Caroline Emlyn-Jones

A Devastating Disaster

The recent flash floods and landslides in Nepal are truly devastating, and our thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods.

It has been very heartening to receive so many messages asking whether the Kidasha team in Nepal are safe and how the disaster has affected our work. Thankfully, our main working areas are some distance from those worst affected, so the children, families and communities we work with have not been directly affected, and all our team and their families are safe.

However, the wider impact is likely to be felt far beyond the areas directly affected. Damage to roads, bridges, power infrastructure and other essential services will put further pressure on already fragile supply chains, potentially increasing the cost of food, fuel, transport and other basic necessities.

For the children and families Kidasha supports, this comes at a particularly difficult time. Many are already living day to day, with little or no financial cushion, and struggling with rising living costs compounded by the continuing Gulf conflict and its impact on Nepal’s economy and migrant livelihoods.

Children Face Risks Long After the Floodwaters Recede

We are also very concerned about the longer-term impact on the estimated 17,000 children living in the areas directly affected. As we saw after the 2015 earthquake, many families who lose their homes and livelihoods are likely to migrate to Nepal’s towns and cities in search of shelter, work and security, only to find themselves living in poverty in overcrowded informal settlements.

For children, displacement brings particular risks. Families can become separated, education interrupted and financial pressures intensified, increasing the likelihood of children entering hazardous work, living or working on the streets, being forced into early marriage or facing other forms of exploitation.

How Kidasha Will Help

This is where Kidasha and our local partners have an important role to play. As we did after the 2015 earthquake, we will be actively identifying displaced children and families arriving in our working areas and helping them access protection, education and other essential support.

We will also be working with Nepal’s national and local disaster-response and child-protection systems to understand where our experience, networks and resources can best contribute. We are not an emergency relief organisation, so our role is not to duplicate the immediate humanitarian response, but to help address the longer-term consequences – particularly for vulnerable children and families who might otherwise fall through the gaps.

Thank You for Your Support

As we have seen so often in Nepal, the effects of a disaster do not end when the immediate emergency passes. Our team will therefore be monitoring the situation closely over the coming weeks and months.

Thank you to everyone who has been in touch. Your concern and support are very much appreciated but, above all, our thoughts remain with the children and families whose lives have been turned upside down in just minutes by this disaster, and who will need support long after the immediate emergency has passed.

Janice Miller, Chief Executive

Kidasha’s Breaking Boundaries project, run in partnership with the MCC Foundation, continues to bring the fun and opportunity of cricket to children living in Nepal’s poorest urban communities. For many of these young people, organised sport is still out of reach, yet it plays a vital role in building confidence, teamwork, resilience and wellbeing.

Breaking Boundaries is now delivered in 16 government schools, all of which have established girls’ teams. The boys’ side of the tournament has expanded even further, with additional schools joining. We are encouraged to see our reach grow, supported by local and diaspora contributions, and by schools that are now able to self-fund their participation – helping the programme become increasingly sustainable and community-driven.

This year’s tournament was our biggest yet, with 720 young players from across Pokhara taking part.

Girls’ Tournament

• 16 schools, 240 players
• 15 knockout matches over 5 days
• Finals held at Pokhara International Cricket Stadium

Boys’ Tournament

• 32 schools, 480 players
• 31 knockout matches over 7 days
• Semi‑finals and final hosted at the Stadium

The atmosphere across all five venues was incredible, culminating in a vibrant finals day on 25^th June attended by 500+ children, teachers, local community leaders, along with the Chairmen of the District Sports Development Committee; Province Cricket Association; Kaski Cricket Association and the Pokhara Municipality Cricket Development Committee, as well as a representative from the National Sports Council.

2026 Champions

🏆 Girls’ Champions – Barahi Secondary School

🏆 Boys Champions – Kalika Secondary School

More than a competition, Breaking Boundaries gives children the chance to participate, to be seen, and to succeed – on and off the pitch. We’re very grateful to every player, coach, teacher and supporter who helped make this year’s tournament such a great success.

Our young cricketers in Pokhara enjoyed an unforgettable day when Andrew Leonard, the much‑loved cricket commentator and long‑time champion of Nepali cricket, visited Kidasha’s cricket project, ‘Breaking Boundaries’.

Andrew’s connection with Nepal runs deep. Since first arriving in 2018 to commentate at the Everest Premier League, he’s become one of the most recognisable and respected voices in the country’s cricketing community. His enthusiasm for the game, and for the young people who play it, has made him something of a hero to aspiring cricketers across Nepal.

During his visit, the excitement was electric. The children were thrilled to meet someone they’ve watched, listened to, and admired for years. Andrew spent time on the pitch with them, sharing encouragement, celebrating their talent, and showing genuine interest in their stories and ambitions.

As Janice Miller, Chief Executive of Kidasha, said: “Cricket is a powerful way to build confidence, teamwork and resilience – qualities that help children thrive far beyond the pitch.”

This is exactly what our ‘Breaking Boundaries’ initiative – a Kidasha programme in association with the MCC – is all about: using sport to create safe spaces, build skills, and open opportunities for children growing up in challenging circumstances.

