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April 15, 2022
The 2023 Street Child Cricket World Cup (SCCWC) has named the 22 teams from 16 countries that will compete in India next September. Organized by Street Child United and Save the Children India, the unique ten-day event takes place ahead of the ICC World Cup with the intent to “make the ‘Invisibles’ Visible”. During this second running of the tournament, street-connected young people will take part in a mixed-gender cricket tournament, a festival of arts and a congress to champion the rights of street children worldwide.
“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. The whole world will get on the side of street children. And finally, those that are often put last, will be put FIRST,” said John Wroe, Street Child United’s founder and CEO.
Street Child United is a collective of grassroots and international organizations, volunteers, supporters and more who are working to change the way the world sees and treats street-connected children. With the vision of a world where every child can access their rights, no matter their background, the organization champions and showcases the capabilities of street-connected children, as well as aid in their development.
Using the appeal of cricket, SCCWC will raise awareness and tackle the widespread stigma that street children face, which jeopardizes their safety and future. The event wants to show the world how cricket is helping give street children a voice to challenge the negative perceptions associated with their situation. In addition, the tournament plans to rally a universal call for governments to ensure that street children all over the world should be better protected and granted access to basic services.
This will be the second edition of the tournament following the success of the inaugural event in London in 2019 which hosted eight teams. The line-up for next year’s championships includes teams from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, England, Hungary, India, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
“Every child deserves an identity, and thus we are committed to make the ‘Invisibles’ visible and bring them into the mainstream,” said Sudarshan Suchi, CEO of Save the Children India. “The idea of sports, and in that cricket becoming the pivot, is an opportunity we are excited about as we host the Street Child Cricket World Cup here in India and show the world what a powerful vehicle sport in general and cricket, in particular, can be in helping drive the change we want to create for these young people.”
In addition to the partnership between Street Child United and Save the Children, the SCCWC 2023 will collaborate with a number of other supporting organizations and individuals, including the World Bank, ICC and the British High Commission.
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