According to the statistics, India has over 3 Million NGOs [Non-Governmental Organisations] that are working across diverse sectors towards the betterment of society & effect social change.

OSCAR Foundation ranks among very renowned organizations in India working towards the empowerment of children from underprivileged communities through sports. In some societies, Sports are often considered to be a distraction from education for kids, but OSCAR Foundation has set an example by making sports, an accelerator to boost education among underprivileged children.

Here is a sneak peek into the idea & the work of the OSCAR Foundation and the change it has brought about in India thus far:

About Oscar Foundation

OSCAR Foundation [Organisation for Social Change, Awareness, and Responsibility] is a non-profit organization based out of Mumbai in India.

Founded by Mr. Ashok Shankar Rathod in 2010, OSCAR is a community-based 'Sports for Development' organization that uses Football to boost education and skills among children from low-income families in India.

Oscar Foundation's Work:

OSCAR Foundation works with those sections of societies wherein the dropout rate among school kids is very high. Oscar then uses Football as a medium to encourage children to stay in school or rejoin in many cases.

They also use this power of love towards the game to equip those kids with life skills such as resilience, patience, future readiness, team spirit, the importance of socializing & collaborative skills.

How does OSCAR Foundation do it?

OSCAR Foundation accomplishes the above goals through some of its key programmes such as:

Football Programme

OSCAR uses a sport like football to capture the attention and spark interest among children from low-income families and enroll them into the programme.

Once the kids enroll, they learn football and are imparted with life skills through it throughout the period of engagement. The OSCAR team has extensively worked on developing an in-house curriculum that helps in achieving the objective of 'all-round development of an individual'. The curriculum is delivered by AIFF D-License coaches.

Education Programme

OSCAR Foundation has set up Digital Learning Centres [DLCs] to provide access to computers to these underprivileged kids, thereby promoting digital literacy and bridging the digital divide too. The children not only get access to free resources on the internet but also to the courses & certification programmes from reputed training organizations like NIIT.

Young Leaders Programme

Naturally, the ever-expanding work of OSCAR and its vision to empower more and more underprivileged children through its programmes, requires many responsible people who share the vision. Hence, through the Young Leaders Programme, OSCAR identifies youth from low-income communities, including past beneficiaries at OSCAR and trains them to become coaches and carry the baton of this vision to newer regions & heights.

Policies & Benefits

To encourage children to attend their school regularly, OSCAR follows ‘No School, No Football’ policy. It implies that the children who miss their regular school classes will not be allowed to play football. The children who, by then, would have fallen in love with the game wouldn't want to miss the playtime. Hence, this policy motivates the children to complete their educational requirements, thereby reducing the dropout rate.

Through football, the children learn are taught the life skills like:

• Empathy,
• Communication Skills,
• Problem Solving,
• Creative Thinking,
• and Interpersonal Skills among others..

These life skills, if you may agree, are some of the most required life skills to live a fulfilling & successful life. Hence, one could say that OSCAR Foundation is preparing these kids to be future-ready & by virtue of example inspiring them to become change-makers in society as they grow up.

Oscar Foundation's Impact:

Since its inception in 2010, OSCAR Foundation, led by an inspirational figure like Mr. Ashok Shankar Rathod has empowered more than 14,000 kids & youth in various low-income communities in India.

If that doesn't inspire you enough, here are some more statistics that would leave you awestruck:

1. They have trained more than 104 Young Leaders through their Young Leaders Programme to become coaches.

2. 107 children from their programmes have traveled to other countries for tournaments & exposure visits like the UK, Spain, and Denmark.

3. Through their initiative ‘Kick like a girl’, they have bridged the gender divide in many slum communities (by creating & training all-girls football teams).

4. In 2019, their girls’ team won the prestigious Dana Cup Tournament held in Denmark.

5. 100% of kids who are enrolled with OSCAR Foundation have completed their primary education, and 86% pursued higher secondary education.

6. Out of their 107 Young Leaders, 80% of them have completed their Graduation.

Conclusion

OSCAR Foundation’s sharp focus on its vision to empower children in underprivileged communities has created a deep-rooted & lasting impact in all the communities they have worked with so far. It has played a pivotal role in empowering and showcasing the potential of that stratum of society which, otherwise, was generally neglected. Like they say it "OSCAR ke bacche, sabse acche..!"

Image Credits:
Image 1: Oscar International
Image 2: EkhartYoga Image 3: MumbaiLive