959 not out

After a long and tiring but immensely rewarding day , the team ended it by going for a well deserved drink in what I can only describe as the most beautiful bar I’ve ever visited. Positioned on Lake Muhazi there was no other option but to sit and reflect and watch the world go by – I don’t think words can quite do this view justice, however a picture certainly would.

I feel for the first time as a team we began to realise that this incredible experience is slowly coming to an end and due to this a reflective mood was apparent in the group – as we overlooked this beautiful country and thought about the memory of coaching over five thousand children cricket and more importantly delivery the vital health messages in the process.

As we sat there with our slightly aching bodies, a cold drink and an incredible view… The realisation of what as a group we have done today started to set in. Coaching a class of 30 is difficult at home but we today we had classes of over 200 ,  Over 900 kids in a couple of weeks would be a challenge at home but that was the total today of kids who all had a chance to play sport and learn as they played, 9 hours of pretty much non-stop coaching at home may seem slightly tedious… as a team, we didn’t only master that today but everyone cherished every single second.

Once again the Trinity students were incredible, taking the lead in organising the sessions and delivering great coaching and HIV education, despite some of them feeling under the weather.

We chatted about the experience so far. It was interesting to hear from Jamie that the video of a previous student trip with CWB was what made him choose Leeds Trinity for his degree and how much he’s gaining from the experience.

This was yet another reminder that the people who get the most from these projects are not the kids we coach but the volunteers who have the opportunity to explore amazing countries and interact with all of the inspirational local coaches and volunteers who are the real beating heart of CWB.