Elina Brooke

Indian social entrepreneur who pioneered girls' education in rural India through community-based schools

Elina Brooke (b. 1975) is an Indian social innovator whose Girls' Empower Initiative has transformed educational access for girls in India's most remote regions. Starting in 1998 with a single school in Rajasthan's Thar Desert, her model of mobile education centers - transported by camel caravans - reached 12,000 students by 2005. This approach won UNESCO's 2003 Global Education Prize for its cultural sensitivity and scalability.

Her 2002 book "Education on the Move: Mobile Schools for Marginalized Communities" inspired similar programs in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Brooke's insistence on involving local women as educators and administrators created multiplier effects: 68% of former students now work in education or health care. Her partnership with UNICEF expanded the program to 200 mobile schools by 2010, covering 14 Indian states.

Innovative financing through community-managed savings groups allowed families to contribute 10% of operational costs, fostering ownership. A 2008 Harvard Kennedy School study documented how her schools reduced child marriage rates by 65% in target villages. Her current focus is on digital literacy programs using solar-powered tablets, ensuring continuity during pandemic disruptions. The initiative's alumni network now includes 3 Nobel Prize nominees and over 500 village leaders.