Stairs is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) which aims to empower the underprivileged youth of India through sports. It was started in 2000 by Siddhartha Upadhyay, a national-level sportsman, brand consultant, philanthropist and social entrepreneur, with Reebok as a partner.

It nurtures the talented sportsmen at the bottom-of-the-pyramid of the society so that they can use this ability as a mean of earning a living and pursue it as a career. Stairs also plays the role of being an agent of lasting social change.

For Siddhartha and Stairs, the right to play is every child’s birthright. Sport can affect a child’s development of self-esteem and self-worth, and transform a child’s life.

The UN recognises sport as the right of every child. Sport is an important instrument in spreading awareness about education and health. Like religion, it binds people and inspires individual. Children who are good at sports usually have better leadership and social skills. Participation in sports increases confidence, risk-taking ability and competitive skills. The children forget all the hardships when they are playing. They have fun, cast aside their worries. For the duration of play kids can be kids.

Stairs has centres in Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.

Already more than 150,000 young people are using our facilities. The number is increasing even as you read this.

Stairs was founded in 2000 by Siddhartha Upadhyay, a brand consultant, philanthropist and social entrepreneur, to empower disadvantaged youth.

The programmes at our centres are facilitated by local community leaders, volunteers, coaches and managers. Local community leaders help in identifying the prospective participants. Thereafter, Stairs first holds counseling and talent identification camps to understand the community. Coaching camps are the next step. Senior coaches are players who have either represented their respective state teams in national championship or played for the Indian team at the international level. Coaches are local players who are trained in programmes designed specially by Stairs. They implement the programmes based on local needs.

Stairs encourages volunteers. Coaches are mostly reimbursed for expenditure connected with the programmes. Some coaches draw monthly pay. Stairs bears expenses related to sports gear and maintenance.

Yes. Stairs participates in research, policy and advocacy related activities. We engage with political leaders, administrators, corporate sector and media to ensure the disadvantaged sections of the society get access to sports.

We are a non-partisan, secular organization. We partner with organisations which believe in the dignity of labour and equality irrespective of caste, creed or sex. We may partner local faith-based organisations to execute our plans for the local community but this does not mean we endorse the organisation’s religious affiliation. We do not ally with political parties.

Acceptance of equipment as donation depends on our needs and related costs. If interested, you may contact our headquarters in Delhi.

On an average 85 percent is spent on centres implementing the various programmes for empowering the youth. The rest is equally divided among administrative and fundraising expenses.