By Andrew Wu
When NSW cricketer Ryan Carters was told Kakenya Ntaiya's story he knew he had to act.
As a 14-year-old, Ntaiya underwent female genital mutilation, or female circumcision – a rite of passage for every Maasai girl who is then expected to marry and finish school. Ntaiya agreed to the brutal procedure only on the condition she could finish her education.
Canberra and Sydney Sixers cricketer Ryan Carters achieves a balanced life through his charity work.
She then negotiated with village elders to leave her Maasai village of Enoosaen – something no girl had ever done – to attend college in the US, where she completed a doctorate in education. She returned home to establish a primary boarding school for girls called the Kakenya Centre for Excellence in 2009.
Her first intake of students are now finishing high school, which is where Carters' Batting for Change charity, run in conjunction with the Learning for a Better World (LBW) Trust, comes in.
The NSW batsman, with the help of Big Bash franchise Sydney Sixers, is aiming to raise $150,000 – of which $30,000 will fund scholarships for graduates of Dr Ntaiya's school.
Carters had learned through his international development studies at university that the returns from investment in female education, apart from the empowerment it gave young girls, had "disproportionately large" benefits for the community.
"That woman tends to get married later, have fewer children but those children she does have are healthier and better educated," Carters said. "On top of that the woman tends to participate more in her community so it's beneficial for the economy and overall gender equality is greatly improved which is amazing for women and the community at large."
Dr Ntaiya has spoken of the importance of ending the customs and traditions "that have really held women back for centuries in our communities".
"In my story, there was no light, there was no role model. I didn't have anyone that I wanted to become. That's what inspired me," Dr Ntaiya said in an interview with the LBW Trust's chairman David Vaux.
Unlike former captains Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh, who both run high-profile charities, Carters is not a household name but his charity has raised close to $300,000 in its three-year existence. A former dux of his class at Canberra's Radford College, Carters is not your average professional athlete.
"I wanted to do something to help and I thought given the level I was at with my cricket I had enough experience and connections that could help me along the way," he said.
"It was more deciding to act today rather than deferring to tomorrow. Now's as good a time as ever to start trying to make a difference.
"If we can help 10 women to obtain an education who otherwise wouldn't then it's all worth it. As it turned out we've been able to help close to 2000 women over a three-year period. I'm extremely proud of what we've done and blown away by the support others have offered."
Moises Henriques, Nic Maddinson, Steve O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Ed Cowan and Alyssa Healy have joined as Batting for Change ambassadors this year.
Donations can be made at battingforchange.com.au