation is harnessed to serve humanity’s most pressing needs.