Day 4 dawned and three of the team were struggling with a mixture of heat exhaustion and sickness. Joe, Sian and Matthias were therefore on (unofficial) doctor’s orders to rest up for the day, and were sorely missed. The remainder of the team got to business on arrival at our first school, each setting up their own skills station. Ali kindly supported Gabie, who had lost her voice, but, mercifully, inherited Gary’s spare whistle! Gary, meanwhile, soldiered on with equally afflicted vocal chords!
Our first visit was to Kabuki Central Academy, a day and boarding school, whose welcome board boasted that they specialised in HIV education. The work the teachers have done with the children definitely showed – they were impeccably behaved, waiting and listening patiently as we demonstrated core cricketing skills, before calmly putting the new techniques into action. Their knowledge of both English and HIV was impressive. However, we were slightly confused by the red woolly jumpers, bobble hats and gloves donned by some of the children, which Nico wisely advised them to remove before playing cricket in the 30 degree heat!
We were ably assisted at this school by four older children assigned to each group to assist us with coaching, many of them in Scouts uniform . They had learnt cricket themselves with the help of our Kenyan CWB coaches, who are relentless in their work to educate as many children as possible in both cricket and HIV. Two of the teachers even got involved in the game at the end of the session, much to the delight of both the children and CWB coaches!
We arrived at Makuyu Primary School to a warm welcome from the Headteacher and a playing field adorned with Eucalyptus, Jacaranda, and the famous Thika Flame trees. Six groups of excitable children awaited us, eager to play cricket. Some wore scouts or cadets uniforms, and loved marching as they made their way between skills stations.
The teachers, including the Head of Sport, were keen to understand how we played the ‘rapid fire’ cricket game with the kids at the end. For the uninitiated, ‘rapid fire’ is an adapted version of ‘kwik cricket’, where the batting side hit balls off cones or batting tees, scoring runs whilst the fielding team retrieve the balls and reset them onto the cones to stop the runners. This is a CWB favourite, as it can be adapted to any number of children, having previously been tested in a 110-a-side game on a Rwandan hilltop…….!
We returned to our favourite lunch place, a nearby roadside bakery, for another dose of masala chips, eggy bread, and samosas. Matthias’ portion of porridge worked a miracle, as he sprung back to life ready for the afternoon session!
We entered our third and final school for the day, Pundimilia Primary School, to the serenity of a central courtyard, the fallen purple petals of the jacaranda trees lightly carpeting the shade they provided. On the wall was a large map of the modern day nation-states of Africa, titled ‘political boundaries’ – a reminder, perhaps, of the sometimes arbitrary lines in the sand historically used to divide up this most diverse of continents.
The opening scene proved to be in stark contrast to what was about to come. The afternoon session falls over the hottest part of the day, making it a challenge for both the team and the children, tired after a long and busy day of teaching and learning. Over 400 children awaited us, lined up in their dark blue, turquoise and purple uniforms, the vivid colours standing out under the vast, partially clouded sky. They chanted their ABCT’s (HIV awareness) with enthusiasm, but were so excited by the cricket equipment that they kept tight hold of the bats and tennis balls presenting some challenges to practicing cricket skills! The team were further tested by mini tornadoes sweeping across the playing field. A big shout to Nick and Thom, who kept two large groups of very young children entertained with a game of ‘Nick says’, whilst also engaging older children not involved in the cricket in important conversations about HIV.
As the days progress it’s becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate tan lines from the red Kenyan dust we return coated in every evening, as we take a much-needed shower back at the hotel. Plans for dinner at the Coconut Grill were sadly thwarted – it had remained closed since COVID lockdowns – so we settled for a fast food pizza joint instead for a healthy dosing of carbs. Nick very politely refused a local man’s offer to sell him a chicken feeder, explaining that he neither had chickens, and even if he had he not could transport it home in his suitcase. Thus ended a productive fourth day in Kenya!
Gabie
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