International Partnerships Program launch with The Harlequins Foundation

Shared announcement

** Scroll down for Malawi pre-visit prep video at The Stoop **

The Harlequins Foundation, in collaboration with three rugby-rooted charities, has today announced the launch of an international partnership with the aim of supporting vulnerable young people from underserved communities around the world.

Bringing together Lesotho Rugby Academy, Future Hope, Bhubesi Pride Foundation and the Harlequins Foundation, this unique collective will use the unifying power and values of rugby to equip young people with essential, transferable life skills. At the same time, it will build an international network of like-minded organisations that collaborate, share expertise to amplify collective impact.

This multi-year initiative is grounded in Harlequins’ commitment to creating positive social change through sport.

Each of the international charities involved shares a unique relationship with Harlequins and is deeply embedded in the rugby community. The Harlequins Foundation will anchor the partnership, using the Club’s global platform to connect, inspire and support meaningful, community-driven development.

The partnership will focus on three core objectives:

• Empowering youth – Supporting young people to build essential, highly transferable skills for success in any career or life path.
• Knowledge exchange – Facilitating the sharing of best practice and insights across all partner charities to strengthen local impact.
• International exchange – Hosting annual exchange opportunities for current Harlequins players – men’s and women’s – particularly those in the early stages of their careers, to engage directly with partner organisations and communities.

Harlequins Foundation’s international partners

• Lesotho Rugby Academy – Promoting youth development through sport and education in southern Africa.
• Future Hope – Providing food, shelter, schooling, skills and mentoring, using sports but particularly rugby to uplift street and slum children in Kolkata, India.
• Bhubesi Pride Foundation – Empowering communities through rugby and education in Africa, primarily in Malawi.

Mark Lambert, former player and Harlequins Foundation Ambassador, said:

“I am deeply proud of the Harlequins Foundation launching this partnership as it shows the ethos of this Club at its best. Outward looking, lifting those who need it, nurturing and inspiring a global community. My visits to Kolkata over the years have not only created lifelong memories but also been hugely personally affecting and life changing. Future Hope, along with Lesotho Rugby Academy and Bhubesi Pride, achieve remarkable things with young people.”

Richard Bennett, CEO and Founder of Bhubesi Pride Foundation, said:

“Having been a rugby fan all my life and having seen the Harlequins brand at The Stoop and in parts of Africa, I’m honoured to be helping to connect the wonderful Quins ethos and Foundation with Malawi. Not only will Harlequins play a huge part in helping us achieve our onward goals, this wider partnership alongside Lesotho Rugby Academy and Future Hope is visionary and special. All four partners will learn lots from each other and we’ll have many feel-good stories to tell.”

Dan Aylward, Founder of the Federation of Lesotho Rugby and the Lesotho Rugby Academy, said:

“The partnership between Lesotho Rugby Academy and Harlequins Foundation has been transformational for us. Harlequins Foundation was an early backer of Lesotho Rugby Academy and that helped us triple our coaching capacity and the number of schools we visit. We’re delighted to continue that partnership, which will fund the work of our eight coaches and help us provide thousands of children in Lesotho an introduction to rugby whilst raising awareness of critical life skills, such as HIV prevention, healthy diets and lifestyles, and gender equality. It will enable us to provide holiday camps in the communities, keeping kids healthy, active and engaged even when schools are closed.”

Tim Grandage, Founder of Future Hope Kolkata said:

“Since 1987 we have always used rugby to change the lives of street and slum children in Kolkata for the better. The children with whom we work fear they will fail at school as they have failed, through no fault of their own, in life. Through rugby they have learned fitness, self-discipline, teamwork, determination and sportsmanship and have discovered that they are as good as anyone else and sometimes better! We are proud of our long association with the Quins; we were the first club in Asia to be affiliated with the Harlequins RC some twenty-eight years ago. This partnership will take our young leaders to a new level, teaching them the latest rugby techniques, inspiring them through player/academy role models and encouraging them to use rugby to create a better more inclusive society. We look forward to gaining from the expertise of the Foundation, the Quins players and the Academy and making new long-term friends with the Lesotho Rugby Academy and Bhubesi Pride Foundation.”