Willow replaces gun for former child soldiers
Gopi, 16, makes a dash and lunges to take the catch. "You're out!"
she yells. Elated, with her short hair bobbing from under her cap, she
joins the rest of her team to celebrate the victory.
A former child soldier, Gopi is part of an innovative
sport-for-development program in conflict-torn Sri Lanka. Through the
vehicle of cricket, partners including UNICEF, the International Cricket
Council (ICC) and the Government of Sri Lanka are working to help
rehabilitate former combatants like Gopi.
Child recruitment
LTTE child soldiers |
Life was quite different a year ago, when Gopi was abducted by the
military group known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and
taken to one of their training camps in Sri Lanka's Northern Province.
Forced to work as a driver for the LTTE, Gopi would have to transport
those killed or wounded in Sri Lanka's long civil conflict. Twice she
tried to escape, but her cropped hair - typical for a LTTE girl
combatant - made her easily identifiable and she was caught.
Throughout almost three decades of civil strife, many Sri Lankan
children were abducted and recruited by armed groups. Since 2002, UNICEF
has registered some 7,000 of them - likely only a fraction of the real
number of child soldiers throughout the country.
Gopi did finally manage to escape. Just before the close of the war
in May 2009, she surrendered to the government forces.
"We were registered by UNICEF and were taken to a special
rehabilitation centre in [the capital] Colombo," she said. "I started
studying again and made lots of friends."
'Beyond the boundaries' of sport
Since the end of the conflict, nearly 600 children formerly
associated with armed groups have benefited from UNICEF-supported
education, vocational, recreational and psycho-social activities.
A key aspect of rehabilitation is 'Cricket Peer Leader' training - a
unique sport-for-development partnership with the ICC, UNICEF, the
Government of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Cricket and the non-governmental
organization Cricket for Change UK.
"Cricket can be rightly proud of helping to develop a project which
goes beyond the boundaries of our great sport," said ICC Chief Executive
Haroon Logart.
Gopi was among the first children to benefit from a week-long
training on 'Street 20', an accessible version of cricket involving
limited equipment. "I really enjoyed myself and especially learned about
team work and leadership," she said.
Leaders off the field
Beyond helping children learn the sport, the Cricket Peer Leader
program also helps children appreciate the values of trust, respect and
fair-play off the cricket field.
UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka Philippe Duamelle said that the
program had been successful in helping some of Sri Lanka's most
marginalized children. "We are using the power of sport through this
great partnership to reach out to vulnerable children and help them
realize their full potential," he said.
With the support of Sri Lanka Cricket and UNICEF, the Cricket Peer
Leaders will return to their homes and run their own cricket programs,
reaching out to other disadvantaged children. "Now, I want to teach
others what I have learned," said Gopi.
Source: United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) |