We’re out in Rwanda cricket coaching in loads of schools with Cricket Without Boundaries — second year of visiting for me but as a group we are spreading the joy of cricket and (occasionally) chasing after lost balls.
Day 3… whoop whoop!
We made it onto the bus by 8:33am. Yes, I did say 8:33.
We started strong: high energy, top tunes, enthusiastic singing (in varying keys), and plenty of laughter — especially when Eddie confidently turned down a one-way street. Nothing wakes you up like a spontaneous traffic adventure. He redeemed himself shortly after with a mildly terrifying off-road detour. No risk assessment required — apparently we were “safe in his hands.” Debatable, but thrilling.
On arrival at the first school, it became clear that the “100 children” expected had definitely not been counted by a mathematician. There were… more. Let’s just say our drills suddenly expanded in stations.
It was a private school — and wow, what a view! Lara led the warm-up and absolutely stole the show. Her energy was contagious; within minutes we’d all transformed into overexcited PE teachers on espresso, buzzing for the next drill.
First up: Morgan and Roisin leading the bowling session. We were raring to go and absolutely smashed it. Meanwhile, the rest of the team delivered a masterclass massively helped by Olivers amazing time keeping and somehow managed to create non-stop cricket action for what felt like half of Rwanda’s youth population.
Highlight of the morning: Gareth’s pure joy running between the wickets. I’m fairly certain he clocked a 5K and still tried to get back on strike. The man could not resist being front-line batter.
Next, we visited the Genocide Memorial — an essential and very moving experience for the team. It left all feeling reflective and humbled, with a deeper understanding of Rwanda’s history and an even greater appreciation for the resilience, forgiveness and strength of its people.
Back to cricket — and a discovery: time in Rwanda appears to run on its own special setting. I genuinely thought all clocks operated at 60 minutes per hour. Apparently not. Nevertheless, we set to work in our separate schools with our beautifully organised drills and only lost about 20 balls — which, frankly, is progress.
Personal memory of the day: receiving my first-ever marriage proposal from a 15-year-old. Briefly flattering… until his follow-up line: “I love your watch.” Romance is not dead; it’s just accessorised. He swiftly redirected his affections upon noticing the lovely Molly — younger and watch-free.
After the sessions, we left feeling incredibly proud. Every child we met will hopefully have plenty to tell their parents — mainly about cricket, but possibly also about the slightly chaotic coaches from overseas.
We’d been invited back to Ndera School for a rematch: Coaches vs. Ndera Children, hoping to reclaim a winning title, Sadly, we were a non-runner. Exhaustion 1 – Coaches 0. Roll on tomorrow. Game on.
Back at base, it was a quick turnaround: shower, change, and the critical decision — out out, or bar chill? The bar group gathered for deep and meaningful discussion, including the pressing global debate: is a pea a delicious vegetable or a complete waste of plant potential? Opinions were strong.
Dinner arrived with impeccable customer service — something we all could learn from.
The night ended with several highly competitive card games, including one very elegantly titled Shithead.
Day 3 done. Still standing, early to bed early start! What a team 👏👏
Loving life & appreciating what we take for granted
💕Roisin
Day Three in Rwanda and I’m settling in to the CWB trip routine. The drive to our first school is always a stimulating start to the day – trying to make sense of geography of the endless hills with expansive views across the city and watching the many edestrians going about their busy lives. It’s surprising how relaxed adn open it is for a capital city. I already know I’m going to miss these daily drives.
The team is now very good at organising itself on location. We split easily into groups, different personnel at each school, soetimes keeping to one activity – I’ve started with bowling, I’ve changes to fielding today – sometimes changing it up. Always ending with rapid fire – a game which the children (and Tall Eric) love. Today’s team has sorted out bowlign activity like clockwork: 10 minutes in two activities, repeated five times, with Sarah, Lara, Betty and I seamlessly swapping and supporting each other. The Rapid Fire is a bit of a free for all in terms of who works where, but it all fell into place before the three groups started.
We spent 2 hours at our first school – more rural than the last couple of days but still the same boundless enthusiasm of the children and desire to engage with whatever learning we brought. I would love to see these children playing a full 20 over game – hopefully this is the next step for at least some of them.
Next we had a break and went to the Genocide Memorial Museum. This is still a recent and astonishingly shocking event, not onlyin Rwanda’s history, but also the world’s. We are here to teach cricket but also to link to fundamental human values – respect, responsibility, inclusion, fairness. The memorial was a stark reminder of how the unthinkable can happen. It reminds us that we have a duty to maintain our values through empathy and honesty. What is astonishing is how this country has moved on through forgiveness for the appallingly inhuman acts – a security guard told me his mother had forgiven those who had killed the people around her – I find Rwanda to be anopen, friendly and kind country. The children are so curious to explore and open to anything new.
Following this immensely sobering visit we went on to the promotion of values through cricket. Gareth, Tanya and I, along with local coach Sami worked with a set ofolderboys playng “five bats”. They were enthusiastic, supported each other and firmly understood fair play. Taking part was competitive, but winning or losing wasn’t the most importantn part for them. It was a firm reminder that the future is theirs and I’m hopeful.
Julie x
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