As we travel from Yaounde to Buea for Week 2 the team take time to reflect on Week 1
Jules – 2x TV interviews, 1x press conference, 1x Olympic Committee, 1x sports minister, 1x international cricket match, 1x commonwealth dinner, meeting Roger Milla, and a nun playing cricket at his Foundation's orphanage is probably not your typical CWB first week, but in terms of raising the importance of the work that CWB to promote HIV awareness and cricket in the media, this week could not have gone much better. Tuesdays school coaching in Obala served as a timely reminder of why we are out in Cameroon. 45 minutes out of Yaounde, Obala is your a typical rural African village; mud huts, rough roads and pumped well-water. When David and I did our introduction of abstinence, fidelity, condoms and HIV, the student's knowledge was obviously lacking and the lack of secondary school age girls in attendance was noticeable. Two days later back in Yaounde I spoke to Beatrix from Mevick, a fee paying Grammar school, with an even mix of boys and girls. She gave me an education in HIV understanding, how to get tested, how to stay healthy, and that she would only get a boyfriend and would only consider sleeping with him if her parents approved and he protected himself but that her education was the most important thing. Beatrix's enthusiasm and spirt for getting educated and to get a good job was inspiring and in the city, where International Women's Day should really be called international women's week, as ladies all over the city wear bright coloured clothes printed with the International Women's Day logo printed all over them, there is clearly sign of equality here. Whilst I loved the session in Obala, coaching 250 kids in one session alone, I know we got the messages out to the girls who were there, but I could not help think of the girls I saw on the way up to the school with young kids running around outside their homes of how they will get access to an education? Are they aware of HIV? Where is their equality? Is it too late? As we head to Buea, at the foothills of Mount Cameroon, it will be an interesting contrast to the hustle of Yaounde, and it will be interesting to see what the kids knowledge of HIV is, and how many girls are in higher education.
Liam – wow, what a week! Reality somewhat seems to have gone out the window as we've mixed it with the bigwigs and I'm claiming my international cricketing debut in what can only be described as a hammering! We've danced the foreign minister out of his own gala dinner, made my Cameroonian TV debut and who can forget meeting Roger Milla. It's been a week of laying down the groundwork for the future of Cameroonian cricket. Away from the official meetings, the coaching we have done has been fantastic. Despite some frustration at a lack of coaching compared to my previous project in Rwanda, the times we have got out on the field have been superb and Obala will live long in the memory. The chaos of Africa ensued and we had well over 300 participants, plus a similar number of onlookers. The kids loved the sessions, and we got plenty of HIV messages across in a region that isn't so clued up as Yaounde. The Roger Milla Foundation orphanage finished off the weeks coaching in a humbling manner, and we even got a nun playing! Fantastic! We've also had the pleasure of some fantastic local coaches this week, I feel that they'll be more than capable when we leave them behind, and as Jules and I found out last night, they've got some disco moves too! It's a shame they aren't all coming with us to Buea! Bring it on…
Dave – Arriving in Yaounde not knowing what to expect, I leave thrilled, bemused and inspired. The sheer level of work that Victor from CCF and Jo, our Country Manager, has put in has clearly paid dividends as the schedule has been a good mix of coaching and profile building. There have been several surreal moments, most notably; dancing the foreign secretary out of his own gala, the full pre match ceremony when playing Cameroon and taking numerous press interviews, but it's the enthusiasm for cricket that will remain with me. The local coaches and the children have engaged with the game so well, producing lively and fun sessions with some great awareness messages. There is clearly work to do on HIV/AIDS but we have made strides in terms of building relations with UNICEF. Yaounde is like Kigali on heat, hilly, bewildering and lively, with some striking architecture. It has been a fantastic week with an incredible team, I can't wait for week two!
David – Yaounde, African capital on many more than seven hills, hot, humid, horrific traffic and the friendliest people. What does cricket mean to Cameroon? If it's about building political and diplomatic bridges then the work of Victor the president of the Cameroon cricket federation is working most effectively, gaining positive support from the Olympic and sports President and from other key ministries. If it's the energy of local schools, their teachers and kids, that's there in abundance too. And as for local coaches, their talent and enthusiasm is fantastic, and more training this week from CWB will turn this into high quality training method, and help to sustain the messages about HIV &AIDS prevention that are a critical part of the process. There are really two big issues. One is 'outreach': increasing the number of schools that are prepared to offer cricket coaching to the children. The other is (inevitably) 'resources': providing kit to all the schools, recruiting and training more local coaches and, the big one, providing playing surfaces that enable the game to develop beyond the elementary level. There is already a real improvement on the level and quality of cricket coaching we have seen since the last CWB visit 18 months ago. There is real promise and great optimism about the future.
Roger – Yaounde done and dusted, lasting memories! Joseph's driving skills, car horns, road closed means road closed, puppets on a string, road side vendors selling car bumpers, how do they balance that many pairs of sunglasses on their heads, but best of all coaching kids and seeing them smile that's after is all is why we are here.
Jono – So the first week has drawn to an end, and what a great week it was. The press coverage that we received has made us Cameroonian celebrities over night. After the very first show that same night we where spotted at the commonwealth gala. The first thing i noticed is how much the cricket in Cameroon has improved and also the advertising of the dangers of HIV/AIDS has gained a lot more publicity on billboards and signage in schools. Whilst on this trip i have been able to gain a vital link with UNICEF which will help CWB keep up to date and progress within Cameroon. It is safe to say that we are all looking forward to a week in Buea which is mainly English speaking which means that David will be no longer required to be our translator in restaurants. Bring on Mount Cameroon!
Thom – not a lot to add to the above, given that the daily blog is written in my own colourful prose! A week of contrasts is my abiding memory from the lavish banquet of the Commonwealth Gala to the desperate poverty of Obala, stopping at pretty much every station on the power to poverty roller coaster on the way….and back again. I'm really looking forward to the rurality of Buea and substituting some of the glamour for coaching!