{"id":110,"date":"2024-03-03T11:46:31","date_gmt":"2024-03-03T11:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cwbblogs.com\/nepal24\/?p=110"},"modified":"2024-03-03T11:49:50","modified_gmt":"2024-03-03T11:49:50","slug":"sakshi-dev-change-maker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cwbblogs.com\/nepal24\/2024\/03\/03\/sakshi-dev-change-maker\/","title":{"rendered":"Sakshi Dev \u2013 Change Maker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sitting on our day off as I currently am outside our\nglamping tent in the Koshi Tappu nature reserve after a leisurely breakfast (a\nrarity for anyone on a CWB project) feels like a good time to sit back and\nreflect on our first week coaching in and around Rajbiraj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is almost exactly two-years ago that I first visited\nRajbiraj with CWB, a medium sized municipality in the south-eastern part of\nMadhesh Province, Nepal close to the Indian border. We are in the flat terai\nregion a traditional hotbed of cricket in Nepal, there is cricket everywhere.\nAs we travelled yesterday (Saturday, the one day that children here get off\nschool) we witnessed dozens of games: in the fields, on the side of the road,\nin the dry riverbeds and in the yards of houses as we passed through small\nfarming communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A natural question then to ask would be: why travel such a\nlong way to coach a game that is already being played everywhere? This is why\nyou have to look closer. What we witnessed was boys playing cricket – the more\ncareful observer would see that in the fields as the boys played the girls were\noften working the land, as the boys played in the yards the girls were washing\nor hanging out clothes to dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why we are here, to try to chip away at these\nstereotypes and provide opportunities for everyone to have some time to play. In\ntotal last week 1,373 children across 18 schools of which 56% were female got\nto play cricket and also participate in discussions around what stops more\ngirls playing and how we can all work together to start to change this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But numbers only tell you so much, for a better way let me introduce\nyou to Sakshi Dev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sakshi Dev’s journey from a volleyball enthusiast to a Cricket\nChangemaker is for me an example of CWB at it\u2019s best. On hearing that there was\ncricket happening at the PaBi ground near her home she came along to see what\nwas happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being a newcomer to cricket, Sakshi’s athletic prowess and quick learning ability allowed her to integrate seamlessly. She took an active role from the outset, demonstrating not only good basic skills but was straight away assisting others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sakshi on day 1 of her cricket journey already coaching others<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

10 days after her cricket journey began, Sakshi was selected to represent the Saptari district in the Equality Cup in Biratnagar, an event that featured national team players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Equality Cup in Biratnagar<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Transitioning from player to coach, Sakshi achieved her ICC\nLevel 1 coaching certificate, and then was selected to join the Cricket\nChangemakers programme. She took on the responsibility of leading training\nsessions at the PaBi ground and ventured into local schools to coach other\ngirls. This move was instrumental in spreading the game and empowering young\ngirls in her community, demonstrating that they, too, could aspire to greatness\nin sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initial resistance from her mother, reflective of broader societal reservations about women in sports, especially in roles traditionally dominated by men, eventually turned into support. This change was driven by the visible impact of Sakshi’s passion for cricket and her dedication to empowering others. Balancing college studies with her coaching duties, Sakshi uses her earnings from coaching to finance her education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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