Unsung Heroes: This sports management professional returned from US to transform lives of children with HIV

The Bangalore Schools Sports Foundation (BSSF) run by former athlete and corporate professional Elvis Joseph, 48, stands as a beacon of hope and opportunity for these young athletes to utilise sports as a powerful tool for transformation.

Joseph undertook up a sports management course while he was working in the United States. He returned to India and started the BSSF in April 2009 by training just 19 children diagnosed with HIV in sports and has since then impacted the lives of over 50,000 children facing different social and economic challenges.

The Bangalore Schools Sports Foundation (BSSF) run by former athlete and corporate professional Elvis Joseph, 48, stands as a beacon of hope and opportunity for these young athletes to utilise sports as a powerful tool for transformation. (Express Photo)

Interestingly, Joseph had not destined himself to be in the corporate world or sports management. He wanted to get into the central excise and customs department through sports quota because those were the only government entities offering jobs for sportspersons back then.

“The fact that every child was categorised and stigmatised to a particular identity was bothering me. This is where I thought we should develop a plan or a programme with inclusivity, diversity, equality and empowerment. But I only had sports as a gift in my hand. Since then, I have never wavered from advocating sports for kids with different challenges,” said Joseph.

The BSSF is currently spearheading seven sports outreach programmes for children. These are:

Champion in Me: To empower the lives of children diagnosed with HIV through sports.

Magic Feet: Training children from slums in football.

I’m She: A programme empowering vulnerable girls.

Challenged: Enabling the lives of people with disabilities through sports, specifically in wheelchair tennis.

Invisible Talent: A programme for juvenile kids in prison.

Survivor and Beyond Borders: Programmes targeted at tribal children and refugee children which is a work in progress.

Of all the outreach programmes, ‘Champion In Me’ is close to Joseph’s heart. This sport, education and skill development programme was initiated to further childhood development through sports and recreation activity among HIV-infected children. “The aim is to provide equal opportunities by eradicating stigma and discrimination and bringing such children to mainstream through sports as a medium of transformation,” he said.

In 2009, the foundation officially hosted the first edition of the Champion In Me sports meet with 110 children from across three support and care centres in Bengaluru.

Since then, the initiative has marked several milestones, including the participation of two HIV-positive children competing at the International Children’s Games in the Netherlands in 2015.

As many as 35 ‘Champion In Me’ children also competed at the TCS World 10k Run and some of them also competed at the Phuket International Marathon, which is also one of its kind.

In 2019, Ashwini, a ‘Champion in Me’ athlete, became the first girl in the world born and living with HIV to compete at the Jerusalem International Marathon in Israel. Running Positive, a sports documentary featuring the world of HIV-positive athletes Manik and Babu, was submitted for Oscars 2021.

“The virus simply cripples the body’s immune system. Unless you bring in interventions, nothing is going to change. I believe the only way to build immunity is through sports for anybody. This is my solution to address this social problem. I believe with the sports programmes, the children now have a sense of belonging and they are no longer categorised as slum kids, HIV kids or disabled kids. Instead, they are now being identified as Champion in Me kids or kids with Magic Feet. This is the transformation in narratives I am talking about,” said Joseph.

However, Joseph believes the major challenge throughout his journey is attracting funds for social outreach programmes. “The problem with CSR funds and initiatives is that they are thematic and cater to only specific need-based issues. For example, sports is not something they would be investing their CSR funds into. They would rather invest it in education, healthcare and other social issues. But I believe sport is a holistic part of education.”

“We did not find any company aligned with our sports programmes regarding CSR funds. However, we found support for our outreach programmes through some of these companies. Sometimes I also feel that I haven’t made enough efforts to make a strong pitch for CSR funds,” said Joseph.

As part of the ‘Champion In Me’ Project, Joseph aims to reach one million children and youth worldwide through sports education, skill development, and international youth exchange programmes. The foundation’s vision is also to share the ‘Champion In Me’ sports module as a best practice across various states in India and worldwide.

The BSSF is also planning to roll out a new initiative called ‘Rising 20 – The Future of Youth in India’, with a vision to elevate youth aged 19-24 from the most underserved communities in the country through a viable, structured and sustainable process addressing critical needs and empowering their lives through good health, sports, education and employability.

The foundation also has a very ambitious project on cards called D-30 (District 30). This millennial outreach project will empower and educate children and youth across 30 districts of Karnataka through certified development programmes and championships. The BSSF, a consultative senate of the Karnataka State Athletic Academy and the Karnataka Athletics Association have conceptualised the project.

“While the mission aims to empower more children in sports, the project will also serve as a study to extract data from the grassroots level that will help us analyse the penetration of sports education and activities at village and taluk level and, more importantly, the condition of sports infrastructure in Karnataka,” said Joseph.