Former President Ramon Magsaysay’s birthday falls on August 31. Since 1958, an integral part of the celebration has been the recognition of outstanding Asians and organizations that have shown in their lives Magsaysay’s “greatness of spirit” with their service to the people of Asia. To date, there have been 272 individuals and 18 organizations in 22 Asian countries and territories that have received what most people in Asia refer to as Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.

For 2011, five individuals and one organization have been so honored to receive the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. They are the following:

The Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. or AIDFI has been chosen to receive the 2011 RM Award for spreading the benefit of alternative technologies to upland rural folks. The RM Award is given to AIDFI in recognition of its “collective vision, technological innovations, and partnership practices to make appropriate technologies improve the lives and livelihoods of the rural poor in upland Philippine communities and elsewhere in Asia.”

Engr. Harish Hande of India receives the 2011 RM Award for making solar power work for the poor. His “passionate and pragmatic efforts to put solar power technology in the hands of the poor has not only made possible affordable and sustainable electricity to India’s vast rural populace but also has encouraged them to become asset creators.”

Pah Hasanain Juaini of Indonesia receives the 2011 RM Award for his passionate and dedicated commitment to nurturing women and communities through inclusive education. The Ramon Magsaysay Foundation “recognizes his holistic and community-based approach to pesantren (Islamic boarding school) education in Indonesia, creatively promoting values of gender equality, religious harmony, environmental preservation and civic engagement among young students and their communities.”

Koul Panha of Cambodia receives the 2011 RM Award for “his determined and courageous leadership of the sustained campaign to build an enlightened, organized and vigilant citizenry who will ensure fair and free elections, as well as demand accountable governance in Cambodia’s nascent democracy.” He helped organize the Committee for Free and Fair Elections (COMFREL) and since 1997, COMFREL has become the country’s leading independent organization on electoral issues. Beyond elections, COMFREL lobbies for government reforms through its Parliamentary Watch that monitors government performance.

Tri Mumpuni of Indonesia receives the 2011 RM Award for “harnessing micro hydropower to empower the poor. She has dedicated her life and work to promote micro hydropower technology in bringing electricity and social development to rural Indonesia.”

Nileema Mishra of India receives the 2011 RM Award for her purpose-driven zeal to work tirelessly with villagers in Maharashtra, India. She has organized the village poor to address both their aspirations and their adversities through collective action and heightened confidence in their potential to improve their lives.

The RM Foundation has invited me to be a member of the panel for the lecture of Pah Hasanain Juaini, founder and director of Nurul Haramain Islamic Boarding School for Girls in West Lombok, Indonesia.

Pah Juaini, the man we honor, has seen the years of discrimination against women and thus felt the urgent call to spread the knowledge so that men and women will achieve unity and equality. His life testimony is an articulate witness to building a community where both men and women have equal rights and obligations.

Pah Juaini’s vision of empowering women is based on his religious beliefs and understanding hewed from his spiritual and life system experiences. He articulates his belief that God does not make laws and rules that would differentiate between men and women. By following closely the religious order, he tries to bridge the relationship gap between men and women. Without integrating religion into the vision, the social structure will fail and there will be a wider gap between men and women.

He takes pride in his two family traditions. The first is the humble service to the community and the second is the calling of community teachers.

Pah Juaini’s family history is a testimony of humble service to the community. He is a descendant of Kings of Selaparang, which for the last hundred years had decided to become ordinary people. The Sasak kings did not build palaces and their families lived among common people, and they had taken off all the titles of nobility.

He is from a family of teachers. His grandparents, parents, uncle and aunts are all teachers. So naturally he wanted to be a teacher since he was a child. He never dreamt of becoming any thing but a teacher. That dream has never changed through the years despite his changing life conditions.

Pah Juaini has also turned his school into an axis for community development by engaging local participation on issues of environmental protection, livelihood enhancement, and good governance.