International day of Sport for Development and Peace 2023: Non-profits working towards betterment of sports in India

Sport has the power to change the world; it is a powerful tool to strengthen social ties and encourage positive mindset, peace, solidarity and respect for all.

The 6^th of April every year is observed as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace or International Sports Day, as per the United Nations. This day is celebrated to comprehend the power and significance of sport in promoting peace across nations and erasing the different cultural barriers all over the world.

Theme

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) offers a chance to recognize the positive role played by sports and physical activity in communities and people’s lives across the globe. The global theme for the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2023 is ‘Scoring for People and the Planet’.

On the International day of Sport for Development and Peace 2023, The CSR Journal takes a look into some of the non-profit organisations which have dedicated their work towards the betterment of sports in India and preparing sports stars of tomorrow.

Society for Transformation, Inclusion and Recognition through Sports (STAIRS)

STAIRS is a not-for-profit organisation working towards sports, education, health and skill development of children across India. The organisation ensures youth development through sports. Their aim is to facilitate the process of creating an enabling environment for children to exercise their ‘right to play’ and create a support system to elevate them. STAIRS programmes include training camps, tournaments and championships, thus providing a platform to these children to hone their skills and showcase their talent. Some of the STAIRS beneficiaries are currently playing at the national and international circuits for the country. Their focus is on achieving Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) through sports.

Victory Sports Foundation

Victory Sports Foundation uses sports as a vehicle for social change. This non-profit organisation provides children and youth with the training, mentorship, equipment and nutrition they need to become better sport persons. They are also working to inculcate in children the necessity of incorporating sports into their daily life and transform them into socially responsible citizens by instilling in them values of integrity, discipline and volunteerism.

Sports 4 All is an initiative to promote the concept of sports amongst children from all backgrounds and to engage them in sports; especially football and boxing as a means to fitness. Improving health through sports is the key agenda of this project.

Bridges of Sports

Bengaluru-based nonprofit organisation Bridges of Sports is focussed on making India’s fastest sprinters from the marginalised and socio-economically weak rural communities of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. Bridges of Sports identifies socially and financially backward communities with an inherent inclination, attributes or interest in track athletics. One of them are Indo-African Siddi community based in Uttra Kannada district. Their aim is to develop a hyperlocal athletics ecosystem to produce world class talent in track and field from India.

GoSports Foundation

GoSports Foundation is a non-profit organisation working towards the development of India’s young talents in Olympic and Paralympic disciplines through athlete scholarships and knowledge building programmes. Their mission is to use sports excellence as a vehicle for social change and a tool to improve the lives of individuals, communities and the state of our nation.

Their Board of Advisors boasts of names like former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid , Badminton Champion Pullela Gopichand,  and former physiotherapist of the Indian Cricket Team John Gloster as their Head of Sports Science.

OSCAR Foundation

Headquartered in Mumbai, ORGANISATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AWARENESS AND RESPONSIBILITY (OSCAR) is a community based Sports for Development (S4D) organisation. OSCAR Foundation is using the power of football to encourage children to continue their education and equip them with skills to make them resilient and future ready. Their purpose is to develop sports, quality education and leadership skills among the underprivileged children in India. Through their Football, Education and Young Leader programmes, OSCAR Foundation has empowered 14,000 children and youth in low-income communities in India since 2010.

Khel Khel Mein Foundation

Based in Delhi, Khel Khel Mein Foundation (KKMF) started as a Teach for India Fellow-led initiative to expose children from low-income communities to sports back in 2013. Over the years, KKMF was registered as a charitable trust which aims to transform the grassroots sports culture in India. The organisation is working to engage with the public education system and communities directly. KKMF has worked with over 10000 children across 80 schools through their various programmes. Some of their popular programmes include Community transformation program, KKM League, Himalayan School Programme and Mentorship Programme.

SBI Foundation

The three pioneering sports programmes of SBI Foundation are aligned with a vision to nurture and strengthen the evolution of sports across India. These programmes are aimed to prepare athletes for both local and international competitions to the best of their abilities.

Para Athlete Grant Program

SBI Foundation supports para-athletes by providing them athlete grant, nutrition allowance, specialised coaching, and customised equipment. The purpose is to boost the future of Paralympic Sports in India through this program, in partnership with the Paralympic Committee of India.

STEAM Scholarship

The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Analytics and Medicine) Scholarship is a program for grassroot athletes of various sports in Bengaluru and Pune, granting them full access to sports science facilities and providing them customized sport-specific routines based on their goals in consultation with their coaches. This program is in partnership with the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust.

Annual Athlete Support Under the Olympic Development Program

SBI Foundation in partnership with the Karnam Malleswari Foundation is supporting five grassroot weightlifters under the residential Olympic Development Program. The program ensures the holistic development of the athletes by focusing on training, nutrition, diet, infrastructure, skill development and capacity building.

Reliance Foundation

Reliance Foundation’s Sports for Development platform nurtures sporting talents from across India at the grassroots stage and help them grow into high performers through various programmes.

Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS)

Started in 2016, Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) aims to develop sports in schools and colleges. This is being done through inter-institutional competitions at all levels, scholarships for athletes, grants to institutions for sporting infrastructure as well as provisions for equipment and training of coaches.

Reliance Foundation Young Champs

Started in 2015, Reliance Foundation Young Champs is a football academy that runs a full-scholarship based residency programme to help nurture young talents in India. Every year talent is scouted and new players are inducted into the academy. Graduates of the academy have been selected to play for professional clubs.

Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA

The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA initiative aims to tap India’s basketball talent by identifying and supporting development of players during the school years. Since its inception in 2013, the programme has engaged with youth from 13,500 schools nationwide. They have also trained physical education instructors.

Reliance Foundation Olympics initiative

The Reliance Foundation Olympics initiative began in 2019 with an aim to improve the country’s performance at Olympics and other prestigious international events. Reliance Foundation has partnered with the Odisha Government for operation of a High Performance Center for Athletics in Bhubaneswar (HPC) with the objective to develop athletics in the state.