A Para-Sport: Eyes with Hope
The national level wheelchair basketball, para-sporting event was organised by Sundar Dhoka Saathi Sewa (SDSS) as a Bikash Shield in 2024. In the event, there were participants from all seven provinces of the country, however the situation of players from Madhesh Province (MP) was so critical.
For the players from MP, it was their first attempt to play basketball, and they did not have sport wheelchair too. According to them, life with disability in MP is so challenging. Even though MP is geographically wheelchair friendly in comparison to hilly terrain, the attitudinal barriers make life of persons with disability miserable.
After hearing the painful stories from the participants and situation observation, Bikash Shield, para sports wings of SDSS conducted one-month wheelchair basketball training to enhance their capabilities. There are ten wheelchair basketball players participating in the training and they accompany two carers. The training was in Kathmandu, and all the costs (travel allowances, fooding and lodging) were covered by the organisation.
During their stay almost all of them express their gratitude toward SDSS. They are delighted by the compassion from the organisations; their feeling of acceptance, mobility enhancement, attitude towards disabilities have deeply impacted their heart. They are also grateful for getting wheelchairs from Bikash's Wheelchair Workshop (BWW) as a mobility aid. One of the trainees has disclosed their journey with SDSS as this training has not just equipped them with basketball playing skills but also built their self-confidence that they can do much more. This training has given them feelings of acceptance which is inconstant in their communities as neglected and treated as outsiders.
The training was completed with a friendly wheelchair basketball match. Moreover, they also were provided with a sports wheelchair on their return.
