The team were up and looking forward to seeing the children in Nakuru play in their festival. Having seen many children in Kisumu pick up a cricket bat for the first time, we were excited to see what could be achieved after 2 years of consistent coaching from the legend that is Nico, his team and the Pirates.
Oh my…
To say we were impressed is an understatement.
The mass enthusiasm and talent made us all realise how powerful sport/ cricket can be, not only in the sport itself but also in life. It was joyful to witness the fun these children were having but also to see the boys and the girls actively playing cricket together and supporting each other.
Obviously the team had other motives too. While Nico and the pirates mostly ran the games the team had the opportunity to walk around the field and talk to the children about HiV and gender equality but also their lives and experiences.
The team were awesome. You couldn’t see them at times as they were surrounded by smiling laughing children. At one point Matt and Amy just had the 8 batters but then children came out to lunch and suddenly you couldn’t see either of them! It was Just wonderful. The children and their teacher were actively having fun and openly discussing their knowledge of HIV/ testing. Having the teacher involved too was priceless.
Simon put his teacher hat on and gave a lovely welcoming opening introduction before he went off and threw himself into helping with one of the matches. Emily and Beth continued to do what they have done all week. Inspiring the children to just have fun with their cricket and actively encouraging the children to help and support each other both on and off the pitch. The way they interact and play with the children makes you want to just sit back and watch them coach.
Dean was overseeing everything as ever ensuring we were all ok and helping anyone who needed it. However you could often find him under a tree surrounded by kids showing his magic trick..
The morning ended with a game between the coaches, some of the children and the Pirates who were very competitive! The children as the audience were thoroughly entertained.
However, I was sitting with the lovely little western storm girls watching the game when I looked over my left shoulder only to see a group of girls just having fun playing some fabulous cricket behind a tree. One still in her safari hat and fur coat in 30 degrees, running hard between the wickets.
I think this actually puts the whole week and the reason we are here in a nutshell.
We all walked back to the bus slowly with a pensive mind knowing that this was the last time we would be with the children.
We headed back to Nairobi on the bus with yet more quizzes from quiz master Matt and a competitive game of uno whose varying rules always cause a stir.
We broke the journey back to Nairobi at Lake Naivasha where we had lunch and a calming water safari to see the hippos and wildlife. Someone found it sooo relaxing they fell asleep in the boat, but to his credit he deserved his well earned nap.
The plan was for a good final night with drinks and dancing in the bar but our more mature members of the team were found heading to their beds a little earlier than expected leaving the youngsters to enjoy their evening.
Our time in Kenya with CWB has had a profound effect on us all. The feeling of enormous gratitude for the most uplifting, life changing week, albeit at times, heart wrenching and we all felt physically and emotionally spent, We have experienced every emotion, learnt about the wonderful Kenyan people, ourselves and each other.
So, as Peter Ongondo would say
That’s a Wrrrrrrap’
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