Anita Bhalla

Indian social entrepreneur who pioneered inclusive education systems for marginalized children through her nonprofit 'Breakthrough'

Anita Bhalla is a transformative education leader whose work has created pathways for over 500,000 underprivileged Indian children. Born in 1975 in Mumbai, she identified systemic inequities in India's education system early in her career as a corporate lawyer. In 2002, she co-founded Breakthrough, an organization addressing gender-based violence and educational access through innovative programs.

Bhalla's flagship Education for All initiative developed India's first scalable model for educating children from red-light districts and migrant worker communities. Her team created multilingual learning materials and trained local women as educators, establishing 200+ community learning centers. The program's success led to government partnerships, with 15 states adopting its curriculum.

In 2015, she launched Girls First, a mentorship program that uses digital platforms to connect urban professionals with rural girls. This initiative has increased school retention rates by 65% in participating regions. Bhalla also pioneered India's first Education Guarantee Scheme, ensuring legal rights to education for marginalized children.

Her advocacy includes founding the India Education Hub, a coalition of 500+ NGOs sharing best practices. Bhalla's TEDx talk "Education is the Great Equality" inspired global replication of her models in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Recipient of the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award - Asia's highest honor - Bhalla's work demonstrates how systemic change requires both grassroots innovation and policy engagement. Her current focus on Education for Climate Action trains youth to address environmental challenges through education.