Childrens Charity, India
By Katharine Giffard-Lindsay
I first met Lucinda and Ashok 8 years ago during the first OSCAR Foundation boys football tour in 2017. Passionate and inspiring, they spoke about their work to empower marginalised children through football and education and it’s been fantastic to watch OSCAR grow over the years along with their alumni.
That first meeting planted a seed. I wanted to learn more and get involved in some way. Maybe even collaborate with the OSCAR Foundation through Global Action, the school trip company I co-founded with my husband Mark, in 2012. The Global Action programme is all about education too, education for global citizens, with learning focussed around real-life development solutions that inspire beyond the curriculum.
I believe so wholeheartedly in what the team at OSCAR are doing, I asked to sponsor a child. Priti, my first sponsee from all those years ago, is now studying for an MBA at Cranfield University. Accompanied by Sunita Rathod, Head of OSCAR’s Child Sponsorship programme, we finally met in person in Mumbai in 2024, so now she has graduated from OSCAR it was my turn to show her my home this spring on a rare weekend when she wasn’t studying for an exam or finishing a dissertation!
I even joined a couple of her video calls to her mother in Mumbai and sister Priya, who’s also OSCAR alumni and was playing for the Aspire Football Club team in a WIFA tournament in Goa. Although pursuing very different career paths, both sisters are the embodiment of the power of education, positive attitude, and the ability of sport to empower youth.
Global Action is so excited to be working with our first school team travelling to Mumbai next year. Click here to learn more. The programme offers students a chance to learn about community driven development, urbanisation, gender, life skills and the UN Sustainable Development Goals in action from the perspective of two education NGOs. It’s a unique opportunity to learn through hands on workshops with impactful local organisations in different parts of Mumbai, explore the city’s rich heritage and perhaps a chance for a football skills upgrade! We feel very lucky to be able to spend time with the OSCAR kids and young leaders in their community – who knows how things might develop over the next 8 years!
I really believe in the power of child sponsorship when it’s through an organisation as effective as OSCAR Foundation. Please consider sponsoring – your regular support would ensure there’s a life-changing opportunity for a marginalised young person with little or no access to education. As Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” So, let’s change the world!
Sponsoring an OSCAR child costs just 80p a day or £25.00 per month. Curious to learn more?
Sponsorship
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