Real Hero: Ashoka Rathod - Education through football

Ashok lives with his family in one of Mumbai’s largest slums, Babasaheb Ambedkar
Nagar Colony in Cuffe Parade. He grew up watching many of his childhood friends
take to drugs and alcohol after dropping out of school. Hoping that the responsibility of starting a family will change their sons’ behavior, the families of these boys marry them off.

Ashok, 22, was determined to ensure that other younger dropouts would not follow
the same pattern. He launched “Oscar,” a Venture that teaches life skills and values
to dropouts using football. Participants are required to attend informal educational
classes twice a week where they learn math, Hindi, and basic English, all while learning how to make healthy decisions. If the participant is currently enrolled in school, he must be passing all his classes to play football. Aside from working with these young people, Oscar engages parents in the program to increase awareness and participation. Because many parents do not believe education should be a priority for their children, Oscar facilitates conversations between parents and educators. During these discussions, educators address the concerns of the parents and explain
the importance of schooling.

Ashok was recently recognized as one of CNN IBN‘s 2009 “Real Heroes.”

Read more about him at http://www.oscarfoundation.com/