Picture Credit: Twitter
Continuing the trend that started in 2019, India is all set to host the Street Child Cricket World (SCCW 2023) Cup in September before the 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup in the country. The 10-day event will see children from 16 countries divided among 22 teams competing against each other in a mixed-gender cricket tournament, a festival of arts, and a congress to champion the rights of street children worldwide, for the coveted title.
The event will be organized by Save the Children, India (Bal Raksha Bharat) and Street Child United. It will be the second edition of the tournament. The inaugural event was organized in London/Cambridge in 2019, where eight teams competed in which Team India South emerged victorious after beating hosts England in a highly-competitive final.
Apart from teams from different regions of India, the event will also have teams from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, England, Hungary, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Street Child United’s founder and CEO John Wroe explained the goals of the tournament and how it will help change the perception of people about street children. “The SCCWC will be a catalyst for One million young people globally receiving identity for the very first time. This is our legacy challenge for the 2nd SCCWC. It will be achieved because the whole world will conspire with us.
“This is a unique event that can show the world how cricket is helping give street children a voice to challenge the negative perceptions they face. We are extremely excited to be working alongside Save the Children India to deliver the SCCWC 2023," added Wroe.
Sudarshan Suchi, CEO, Save the Children, India also commented on the organization of this unique tournament and said that her foundation is committed towards the development of street children and bringing them into the mainstream. “Every child deserves an identity, and thus we are committed to making the ‘Invisibles’ visible and bringing them into the mainstream," she said.