A fundraising trek in the Himalayas has raised more than £18,000 for the OSCAR Foundation, continuing a longstanding partnership between Malvern College and the charity, which supports children and young people from disadvantaged communities in India through sport and education.
Sarah Angling, a Modern Languages teacher at Malvern College, joined the recent expedition to raise funds for the Foundation, which uses football to encourage children to stay in education, develop essential life skills and build brighter futures.
Malvern College has supported OSCAR for many years through pupil-led fundraising, awareness-raising initiatives and educational exchanges. The partnership connects the College community with young people in India, providing opportunities to share knowledge, experiences and resources.
The Himalayan trek builds on Sarah’s own involvement with the Foundation, following a three-month sabbatical in India earlier this year. She worked with OSCAR in the slum communities of Mumbai and tribal villages in Karnataka, developing educational opportunities and resources for local children and young people.
During her sabbatical, Sarah created an English language programme designed to be delivered at different levels, including by teachers and coaches who are not themselves fully fluent in English. She trained teachers at OSCAR’s learning centres in Mumbai and football coaches in Karnataka, adapting the programme to suit very different environments, from small classrooms to outdoor football pitches.
Sarah also mentored OSCAR Fellows, helping them develop presentation skills, create CVs and consider their future career opportunities. Alongside this, she delivered English and French lessons for staff and established links with two other non-governmental organisations interested in using her English programme.
Pupil fundraising at Malvern College has helped provide projectors for OSCAR’s learning centres in Mumbai, enabling teachers to introduce digital resources and new teaching techniques. Following the Himalayan trek, Sarah returned to Mumbai to deliver a day of teacher training, demonstrating how to make the most of the equipment.
Her OSCAR service group at Malvern College has also helped create listening and reading resources for teachers to use, extending the educational and cultural exchange between the two organisations.
Through its continued support for OSCAR, Malvern College is helping to create opportunities for young people in India while enabling its own pupils to engage with different communities and understand the impact of education beyond the classroom.