In a remarkable display of youth leadership, three students from Modern School, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, have launched an initiative aimed at making sports accessible to underprivileged children across India. Arav Mittal, Atharva Agarwal, and Shaurya Rakyan, the founders of ‘Help Them Play,’ are working to ensure that economic barriers don’t prevent children from experiencing the transformative power of sports.
Arav Mittal, the driving force behind the initiative, shares his vision: “Sports played a crucial role in our development, teaching us teamwork, discipline, and resilience. We believe every child deserves the chance to play and excel in sports, regardless of their background.” All three founders are footballers themselves, having represented their school in various tournaments as key members of the school team. They bring their firsthand understanding of sports’ transformative power to the project.
The initiative focuses on collecting and redistributing sports equipment to children who might otherwise never have access to such resources. Their first major project saw them collecting and sending sports equipment to the children of Garhwal English Medium School in Sainiji village, Uttarakhand. The equipment, ranging from badminton rackets to basketballs, has already begun making a difference in the daily lives of these children.
Building on their initial success, the team provided sports clothing to a girls’ shelter home, understanding that proper athletic wear is essential for comfortable and confident participation in sports activities. The young changemakers haven’t limited themselves to equipment donation. They’ve also organized fundraising campaigns to support organizations like My Angels Academy, which provides professional football training to underprivileged children.
“Fundraising hasn’t been as easy as we had hoped,” admits Arav. “But seeing the impact of our work keeps us motivated. When our equipment reached Sainiji village and we saw the children’s excitement, I knew we had to keep pushing forward, no matter the obstacles.”
Atharva adds, “We realized that equipment alone isn’t enough. Children need proper training and nutrition to truly excel in sports.” Shaurya emphasizes the broader impact: “Sports isn’t just about physical fitness. It’s about building confidence, developing social skills, and learning important life lessons. When we see the joy on children’s faces as they play with proper equipment for the first time, we know we’re making a real difference.”
The initiative has garnered support from their school community and local sports enthusiasts. Physical education experts agree that early access to sports can significantly impact a child’s physical and mental development, making initiatives like ‘Help Them Play’ crucial in bridging the socio-economic divide in sports access.
These young leaders are now working on expanding their reach to more schools and communities. “This is just the beginning,” says Atharva. “We want to create a sustainable model that can continue to support children’s sporting dreams long after we graduate.”
They invite others to join their cause, either through equipment donations or by supporting their fundraising efforts for various sports-related projects.
For more information about Help Them Play and how to contribute, interested individuals can follow their Instagram page @helpthemplay.