The day started with a classic CWB challenge. With little indoor space and torrential rain starting 20 minutes into our session at Kinoni School, a bit of ingenuity was required. We had one group huddling under a small corrugated roof discussing myths surrounding how you can catch HIV, we had another learning their ABCT messaging and doing relays in a class room, and elsewhere Ella and Thom found pupils to talk to and discuss all things HIV & gender related. Ella was asked to explain how children could be born with HIV for example, as that wasn’t known by one pupil she chatted to. Thom had those who spoke the best English doing quizzes on his phone asking about gender equality and HIV.
We were so wet grabbed a small bag of supplies each and decamped back to our hotel to change. We regrouped and discussed as a team if it was safe to travel to our afternoon school given the continuing torrential rain and the bumpy and narrow mountain-side roads our driver needed to traverse. We agreed unanimously we were up for it and we were so happy when we made it up to 7,000 feet altitude to Mwiko school. The rest of the day was very special, even by CWB’s elevated standard. The views were INCREDIBLE, and the kids superbly engaged throughout and pretty well behaved!
The rain relented enough that we could play outside in the drizzle so we had some coaches at the top of the hill with the school team while the rest of us ran relays and cross fire drills with three different groups in the centre of the school (cross fire being where the kids throw down the stumps in the middle and get a point for each stump they knock down, with each set of stumps holding an HIV myth card). The hardest job we had was stopping the kids returning for subsequent sessions! We even had classroom sessions going in at least three classes at a time!
We were then asked to play the school team in pairs cricket and suffice is to say there were plenty of sixes hit over the school buildings that surrounded the pitch. Sadly for us, more hit by the school team than us. Tall Eric played for the school and was hit back over his head by Sam, only for Eric to do the same to Sam in his innings, but further! We also saw Joe’s angry side when he was first deducted a run for one short and then was run out (“I’ve never been more in in my life!”).
In the end it was dropped catches (Emmy the most culpable) and Ella missing a clear run out from point blank range with 5 needed that cost us the game. Such was the ball finding skills of the kids we didn’t lose any balls despite them flying out of the school and down the mountain many times. We left beaming from ear to ear after an amazing day, with more incredible views as we descended.
On the way back Danny began his mission to get Spice Up Your Life from 5th to 1st in the most streamed Spice Girls song on Spotify. Only 6 million streams to go! He went off brief and played other Spice Girl tracks on the way back and it emerged that Ella Thinks she could have been the 6th spice girl! (Thom: “It’s a good job she can play cricket because her singing is terrible!”) Oh and Sam knows every word of every Spice Girls song – super fan doesn’t do him justice!
The last sing along tune on the way back was “Vindaloo” by Fat Les which we explained to the local coaches was the English national anthem. Their bemused look said “these mad English people”…and they would be right! Can’t wait for tomorrow…
Ed
I do not think that anyone who has had the opportunity to stare down at those lakes will ever forget it.. Sorry about the music though, I think you have to up your game there.