Day 9
After the travelling and the buzz we got from our visit to the Deaf school yesterday, Sunday started with a period of free time until our visit to the SOS orphanage later in the afternoon.
Without the services of Tefo, our driver, we embarked on a walking tour of the centre of Francistown amidst the dust and heat. Lots of construction and development underway, one shopping mall looked like any other, same shops with the occasional boutique and many shops closely resembling those that you’d find in any town centre in the UK. In common with Gaborone there were numerous street sellers, set up wherever they could gain some shade – under an umbrella, a tree, a sheet of awning or fresh produce sold direct from the back of a pickup van. Just like a car boot sale yet here the stalls are scattered all around.
Abstaining from any Windhoek over lunch, we arrived at the SOS orphanage in Francistown in time for our 3.30 start.
Despite our strenuous efforts some of the children were strangely unenthusiastic to participate and to ‘Be faithful’ to the cricket activities set up. This was the first time that we had encountered this sort of reaction on the trip. Over a few Windhoeks we discussed the afternoon and hoped that this was a one off response and not indicative of what we might expect in Francistown.
Day 10
The first of four mornings of Coach Education with the students and staff of Francistown College of Technical and Vocational meant an early breakfast for an 8am start at the college. After receiving a warm welcome from the Head of Sports and Coaching department, Ali set about organising the 42 students and explaining to them how after going their qualification , we hope that they will be able to work with Clement, and continue to grow cricket in the local schools and increase the awareness of the ABC T message in relation to HIV/AIDS prevention.
Understandably nervous, the students were initially reluctant to put themselves forward as ‘coaches’ in their small groups, especially as we’d asked that all communication was in English. That wasn’t quite as cruel as it sounds as many of their lessons were in English and all notices seen on boards around the campus were in English.
It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they took on the role of coaches and they realised that making a mistake wasn’t a bad thing!
Ali’s relaxed style and approach helped the 4 hours fly by, with the help of a breakfast break laid on by the college. It was a bonus to discover that the College were providing breakfast and lunch for the four days that we are coaching at the college.
Appetites satisfied, it was a short trip to our next school, …………………………..
Swiftly set up on the now familiar dusty bowl, with small prongs of vicious prickly vegetation waiting to catch the unaware. It amazes me how many of the children we have worked with, are running around in bare feet seemingly oblivious to what they are running on.
The session was a high energy afternoon with a carousel of activities accompanied by the now familiar chants of ABC T and ending with a rapid retreat to the bus after handing out the CWB Botswana wristbands.
A quiet and uneventful evening at the Spurs bar in the knowledge of another early start and long day ahead tomorrow.