Today saw us embark on a welcome trip out of the hot and dusty surroundings of Kigali as we headed for the hills and a days coaching in the town of Gitarame. A two hour mini bus ride was a good way to take in this beautiful country as our surroundings became more and more rural.

The coaching took place in a football stadium complete with a large, ramshackle stand and before too long we were coaching 100 primary school children from St Maria. The kids were great and as usual we were mobbed by scores of children who didnm’t hesitate to clasp your hand or in my case play with my leg hair which seemed to fascinate them!

The day got hotter and hotter and was a real challenge due to us being one man down (get well Martin!). Thankfully everyone raised their gamne despite the afternoon heat and the coaching session in the afternoon with 30 older teenagers from St Joseph’s was one of the most enjoyable yet due to many of them having benefited from previous CWB visits. There was a lot of skill on show especially in the catching and throwing down the stumps department and it was a real pleasure to be able to play our usual games of non-stop cricket with actual overarm bowling from the Rwandans. The boys were also keen to discuss their knowledge of HIV /AIDS and there were yet again some very enthusiastic (and scary) high fiving!

Tomorrow the group splits as a number of us head off for a day’s trekking to experience Rwanda’s famous mountain gorillas. I for one cannot wait!