What Yuwa India does

Yuwa India is a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by American Franz Gastler in rural Jharkhand, India, that uses girls' team sports (soccer/football) and formal education to empower girls from impoverished families at risk of child marriage and human trafficking. The organization runs two integrated core programs: the Yuwa Football Program, which engages more than 300 girls daily across community-based soccer teams (90% of which are coached by young women from the same communities), and Yuwa School, a residential English-language school founded in 2015 that serves girls ages 6-18 and prepares them for university admission in India and abroad. All programs are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries.

The organization operates through a dual legal structure: Yuwa, Inc., a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 26-4079346) with a US office in Sammamish, Washington, and Yuwa India Trust, an Indian Trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act of 1882 (reg. no. 5474, 2012) headquartered at Yuwa House in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Yuwa has 11-50 employees, plus a broader network of former participants, alumni, and international volunteers. Funding comes entirely from individual donations raised globally through the yuwa-india.org website integrated with Classy.org, supporting one-time, monthly recurring ($60/month), birthday pledge, and personal fundraising campaign contributions.

Yuwa's go-to-market relies on community-led engagement and a peer-led coaching model, supplemented by substantial earned media coverage in outlets including ESPN, The Guardian, Washington Post, Aljazeera, Discovery Channel India, and major Indian press. The organization has established partnerships including a coaching arrangement with Real Sociedad (La Liga) for international exposure and TEDx speaking engagements. As of the most recent disclosure, Yuwa is conducting a $900,000 capital campaign for construction of a new residential campus, with $92,945 raised to date.

Name

Yuwa India

Legal name

Yuwa, Inc.

Website

https://yuwa-india.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yuwa India is a nonprofit founded in 2009 that uses girls' football and formal English-language education to empower girls from impoverished families in rural Jharkhand, India, serving 300+ daily soccer participants and a residential school.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ranchi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Yuwa raises funds from individual donors globally, primarily through its website (Classy.org platform). The organization offers options for one-time donations, monthly recurring donations, fundraising campaigns, and birthday pledges. Yuwa Inc. is a US 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (EIN: 26-4079346), making donations tax-deductible for US donors.
2. Capital Campaign for School Construction: Yuwa is actively raising $900,000 (₹5.8 crore) for construction of a new Yuwa School residential campus. Funds are being raised through targeted capital campaigns with milestones tracked publicly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Yuwa India is a nonprofit organization that delivers free girls' football/soccer programs and formal English-medium education to girls from impoverished families in rural Jharkhand, India. It combines daily team sports with Yuwa School instruction, weekly life-skills workshops, mentorship, and career counseling to combat child marriage, human trafficking, and low female literacy. All programs are free to beneficiaries and funded by individual donations and capital campaigns managed globally.

Product overview

Yuwa India is a nonprofit organization offering two core programs: the Yuwa Football Program (one of India's largest girls' soccer programs with 300+ daily players) and Yuwa School (a premier residential school for girls). The programs are designed to work together — football builds confidence and community while the school provides academic education and career preparation. Additional program modules include life-skills workshops and career counseling services. The organization does not offer technology products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yuwa Football Program A girls' football/soccer program serving more than 300 girls daily in rural Jharkhand, India. Uses team sports as a platform to build character, confidence, and leadership skills, with 90% of teams coached by young women from the community. Free for participants.
• Yuwa School A premier residential school founded in 2015 for girls aged 6-18 in rural Jharkhand, providing English-language education, instruction from world-class educators, and college preparation for admission to universities in India and abroad. Free for beneficiaries.
• Life Skills Program Weekly life-skills workshops conducted with Yuwa girls' teams, coaches, and youth leaders, focusing on building leadership, confidence, and practical life skills to complement the soccer program and school curriculum.
• Career Counseling Structured career guidance systems, career exposure sessions, and foundational IT literacy programs for first-generation learners at Yuwa School, led by a dedicated Career Counselor with an MSW specialization in Youth and Community Development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Yuwa girls who coach earn double their fathers' hourly wages
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• TEDxmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2013Franz Gastler and Yuwa girl Kusum (age 13) spoke at TEDx Mumbai 2013 alongside Commander Abhilash Tomy. This appearance helped establish Yuwa's global visibility and credibility.
• Real Sociedad (La Liga)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal Sociedad, a La Liga football club in Spain, provided a two-week football coaching course for eight Yuwa girls and two boys in Spain. This partnership provides professional coaching expertise and international exposure for Yuwa players.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Right To Play: Global nonprofit that uses sport and play to educate and empower children facing adversity. Comparable to Yuwa in the sports-for-development thesis and child-empowerment lens, but operates at far larger scale across many countries.
• Women Win: International organization advancing gender equity through sports for girls and women. Comparable target beneficiary (girls/women) and sport-as-empowerment framing, though Women Win functions more as a global convener and grantmaker than a direct program operator like Yuwa.

Direct peers

• Free to Run: Nonprofit using adventure sports and running to support girls in conflict-affected and conservative regions. Shares Yuwa's sport-as-empowerment-for-girls model and similar focus on geographies with restrictive gender norms.
• Shooting Touch: Nonprofit using soccer to empower youth in underserved communities in the US and internationally. Shares Yuwa's sport-plus-education-and-leadership model targeting at-risk youth populations.
• Grassroot Soccer: Uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize young people to overcome health challenges in Africa. Closely comparable soccer-as-development platform serving at-risk youth, though with a health-education rather than formal-school focus.
• Kick4Life: Uses football to address social issues including health and education for vulnerable youth in Lesotho and southern Africa. Comparable small-NGO scale and football-as-platform approach.
• Soccer Without Borders: Uses soccer as a vehicle for positive youth development with refugee, immigrant, and underserved populations. Comparable soccer-plus-education integration and focus on marginalized youth, though primarily operating in the Americas.
• Magic Bus: India-based nonprofit that uses sports (primarily football) as a platform for child and youth development among marginalized communities. Most directly comparable to Yuwa given shared India footprint, sports-plus-education model, and focus on under-served children.

Regional players

• Naz Foundation (India) Trust: India-based organization using sport and education to drive social change, including gender equity and life-skills work. Regional comparable operating in India with a similar sport-and-education empowerment lens.
• Aseema NGO: India-based nonprofit providing education and child-rights support to marginalized children. Comparable only on the education-for-vulnerable-children axis; no sports component, so a weaker match overall.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yuwa-inc.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yuwa India