Benoit Assou-Ekotto is not your average footballer. In fact, he has something of a philanthropic streak in him.

The defender, currently on loan at QPR from Tottenham, set up his own charity, BAE32, which focuses on education for young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. And in order to further develop a legacy which goes beyond the football pitch he strives to help out with other charities during the off-season.

"Every year I try to find something to do in my holiday, not just chill around the pool and enjoy the sun," Assou-Ekotto told Standard Sport. "I prefer other people to remember me as a good person who tried to help people, not just a footballer. So my partner and I try to be involved in this kind of cause to try to help kids in general."

His most recent charitable endeavour has been with The Supporters Club, BT Sport's charitable initiative, which uses sport to help underprivileged young people both in the UK and abroad through funds raised by BT Sport customers, and, BT itself.

Last summer, Assou-Ekotto travelled to Mwanza, Tanzania to see the work of Caretakers of the Environment Tanzania (COET), which has received substantial funding from The Supporters Club, to support the city's many street children.

COET focuses on a number of projects in the city, including an emergency drop-in centre, a restaurant which offers vocational and hospitality training and the Tanzanian Street Children's (TSC) Sports Academy.

Assou-Ekotto visited the TSC to help choose a squad to represent Tanzania at the Street Child World Cup in Brazil, which starts on March 28. The tournament will feature teams of street children from countries glbally, drawing from a network of outstanding projects all campaigning for the rights of street children.

"I like to be involved in this kind of action because when you live in Europe and you have the chance to be a footballer, for many young kids you are an icon," he said. "When I was in Tanzania, I saw about one hundred kids happy to see me because they see me on the TV. I saw smiles on all their faces."

The Cameroon international even took part in an impromptu game of football – "all I needed was a ball and a bottle of water," he said.

The time he spent there made a big impact on the 30-year-old, but above all, the children he met stick out in his memory.

"When I was there, they explained to me that they are all kids from the street and they don't have parents," he said. "So I was really surprised because they were very polite and respectful with me and between themselves. They have rules together."

And it is this impression left on Assou-Ekotto which the Street Child World Cup is trying to promote to the rest of the world. Aside from offering the children a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in Brazil, the SCWC is looking to challenge the negative perceptions that many have of homeless children. Such a change in attitude, they hope, will facilitate the movement of children away from the streets and into safer, more secure lifestyles.

"I can imagine when you are in the street and you don't have an objective in your life, it can be very, very sad," said Assou-Ekotto. "I think the Street Child World Cup will be the best because maybe [the children] want to be footballers as well. It is the time to see how this could be a good thing for these kids. Education is very important and through things like SCWC we can look to provide better support for these young people using football to attract them and quality education to keep them on the right path.

He added: "I am keen on focusing the education on Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics because these are the subjects that build instead of consume and I hope we can find not just great athletes but also some great minds on the streets."

In the inaugural 2010 SCWC in South Africa, Tanzania went all the way to final, but ultimately lost out to India. But despite the disappointment, the effect the tournament has had on Tanzania's street children is manifest. Two boys, both in their teens, have secured professional contracts, bought their own homes and been called up for Tanzania Under 20s. Two girls have had trials with the Tanzania national team. Elsewhere, there have been scholarships, moves into self-employment and opportunities for secondary school education.

So can Tanzania go one better at this year's SCWC and walk away as world champions?

"Well, I don't know the other countries," Assou-Ekotto said. "But Tanzania play well – they have very good players."

The Supporters Club is BT Sport's charitable initiative. BT Sport customers can simply add £1, £3 or £5 to their monthly bill. Visit supportersclub.org. Funds raised by The Supporters Club from BT Sport customers and BT, funded three charities who are sending teams to the Street Child World Cup in Brazil which kicks off tomorrow. Team India, Team Tanzania and Team Brazil Girls received grants to support local street children. Visit streetchildworldcup.org