Recent leavers Rebecca Nicholson and Anna Wateridge (2022 Leavers), are going to Mumbai in January, to support the OSCAR Foundation.

As Rebecca says, 'we are going to Mumbai, India for a month to volunteer at OSCAR International, which is a UK registered charity that works closely with its partner in India, the OSCAR Foundation. The OSCAR Foundation is a community based Sports for Development (S4D) and provides various resources to further support the children.

The OSCAR Foundation, founded in 2006, is a community based Sports for Development (S4D) Charity that:

• Uses the power of sport to encourage children from the poorest backgrounds in India to stay in school and further equips them with skills such as resilience to become future ready.
• Underprivileged children are empowered with life skills to take responsibility for the development of their communities.
• Works to destroy the poverty cycle. 
• Through football, Education, and Young Leader programmes OSCAR has empowered over 14,000 children and youth in low-income communities of India since 2010. 

In my role as a volunteer, I will be:

• Helping teach and develop life skills
• Teach sports, such as football which encourages teamwork, communication, and confidence in oneself (“Sports for Development”)
• Generally helping out wherever I am needed within the organisation 

Before I leave to volunteer in January 2024, my goal is to raise a minimum of £1,500 for OSCAR International. These funds will help further support this amazing charity and continue to give opportunities for these severely disadvantaged children to have a better life. Key examples of how the foundation will use these funds include £50 to purchase a bicycle for two children to share to get to school and programmes (many travel walking 10 km or more); hearing aids, glasses, and medical support for those children with disabilities.

I have created a JustGiving page and would be very grateful for any donations to help me achieve this goal. I will be documenting my time in India on my shared Instagram with the friend I am travelling with, Anna Wateridge, and hope you will support and follow us on this adventure!'

Good luck to Rebecca & Anna and we look forward to hearing more about their work!.