Ekal was awarded the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize by the Government of India for its efforts in the area of education and women empowerment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Ekal for this accomplishment. "Education is a strong means to empowerment and Ekal Abhiyan Trust is working in remote areas, so that children from tribal families get the opportunity to study. Their role in furthering women empowerment is laudatory. Congratulations to them for winning the Gandhi Peace Prize" said the Prime Minister.   The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mahatma Gandhi, is awarded by the Government of India to individuals and institutions for their contribution towards social, political and economic transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.

The jury under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and comprising of Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the Chief Justice of India; Smt Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker of Lok Sabha; Shri Mallikarjuna Kharge, Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha; Shri L.K. Advani, Member of Parliament unitedly announced the award. The award is an annual prize but no winner had been conferred the honor since 2014. The announcement of the award on January 16th encompassed 2015-2018. The award was instituted in 1995 during the commemoration of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It carries an award of Rs one crore along with a citation and plaque. Previous winners of the Gandhi Peace Prize include Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Vaclav Havel, Ramakrishna Mission and other venerable individuals and organizations.

The volunteers of Ekal thank their supporters for making a great impact. 

Ekal Vidyalaya is an organization that runs over 80000 single teacher schools in remote rural villages in India. The focus of the organization is the holistic development of the villages. In addition to running schools, the organization also works to provide health services and skill training for women and youth. To learn more about Ekal please check out their website at http://ekal.org