Meet the CWB team going out to Botswana this spring, the last of the spring projects.
Introducing Project Leader Mark Campbell
Nickname – at work, Professor, on the cricket pitch, cymbals
This will be my fourth CWB trip, all of which have been to brilliant Botswana
iPod – what’s an iPod?*
What am I looking forward to- meeting old friends in Botswana, making new ones in the team. It’s always fascinating the different skills volunteers bring and how the project develops over the two weeks.
What am I nervous about – losing my voice as I try to out sing and out chant hundreds of enthusiastic children. Being asked to sing a traditional English song by Botswanan teachers who all seem to be able to sing in perfect harmonies.
Why volunteer? CWB combines the three things I have spent my life doing, working with children, playing cricket and travelling, especially in Africa. On previous trips I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and positive attitude of all we come across so can’t wait to have another dose of smiling faces.
* someone suggested I check the discs at the front of my Gramophone collection. They were
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Hong Kong Garden
Joan Baez – Love is just a four letter word
Ricky Martin – La Vida Loca
Glee Cast – Like a Prayer
Amy Whitehouse – Back to Black
Name: Sam Stevenson – HIV Lead
Nickname: Bambi
I’ve been with CWB since March 2012
iPod shuffle challenge:
Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel)
Tangled Up (Caro Emerald)
Porcelain – Moby
You Get What You Give – New Radicals
Better View – Longspoon
What am I most looking forward to on the trip? – Going back and seeing old friends and meeting new ones!
What am I most nervous about? Hard ball cricket!
Why have I volunteered for the trip: My role is the HIV lead, meeting stakeholders in country to understand all the elements driving HIV infections. I volunteer because Botswana is such a great, democratic country with such potential, and yet with such a high HIV prevalence and small population, the outcome for the country could be devastating.
We know that we have an impact, and it’s incredibly rewarding, especially when we go back and see how the cricket is developing, which has so many health and social benefits.
Tsamaya sentle!
Sam
Name: Ross Opie
Nickname: Ropie
I have played sport since a very young age at both Twyford House Cricket Club and Firebrands Hockey club. I have experienced a great deal of enjoyment through playing sport. In fact have made some of my best friends through playing sport. I would now love to be able to help share some of the enjoyment I have experienced with those less fortunate than myself through the coaching of cricket. Buying a flat with a balcony within the Bristol County Cricket Ground probably counts as been mildly obsessed with cricket and this volunteering opportunity will give me the chance to use my love of cricket for a worthwhile mission.
Cheers
Ross
Name: Tim Ward
Nickname: Timmy Magic
Have you volunteered with CWB before and where: Yes Botswana, Spring 2014
iPod shuffle challenge: First 5 songs that your iPod plays on shuffle:
Rock Star (Jason Nevins Remix) –Running Music
Baby I’m a star (Prince and the revolution)
Milk and Alcohol (Dr Feel Good) – Another running song
UFO (Newton Faulkner)
Klatremus og de andre dyrene I Hakkebakkeskogen (Kids audiobook) – Obviously something to do with my daughter
What are you most looking forward to on the trip? G&T and Curry at the BCA
What are you most nervous about? Black Mambas
I volunteered again because the last CWB trip to Botswana was one of the most rewarding undertakins I have done. I still have so much to give the projects and CWB it was only natural to sign up to the project again. I really look forward to continuing the relationship building we started back in 2014.
