Encouraged by the previous day’s efforts, we were excited to get into the local schools and see what the day had in stock for us. We arrived to the sight of an uneven open space which was rather wet from the overnight rain. The saturated mud soon stuck to the soles of our shoes and everybody grew a couple of inches, much to the delight of some of our more vertically challenged members of the team. Its wasn’t before long that we found ourself 80 new cricketers dressed in bright clothing with huge smiles and enthusiasm. Our project leader Lee gave solid direction that led to an excellent 2 hour session that provided all the skills required for students to start their cricketing career.
As the temperature began to rise so did our participants and as we began to understand that our voice might be lost by the end of the trip. In true CWB fashion we soon forgot about our voices as the next 20 cricketers were sent in our direction and just got stuck in to the session at full volume.
A quick stop for lunch and a litre of water later the coaching resumed and we forgot what time it was and where we were as everyone was completely engrossed in what that had to do. What we did know was that the first exposure to the game for so many was very well received.
During the day we had met 150 boys, 100 girls and lots of teaching staff who now had a love for cricket while receiving some vital information of HIV and Aids awareness. Sadly the knowledge of the Abstain, Be Faithful and Condom message isn’t as well known from what we have seen compared to what other volunteers have seen in the other CWB countries.
Bonjour team ‘roon. Great start everyone despite the mud sitch. Looking forward to reading your blog as your adventure unfolds xx