Decathlon athlete Jahmal Germain launched Faith in Action at Woodgrange Baptist Church recently.

He has teamed up with Faith in Schools for the project, which aims to inspire young people to overcome life’s difficulties.

The Rio 2016 hopeful was speaking to 30 Year Nine pupils from Stratford School Academy on July 1 during an event themed on “inspiration, enterprise and charity”.

During his presentation, he spoke about his Christian faith and how he believes it helped him climb from being ranked 878th in the country to the third best decathlon athlete in the country in just six months, resulting in his selection for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Joining him was Melissa Mbewe-Masahma, a former teacher who lost 21 stone without medical intervention to fight her life-threatening morbid obesity.

She said she wants to help the borough continue changing for the better.

“Many people wake up and do great things right here in Newham,” she said. “They help people, provide shelter and help individuals realise their dreams irrespective of religion, ethnic or socio-economical similarities or differences. We, at Faith in Schools, want young people to know their lives matter.”

One way she says Faith in Schools is doing this is by promoting values drawing on Christianity.

“Schools have been tasked with promoting fundamental British values like self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-confidence and responsibility, respect, tolerance and harmony,” she said. “We want them to see how they can bring about positive change in the lives of others and the community around them by seeing how others bring about change for all people by channelling the principals they hold dear like ‘love your neighbour’ into action.”

Faith in Schools works in the borough to bring Christians of all denominations into schools to contribute religious education in line with the Newham Agreed Syllabus and aims to make sure every Newham child meets a Christian.