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On April 16, Mumbai Indians will be celebrating a unique initiative at the Wankhede. Backing the teams would be the cheers of over 19,000 young girls from 36 NGOs and 200 special children. This event is part of the Reliance Foundation and Mumbai Indians' initiative 'Education and Sports for All' (ESA), where every season the team hosts a game in the MI schedule for which it invites children from NGOs across the city for a live game and cheer for their favourite cricketers.
The MI vs KKR match is dedicated to inspiring the girl child as part of the ESA initiative- #ESADay Speaking about the initiative, Nita M Ambani, said, "This special match is a celebration of women in sports. This year saw a landmark beginning for India's women cricketers with the first-ever Women's Premier League. To spotlight girls' right to education and sport, we are dedicating this year's ESA event to the girl child! Reliance Foundation is proud to bring over 19,000 young girls from different NGOs to enjoy the IPL match live in the stadium this Sunday." Sachin Tendulkar MI's icon and mentor has been part of the ESA journey since its inception. The Initiative seeks to make educational and sports experiences that provide inspiration and educational opportunities accessible to children from all backgrounds. Guided by its overarching 'We Care' philosophy, through the year, Reliance Foundation, through ESA, provides grants to non-governmental organizations to carry out various activities in education and sports. Reliance Foundation has made elaborate arrangements to ensure every single aspect is looked into for the children's comfort. A total of 500 BEST and private buses along with over 2000 volunteers will be deployed to transport these 19,000 children. There will be the provision of 100,000 food boxes and sufficient availability of water. The kids will also get special edition ESA t-shirts, the opportunity to participate in the activities lined up in the Wankhede concourse and make their own banners that they can display during the game. Education and Sports for All (ESA) began as a humble thought in 2010. The initiative has taken a giant leap forward under the guidance of Ambani and has now gained prominence across the country. The programme has reached out to over 21.5 million children since its inception by supporting non-governmental organizations through the year on various education and sporting initiatives. Mumbai Indians continue to be strong partners of the initiative. The 2023 match focusing on the girl child weaves into the larger focus of Women's Empowerment at Reliance Foundation for a range of initiatives from strengthening women's agency, enhancing financial empowerment, bridging the digital divide, facilitating women's leadership and creating leaders who make an impact in their communities. Led by Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Ambani, Mumbai Indians effectively uses its global fan base to focus on an important theme - in this case celebrating and focusing on the girl child. The initiative has found support amongst fans and partners. A key initiative of Reliance Foundation, ESA combines its focus areas of education and sports for development. The belief that drives these initiatives guided by the vision of the Reliance Foundation Founder and Chairperson Nita Ambani, is that when children play they learn and acquire many life and other skills that enable them to be much better individuals; and every child equally needs a right to play and to be a sportsperson as a right to learn. The ESA initiative seeks to provide holistic development through focus on education and sports and to enhance the quality of the sporting ecosystem by providing facilities, training, infrastructure, and equipment across multiple sporting properties through the year. Reliance Foundation Youth Sports through ESA, is improving sports infrastructure, empowering coaches, providing equipment, and offers grants to worthy performers. Reliance Foundation Young Champs through ESA, provides full-time residential football scholarships, focusing on education, training, development, and international exposure. Reliance Foundation Jr NBA through ESA, aids school-based basketball programmes all over India, with a special focus on empowering coaches and providing quality equipment. To maximize its reach and improve outcomes, Reliance Foundation establishes strategic partnerships with organizations with the technical expertise and experience to undertake various programmes in the domain of education and sports. (ANI)
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