Mothers of Courage Wins 2026 UN SDG Award for Girls’ Education Campaign

The news

Mothers of Courage, a documentary on a women-led grassroots movement for girls’ education in rural India, has won the 2026 UN SDG Action Award in the Creativity category. The award was presented at the Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony in Rome on 29 October 2026. The documentary was selected from more than 7,000 applications representing 190 countries and territories.

The documentary is part of Shikshagraha, a national movement to strengthen public education championed by Infosys Co-founder and former CEO S. D. Shibulal. It tells the stories of women challenging social norms that prevent girls from continuing their education, including mothers advocating for their daughters and supporting daughters-in-law to return to school. At the heart of the movement in rural Bihar are Shiksha Chaupals, community gatherings where residents discuss barriers such as child marriage. Since October 2024, more than 51,078 Shiksha Chaupals have been held across rural India, and the initiative has mobilised more than 1.19 million citizens.

What are the UN SDG Action Awards?

The UN SDG Action Awards are a global programme that recognises initiatives and individuals mobilising action for the Sustainable Development Goals. The awards were launched in 2018 by the UN SDG Action Campaign, a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Creativity category, in which Mothers of Courage won, honours campaigns that use creative communication to inspire change and shift public behaviour. The awards ceremony is typically held alongside major UN events, with past ceremonies taking place in Bonn, Germany, and other global venues. The Sustainable Development Goals themselves were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with Goal 4 specifically calling for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. A comparable global recognition is the UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education, established in 2015, which honours outstanding contributions to advancing female education.

What is Shikshagraha and how does it work?

Shikshagraha is a national movement to strengthen public education, championed by Infosys co-founder S. D. Shibulal. The movement uses Shiksha Chaupals, community gatherings where mothers and residents discuss barriers to girls’ education, including child marriage, and make collective commitments to keep girls in school. The documentary Mothers of Courage documents these conversations and the resolve of women challenging convention.

What has the movement achieved and what remains to be seen?

The initiative has mobilised more than 1.19 million citizens and held over 51,078 Shiksha Chaupals since October 2024. These figures describe mobilisation and meetings, not verified educational outcomes. Community discussions can turn individual concerns into collective commitments, but sustained coordination among governments, civil society, communities and philanthropy is needed to improve girls’ education. Tracking school retention and supporting women who wish to return to education would help distinguish participation in meetings from lasting changes in access and completion.