Project reflections

As we round up from the first project in Jordan, here are a few reflections on what the project and our forthcoming work means for the charity, and the volunteers who were part of the team:

“You read and listen to what is happening in Syria and the discord between Palestine and Israel, but it doesn’t feel real. That is until you meet people affected by it. Of course, the complexities of the middle east are likely to be intractable, but that does not mean that you can’t listen and put smiles on the faces of as many people as possible. That’s exactly what we did. Those with some of the most horrendous life stories, can still smile and laugh if you give them the chance. It’s not solving conflict, but it’s an important small step to helping others feel some normality in an otherwise abnormal world. Thank you CWB for yet another remarkable experience.”
Ed Williams QC Founder Trustee CWB

“These 5 days in Jordan have challenged my understanding of the relationship between sport and development. I had spent so long focused on “sport and sexual health” style programmes, from CWB’s Africa delivery to my work with YES!Tanzania last year, that I’d lost sight of the life skills that are developed through well delivered, inclusive sports programmes. Talking about what we were delivering to community leaders and volunteers from other organisations has helped me to reevaluate that, and start thinking about stripping coaching back to basics!”
Sara Begg, Monitoring and Evaluation CWB

“There’s lots of information out there of people on the move from war torn countries and how it affects people in their every day lives in western country context, but seldom do you see this come from the regions surrounding the conflict countries or indeed from the children its affecting. I love the fact that as a charity we took the leap to do this, to bring smiles and to use cricket as a cathartic way of letting out their anger and frustrations. The children live with the horror of what they have seen, experienced and are still within arms reach of what as described by one person as ‘the fire in the countries surrounding Jordan’. These children and young people, should not be forgotten and should continued to be supported in their development by fantastic organisations such as UNHCR and Right To Play, who I am so proud we are able to work alongside with as we continue to venture forward on our refugee programs.”
Julia Farman, Equality and Inclusion Lead, CWB

“One of the most memorable moments of the week for me was the children putting together all our kit on the morning of day one, before we had so much as arrived. Having worried whether children in the region would enjoy our activities, it was a huge relief and set the precedent for what would be an unforgettable week. As ever with these things, it takes a few people to buy into an idea, so thank you to those who did that. Thank you to all the UN and Right to Play staff, our dedicated CWB team, teachers and volunteers who made the week what it was. We’ll be back later this year.”
Jamie Scattergood, Jordan Country Manager CWB

“The Jordan project has presented a brilliant opportunity to work in a completely new and very different part of the world, and begin to understand the cultural and social challenges of a new region. My big take away from the project, however, has been that no matter where you are in the world if you set up a good coaching environment it doesn’t matter what background the children are from they will have fun, be happy, smile and play together.”
Lee Booth, Head of Delivery, CWB