Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB) has made two key appointments in technical roles as the charity seeks to increase its work on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention as a delivery partner for the ICC THINKWISE programme.
Will McLaren-Clark has been appointed to the post of Head of CWB's HIV/AIDS group while Amardeep Singh will be the charity's HIV/AIDS specialist.
"I've been meaning to go on a trip with 'cricket without boundaries' for years. No really, I was planning on applying to go in my gap year but unfortunately I couldn't as I was due to play for a club in Australia and couldn't miss the start of their season.
Claire Fallis, the Botswana Country Manager, reports on the Spring 2012 trip.
The team met on a grey morning at Heathrow airport, preparing to spend two, what would turn out to be amazing weeks together in the beautiful Botswana.
UK-based charity Cricket Without Boundaries are to to deliver a cricket development project in Northern Uganda in partnership with the Uganda Cricket Association, the ICC and UK Sport.
Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB) has been working in developing nations since 2005 and has, to date, helped to provide cricket training to more than 30,000 youngsters and 2,000 coaches while spreading vital messages about HIV and AIDS.
CWB and Martin Berrill Sports continue growing partnership
CWB is delighted to announce that Martin Berrill Sports will continue to provide Flik Cricket equipment for CWB projects, with the organisation now recognised as an official supplier of the charity.
Once again this unique volunteer run charity continues to make a real and lasting difference to developing the game of cricket in Africa and using it to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.
Over the spring CWB delivered 4 projects in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Botswana. In the process over 4500 children were coached and importantly for sustainability almost 400 new coaches were trained. We are, as always, immensely grateful for the hard work not only from all our volunteers but also from the national cricket associations in each country, without whom none of what we do would be possible.
The influence and reach of Cricket Without Boundaries has continued to strengthen with volunteers returning from no less than four successful visits which have seen more than 6,000 young Africans coached in cricket.
Teams of volunteers have visited Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and most recently Botswana, working to train youngsters and coaches while passing on the HIV/AIDS message as part of the Spring 2012 projects.
Once again this year saw CWB hold two recruitment days in Birmingham and London.
Saturday 31st March saw us return to St Philips Chambers Birmingham. Once again we are indebted to St Philips for the Pro Bono use of facilities, refreshments and delicious shortbread biscuits.
In a really exciting development Cricket Without Boundaries will deliver its first project to Cameroon in November 2012.
Cameroon has a solid foundation in terms of its Cricket development and are now keen to harness the unique way CWB tackles HIV and Aids awareness.
A team of volunteers have recently returned from Uganda following a successful 17 day trip to 3 centres in the East. The team, made up of members of the Belvoir Cricket Trust led by Paul Rowe and Richard Davies, visited Masaka, Kasese and Fort Portal. The team trained over 500 kids and 60 coaches and made a lasting impression on everyone they came into contact with.
The Uganda Cricket Association (“UCA”) won the ICC Africa Region Best Spirit of Cricket Initiative for its project with CWB in 2011. CWB in conjunction with Uganda Cricket Association ran an AIDS/HIV awareness campaign in six districts in Uganda.
The awareness campaign’s theme was 'Bowling AIDS of Uganda'. Through this programme local communities were empowered through coach training and coaching. All areas visited were supported with basic equipment while t-shirts with the theme of the programme were distributed to participants. The awareness campaign was run by incorporating of coaching drills with messages.
CWB are delighted to announce that close friend and partner Aliya Bauer, of Cricket Kenya, has been honoured with the Volunteer of the Year Award for her dedicated work alongside the Maasai Cricket Warriors in 2011 at the Pepsi ICC Develpoment Programme Annual Awards.
PREVENTION: Encouraging behavioural change
Several schoolchildren playing cricket, some on standby to score some runs with their bats while others are so keen on chasing after yellow balls to catch them mid-air, is quite a sight at the dust-filled Kicukiro Oval grounds in Kigali. The children are some of the over 2,000 children who have been coached in the game, in only two weeks, by volunteers from Cricket Without Boundaries.
Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB) is a UK based charity that focuses on spreading the HIV/AIDS message in Africa, through teaching cricket. They have established over 20 projects in four main countries—Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana and Kenya.
CWB's youngest volunteer, Cameron Foster, has been rewarded for his fantastic fundraising efforts with two major honours. Cameron, who started fundraising for charity after recovering from a horrific ski accident 7 years ago, has been named as the Rotary International of Britain and Ireland Young Citizen of the Year. Cameron will receive his award at a ceremony in Bournemouth on the 14th April which will be shown live on BBC news.
'Cricket Without Boundaries' continue to make an impact in Kenya
Thanks to the support of Cricket Kenya, Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB), a delivery partner of the ICC's THINKWISE programme, has just returned from another highly successful project in Kenya. 8 volunteers from different parts of the UK with various backgrounds and life experiences spent two weeks in Kenya in a bid to build on the work of previous CWB projects. In the process teaching cricket with the HIV/AIDS education messages that so desperately needs to be heard.
CWB launches new partnership with MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association), Nairobi, Kenya
On Saturday 11th February, CWB Lead Tutor, Daniel Feist and CWB Kenya Country Manager, Tracey Davies took to Mathare, Nairobi (one of Kenya's many slum area's) to work with MYSA, an organisation that supports the slum communities of Mathare and surrounding areas. MYSA have up to now being largely focused on Football, with CWB's involvement MYSA can now offer Cricket as part of their programme, giving the people of the local community another option of something hugely to engage in. Not only has CWB brought the sport of Cricket to the Mathare, Nairobi area, but also the HIV/AIDS awareness messages through cricket coaching that is inherit in the ethos of CWB.
CWB trained coach spreading the word in Kisumu, Kenya
CWB first met and trained Derick Inyanje in October 2011 in Kisumu, Kenya.
Working closely with Derick closely the team trained and mentored him in cricket coaching and in teaching HIV/AIDS messages. With a bag of CWB donated cricket equipment and his undoubted enthusiasm Derick has taken to his coaching role with gusto.
As the UK shivers under snow and ice CWB's first Spring project has flown out to a much warmer Kenya. Over two weeks, in partnership with Cricket Kenya, the team will continue their efforts to develop grass roots cricket across the country. This will be our ninth visit to Kenya and will feature more coaching with the now world famous Maasai cricketers.
CWB return to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Botswana this Spring.
This spring sees the projects kick off again – the main focus for CWB's work – with four great teams heading out to our four 'host countries'. If the training weekend is anything to go by they should be four fantastic, fun filled and worthwhile trips!
CWB can proudly announce that they have become a delivery partner for the Think Wise Global Cricket AIDS Partnership.
Think Wise is a campaign between the ICC, UNAIDS and UNICEF to promote HIV prevention. Like CWB, the partnership was established to use the power of cricket to help tackle key issues around AIDS by focusing on increasing information and awareness about HIV as well as addressing the key issues of stigma and discrimination that are associated with AIDS.
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UK registered charity 1154576