Your donation equips children with leadership skills to overcome poverty and shape their future.
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Today, over 800 million children in economically and socially difficult situations do not have the opportunity to develop essential skills and qualities like problem solving, collaboration and communication, values and principles, and gender equality. This critical gap where these children are not equipped to become responsible and employable citizens is leading to a crisis in our future society since it does not allow them to work themselves out of the cycle of poverty. (United Nations recognizes this crisis in the form of needing to develop global citizenship skills under Sustainable Development Goal # 4 of providing inclusive and equitable quality education.)
Across employers, work-readiness of youth is seen as the most important area that needs urgent attention. Key competencies that youth lack include communication skills, professionalism, confidence, interpersonal skills to work in diverse teams, innovation, and conceptual understanding of problems. Employers note the biggest obstacle is not that jobs are not available but that candidates are not work-ready. With a very large % of youth, the largest workforce by 2027 will be in India, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The above gaps are more exaggerated for youth from low-income backgrounds whose parents or schools cannot guide them in their education/career choices.
Enabling Leadership works with 11-15-year-old children from underprivileged backgrounds and through creative and innovative programs (that use Football and Lego), inculcates these essential and critical skills that are indispensable to becoming productive and responsible adults and eventually working themselves out of intergenerational poverty. Each program is carefully designed to enable children to collaborate, reflect on and connect first-hand experiences and learnings from the classroom or playground with their real lives.
Evidence proves that education can lead to improved human development indices like improved health, reduced poverty and child mortality.
But what enables individuals to make ‘right’ choices – ones that take responsibility for improving our combined futures? This is at the heart of our theory of change.
And we believe that strong leadership skills are vital to creating choices as well as making the right choices.
Enabling Leadership Build (EL Build) is an innovative play-based program designed to build curiosity in STEAM concepts and develop essential life skills, positive mindsets and behaviours leading to lasting success in students in under-resourced schools across India & Cambodia. A key focus area of the program is breaking gender stereotypes, encouraging girls to take interest in STEAM understanding as well as providing a safe environment for girls and boys to problem solve together in mixed-gender teams.
The EL Play program works in government & low-income schools to help children garner multiple benefits of leadership development using football as a medium. The program uses the power of team sports and a unique mixed-gender format to develop essential Life skills. The curriculum combines life skills with mixed-gender football drills, and participation in a proprietary regional and national-level national league.
Enabling Leadership Play (EL Play) uses the powerful medium of mixed-gender football to develop critical leadership skills and mindsets in children from low-income communities. Through structured coaching, mixed-gender league matches, and reflective team huddles, every child learns to communicate, collaborate, and lead with empathy and discipline.
EL Create is Enabling Leadership’s powerful music-based leadership program that helps children discover confidence, creativity, identity, and expression through group-based music learning. In schools where self-expression is often limited and children are told their voices don’t matter, EL Create opens a brave new space — where they sing, write,
A unique framework on leadership underpins each of our program, setting competencies in skills including problem solving, creativity, analytical thinking, collaboration, communication, ethics, action and accountability. Our carefully designed programs in music, football and Lego enable children to learn these valuable leadership skills.
STRONG BELIEF SYSTEMS
BELIEF IN OTHERS
BELIEF IN VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
CREATIVE THINKING
CRITICAL THINKING
RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACTION
FOR SELF
FOR COMMUNITY
FOR WORLD
India – Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Dharwad, Kumta, Satana & Pollachi
Cambodia – Battambang
Kenya – Nairobi & Kericho
Singapore
Jay works in the technology industry in Silicon Valley California and builds enterprise technology products. Graduated from IIT Madras and IIM Calcutta and believes it’s the duty of every person to make the world a better place for many generations to come in as many ways possible, big and small. Sound education at the school level in a safe and fun learning environment is fundamental and foundational to build human character and individuals with self confidence, creativity and empathy for the 21st century and beyond! He is working with the Enabling Leadership team to put those beliefs into practice.
Balaji is a seasoned supply chain professional with 25+ years’ experience working in industry and as a management consultant. He has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from University of Chicago. He is passionate about the idea of making a difference by giving the next generation the opportunity to grow and flourish.
With over 15 years of experience in product management, marketing, and customer loyalty, Shikha is a strategic leader who has worked in the U.S., India, and Japan; leading initiatives that scale businesses and foster innovation. Currently, Shikha leads the expansion of Amazon Pay, driving partnerships, strategy, and product development. Shikha is deeply committed to Enabling Leadership’s cause, and as a member of the board, is helping develop initiatives and build high-performing teams that will enable the organization reach its goals, creating meaningful and lasting impact in the community.
Srini is an entrepreneur with over 24 years of corporate experience, and is currently a Senior Managing Principal at Salas O’Brien, a design engineering firm. Srini loves mentoring entrepreneurs and is currently on the Board of the Texas A&M University McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship. He is also passionate about supporting underprivileged kids and is a strong believer in providing them the necessary leadership skills and nurturing their growth into responsible citizens and future leaders. Srini earned both his MS and PhD degrees from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.
Xingchun is a seasoned Strategy & Investment professional with a proven track record in driving sustainable business expansion and turnarounds globally. She has served as a Board Member and held leadership roles at leading global firms such as Bain Capital, Boston Consulting Group, LVMH, and PPCL (Power Group of Canada).
Committed to development and impact investment, Xingchun has extensive experience in emerging economies such as India and China. She has led cross-border projects and contributed to high-impact initiatives, including development initiatives with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Western China.
Ravi has worked in the manufacturing industry for over 25 years, living and working in India, the United States, The Netherlands, China, and Singapore.
