Nanhi Kali’s Groundbreaking Initiative Uniting Education and Sports for Girls

Project Nanhi Kali integrates football into its curriculum, fostering confidence and leadership among underprivileged girls.

This innovative campaign film showcases real schoolgirls learning life skills through the beautiful game of football.

Project Nanhi Kali’s holistic approach aligns with the National Education Policy, promoting education by integrating life skills along with sports leadership skills.

MUMBAI: The K.C. Mahindra Education Trust proudly announces the re-defined intervention from Project Nanhi Kali with an innovative campaign that integrates football into the curriculum for underprivileged schoolgirls across India. This campaign, created by Ogilvy, underscores the Trust’s commitment to holistic education, blending academic learning with essential life skills acquired through sports.

KC Mahindra Education Trust started Project Nanhi Kali to encourage and support underprivileged girls to complete 10 years of schooling. In alignment with the National Education Policy which advocates the integration of sports as part of the curriculum, Project Nanhi Kali is introducing the girls to the game of football.

Project Nanhi Kali’s campaign film captures the transformative power of football on young girls, highlighting real-life stories of schoolgirls from across India who are part of this program. These girls are not just learning to play football; they are gaining confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of self-worth that transcends the football field. The film is a testament to how sports can be a powerful vehicle for change, teaching values such as teamwork, perseverance, and resilience.

Project Nanhi Kali has transformed the lives of more than 700,000 girls across India.

Watch the film here:

Commenting on the new film, Sheetal Mehta, Trustee and Executive Director, of K.C. Mahindra Education Trust says, “At Project Nanhi Kali, we empower underprivileged girls through a transformative blend of education including 21st-century skills and sports leadership training. This holistic approach provides the girls with the essential tools to succeed in life. Our ‘Lessons from a Football’ film vividly showcases how football teaches crucial values like teamwork, leadership, and perseverance. By incorporating sports into our program, we see Nanhi Kalis evolving into a strong, confident leader who is ready to take on the world.”

Asha Kharga, Chief Customer and Brand Officer, Mahindra Group also added, “Nanhi Kali represents Mahindra’s philosophy of Rise in action. We approached the new campaign with the mindset of an innovation launch. In alignment with the National Education Policy, Nanhi Kali has revamped its curriculum to be more holistic by integrating sports, while maintaining a focus on English, Math, Digital & Financial Literacy, and Soft Skills.“

“We needed to effectively communicate this shift and a day with the Nanhi Kalis in the village of Jambusar gave us rich insights. For these girls, football is more than a sport, it instills in them the confidence to Rise.”

Ogilvy India conceptualized this thought-provoking film. Kainaz Karmakar and Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Chief Creative Officers of Ogilvy India opined: “We visited a rural Nanhi Kali center and spent a lot of quality time interacting with several Nanhi Kalis, and their coaches. The raw, captivating, and liberating stories of what the simple game of football has come to mean for these little girls and their sense of confidence and self-worth, are what inspired us to create this piece of communication.

It is a privilege and honor for all of us at Ogilvy to partner with the super-driven Nanhi Kali client team in this journey. We are also very pleased with what our director, Afshan, has been able to bring to life in this film, working with so many amazing actual Nanhi Kalis who had never faced a movie camera in their lives, before this film.”

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