Volunteers wanted for life-changing experience in Africa
People are being encouraged to embark on a life-changing experience this year by volunteering for the sports development charity, Cricket Without Boundaries.
The charity works in 5 sub-Saharan African countries to deliver cricket coaching alongside health and social messages, particularly around HIV/AIDS and FGM. Cricket Without Boundaries has - in the last ten years:
- coached over 250,000 children in 9 African countries;
- trained over 3,500 adults as ICC cricket coaches; and
- raised awareness of HIV/AIDS and FGM in communities through cricket.
Cricket Without Boundaries is now looking for new volunteers to take part in forthcoming trips to Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda in Autumn 2017 and Spring 2018.
Cricket Without Boundaries volunteers know what a great experience the trips are. Jhon, aged 35 from Petersfield, said:
"Volunteering for Cricket Without Boundaries is the best thing I have ever done."
Tracey, aged 44 from Ickenham, said:
"My trips have given me new experiences, new friends, new found confidence that I can deal with any situation and a new perspective on what is important. Sign up, it will be the best two weeks of your life."
Ross, aged 38 from Bristol, said:
"Running a coaching session with 600 children on a mountain top in rural is a memory that will stay with me forever. Anyone who has a love of sport and is enthusiastic will develop some of the best experiences of their life volunteering for Cricket Without Boundaries."
Liam, aged 21 from Salisbury, said:
“Volunteering with Cricket Without Boundaries has to be one of the best things I’ve ever done."
Steve, aged 48 from Manchester, said:
"The opportunity to combine my love of cricket with helping make a difference was certainly the most rewarding thing I've ever done."
Leigh, aged 51 from Wolverhampton, said:
"I've experienced things I can spend a lifetime talking about with pride, and things that put my own life into firm perspective. I wish I'd got involved much earlier. The trips are so fulfilling. Being part of the Cricket Without Boundaries family is something I treasure and am proud to tell people about."
Daniel, aged 26 from Scarborough, said:
"[My] trips were unforgettable and genuinely life-changing. It is impossible to explain the feeling that coaching a group of several hundred smiling, enthusiastic, lively and cheerful African schoolchildren brings."
Hannah, aged 25 from Watford, said:
"The children and the Kenyan coaches transformed my way of thinking. It was the best two weeks of my life."
Lee Booth - Head of Delivery at Cricket Without Boundaries, said:
"We are looking for volunteers from all backgrounds to travel Africa for two weeks to coach cricket and deliver HIV - and related health- messages. All our volunteers find this a completely life-changing experience and one that lives with them long after they have returned home. Whether your passion is cricket, sports, health, or making a difference, a Cricket Without Boundaries project could be for you. We offer full training and currently work in 5 countries, each with a unique character. Our projects run in the Spring and Autumn so there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved. This is your chance to transform your life and the lives of countless others."
Cricket Without Boundaries trips last two weeks and are normally packed full to ensure the maximum impact in the country. Each project is made up of a team of 6-8 volunteers, with a mix of coaches and non-coaches to ensure a good spread of skills.
The projects include working with local schools, delivery of HIV and FGM awareness messages, training local people as coaches, umpires and scorers and acting as a representative of Cricket Without Boundaries within local communities.