A huge thank you to Andrew for bringing so much joy and inspiration to Pokhara. His belief in Nepal’s young people mirrors our own, and moments like this stay with children for a very long time.

🎥 To watch highlights of the visit click here.

Instability in the Gulf is beginning to create ripple effects in Nepal. Many families we work with depend on remittances sent home from relatives working in the Gulf. As uncertainty grows in the region, there is increasing concern about potential job losses, reduced remittances, and the return of migrant workers under difficult circumstances, leaving families facing sudden and severe income shocks.

Furthermore, Nepal’s tourism sector, another critical source of income for low-income families, is also under strain. Fluctuations in visitor numbers and reduced earnings in tourism-related work risk leaving already precarious families with even fewer options to cope.

At the same time, emerging fuel shortages are already driving sharp increases in the cost of essential goods. For families already living on the edge, even small price rises can mean the difference between coping and crisis. As the cost of food, transport, and basic necessities climbs, many are being forced into impossible choices about what they can afford each day. Even in the event of a ceasefire, the disruption to supply chains and markets is likely to persist for months, meaning these pressures will continue long after the immediate crisis has passed.

The immediate risks
For the communities Kidasha supports, these combined pressures are not abstract economic trends. They translate directly into immediate risks for children, including:

• Children being withdrawn from school
• Increased risk of child labour and street involvement
• Greater exposure to exploitation, neglect, and early marriage
• Heightened household stress, debt, and food insecurity

We are already seeing early signs of distress among families we work with, and we anticipate these pressures will intensify in the weeks ahead.

Our response
Kidasha is responding as quickly as possible by:

• Increasing direct support to the most vulnerable households
• Intensifying safeguarding and monitoring for children at heightened risk
• Expanding family outreach to help them navigate financial and social pressures
• Preparing contingency plans to scale up our response if conditions worsen further

However, the scale and speed of need emerging means we must act now – not once the full impact is felt.

Your support at this moment is critical. It enables us to intervene early, before challenges become crises – avoiding family breakdown, protecting the progress children have already made and preventing them from falling into situations that can have lifelong negative consequences.

Appeal
We are acutely aware that this is an exceptionally difficult time for many, and we are especially grateful for your continued commitment and generosity. We also recognise that it is far from an ideal moment to be making an appeal, but if you are able to increase your support or make an additional gift at this time, it will bolster our ability to respond to the growing crisis and will be greatly appreciated.

We will continue to keep you informed as the situation develops. Thank you, as always for your continued support, at a time when it matters most.

Janice Miller, Chief Executive

Nepal’s recent cricket success captured global attention and sparked national pride. It shows the country is no longer just participating on the world stage – it is competing.

But behind this progress is a harder truth: for many children, sport is still out of reach. Access to safe spaces, coaching and opportunities is often limited by income and geography. Talent is everywhere – opportunity is not.

For six years, Kidasha has been working to change that. Through its programmes, children gain access to sport, build confidence, stay engaged in school, and develop skills that shape their futures.

Sport as a Pathway

In the communities we serve, children face poverty, overcrowding and limited opportunities. Government schools often focus only on academics, leaving little room for sport. Yet structured sport is a powerful tool – improving wellbeing, building resilience, and teaching teamwork, leadership and discipline.

Through our Breaking Boundaries initiative in Pokhara:

• 2,000+ children received cricket coaching
• 600 students competed in Nepal’s largest inter-government school tournament
• 24 progressed to district, provincial or national levels
• One young woman now plays for Nepal’s national team

These are not just sporting outcomes – they are life-changing opportunities.

Scaling Impact

Kidasha now works in 30 government schools, reaching over 4,000 children across multiple sports.

Our approach focuses on long-term change:

• Training teachers to deliver sustainable programmes
• Developing local coaches who earn income and mentor others
• Linking schools with sports associations
• Promoting safeguarding and gender inclusion
• Ensuring marginalised children can participate
• Using data to measure and improve impact

This is about building systems – where sport becomes part of education, wellbeing and opportunity.

The Impact

When sport is inclusive and embedded in schools, we see:

• Higher attendance and motivation
• Greater confidence and resilience
• Stronger community cohesion
• Increased participation of girls
• Pathways to employment

Stories like Riya, now a certified coach; Anish, representing his province; and Rachana, now an international player, show what’s possible when children are given the chance.

Why It Matters

Nepal’s success shows what is possible – but sustaining it requires investment.

Sport strengthens education. It improves wellbeing, confidence and aspiration. Without continued support for coaching, facilities and school programmes, this progress risks being a moment, not a movement.

A Call to Partners

Kidasha is building a proven, scalable model that connects grassroots sport to national pride – while improving education, wellbeing and life outcomes for thousands of children.

We are now seeking partners ready to invest in what works.

Because:

• Sport builds confident, capable leaders
• Inclusion creates stronger, more cohesive communities
• Opportunity changes life trajectories

Your investment will enable us to expand into more schools, train and employ more coaches, and reach thousands more children – particularly those currently excluded.

This is a chance to turn potential into performance, and participation into opportunity in one of the poorest and often overlooked countries in the world.

#IDSDP2026 #sportforall #breakingboundaries #everyoneincluded #everychildmatters #kidasha #kidashanepal #nepal