Pratham Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Madhav Chavan named 2014 Asia Game Changer by Asia Society

WASHINGTON - Oct. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- Prathamhas announced that Dr. MadhavChavanwas named by Asia Society as a 2014 Asia Game Changer. The award recognizes those making a transformative and positive difference for the future of Asia and the world.

Dr. Chavanwas recognized for bringing the gift of literacy to millions of Indians.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the Asia Society, especially alongside the luminaries this year," said Dr. Chavan. “More importantly, I hope that this sheds more light on our ongoing pursuit to bring quality education to every child in India."

"The Asia Game Changer Awards are designed to fill a glaring gap—a lack of recognition of people who are transforming ideas into action and improving lives in Asia," said Asia Society President Josette Sheeran. "Our inaugural honorees represent an extraordinary range of geography and achievement. What they share in common are vision, passion and proven impact, wherever and however they happen to be changing the world."

Honorees were selected based on input from Asia Society's global network. The other 2014 Awardees are:

·        Game Changer of the Year Jack Ma, Chairman, Alibaba Group, For history-making business and philanthropy in China

·        Shigeru Ban, Founder, Shigeru Ban Architects, For finding beauty, and hope, in the landscapes of disaster

·        Illac Diaz, Founder, MyShelter Foundation and Liter of Light, For bringing light, literally, to so many lives

·        Fashion Girls for Humanity, For demonstrating that 'looking good' and 'doing good' can be one and the same

·        Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Minister and Senior Advisor to the Indonesian President, For providing a brilliant blueprint for responding to disaster

·        SaadMohseni, Chairman, MOBY Group, For bringing news, information and entertainment to a barren landscape

·        Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO, Acumen, For changing the way the world tackles poverty

·        SharmeenObaid-Chinoy, Founder, SOC Films and President, The Citizens Archive of Pakistan, For eye-opening films that give voice to the voiceless

·        Playing for Change, For using the power of music to spread a global message of hope

·        Pawan Sinha, Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, For a truly visionary approach to treating India’s blind

·        Malala Yousafzai, Education activist, For continuing to dream, and fight for girls the world over, after living a nightmare

·        Zhang Minxuan, Professor, Shanghai Normal University, For leveling the playing field by providing quality education to millions in China

The honorees will attend the Asia Game Changer Awards Dinner and Celebration at the United Nations on October 16, 2014. Jack Ma, named Asia Game Changer of the Year, will give an address at the gathering. The evening will also feature a special video address from Malala Yousafzaiand a live performance by Playing For Change.

For more information about the Awards Dinner and Celebration on October 16 and about the awardees, including bios, please visit AsiaSociety.org/GameChangers (http://asiasociety.org/asia-game-changers).

About Pratham

Founded in 1995 to ensure that every child is in school and learning well, Pratham is now one of the largest non-governmental organizations in India's education sector. Pratham employs low-cost, scalable methods and works in partnership with government and community stakeholders to deliver quality education to underprivileged children in communities across India. In 2013-14, Pratham reached nearly 5 million children, adolescents and young adults through a range of programs in 20 of the 29 Indian states.

Pratham USA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a four-star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, accepts tax deductible contributions from US donors to improve the quality of education in India. For more information, visit prathamusa.org.

About the Asia Society
Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Asia Society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future.

Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution with headquarters in New York (http://asiasociety.org/new-york), major centers in Hong Kong and Houston (http://asiasociety.org/texas), and offices inLos Angeles (http://asiasociety.org/centers/southern-california),Manila (http://asiasociety.org/centers/philippines), Mumbai (http://asiasociety.org/centers/india), San Francisco (http://asiasociety.org/centers/northern-california),Seoul (http://asiasociety.org/centers/korea), Shanghai (http://asiasociety.org/centers/shanghai),Sydney (http://asiasociety.org/centers/australia), and Washington, DC. (http://asiasociety.org/centers/washington-dc)

Contact:
Anuja Butala
Communications Manager, Pratham
abutala@prathamusa.org
Phone: 646-593-1404