A unique cricket charity is looking for new volunteers to help it increase its impact in delivering health messages through cricket covering HIV awareness; ending FGM and girls’ empowerment; and refugee integration.

Proposed Spring dates

• Rwanda - 16 Feb - 2 Mar 2019
• Kenya - 23 Feb - 9 Mar 2019
• Uganda - 16 - 30 Mar 2019

Already this year, over 34,000 children – over half of whom were girls - across the UK, Africa and the Middle East have been coached by the charity Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB). To continue its work and to reach even more children, CWB is looking for new volunteers.

CWB has three main goals.

1. To spread cricket through coaching children and teaching adults how to coach.
2. To link the sport to health and social messages and incorporate these messages into coaching sessions.
3. To bring together and empower local communities through cricket.

Projects in 2018 have included volunteers and ambassadors working in Cameroon, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Jordan and Durham in the UK:

In April, CWB volunteers visited Jordan for the first time to work with refugees - mainly those who have fled from the civil war in Syria - and the local Jordanian community to promote education for refugees and to develop new networks for cricket to grow.

Students from Leeds Trinity University visited Rwanda in June for the second successive year, coaching almost 4,500 children and training 24 teachers to continue the work once the volunteers left.

In January CWB volunteers – alongside the Durham CCC Foundation – trained volunteer leaders from the Girls Friendly Society in Durham. The leaders have gone on to use cricket to talk to local girls about their hopes and challenges in a positive, empowering environment through simple games and integrated learning activities.

Julia Farman from Cricket Without Boundaries, said:

“This is a really exciting time to get involved with Cricket Without Boundaries. We’ve got lots of new projects off the ground which explored new opportunities in Jordan and the UK. As we continue to grow beyond our HIV-education origins we want to do more to increase inclusion and non-discrimination for young people by addressing gender issues, girls’ empowerment, and refugee integration.

“We have made a start on these but need more volunteers to allow us to have an even bigger impact. We have achieved a huge amount in the last six months and with your help, we can achieve more. But this isn’t just a one-sided benefit for us and the people in the countries we visit, our volunteers get so much out of the experience. And whether it’s in Africa, Jordan or in the UK, there is so much choice for our volunteers to get involved in. So, whether you’re an individual, a club or part of a university, we’d love to hear from you.”

CWB volunteers have gained enormously from their experiences:

Khushali Patel from London said:

“The day after I got back from my first trip with CWB I signed up to go back again the following year! You'll have so much fun, make lots of new friends, visit a beautiful country and most importantly have the opportunity to make a difference to the future of thousands of children. It's the most incredible, life changing and eye-opening experience you could ever imagine.”

Jo Dean, from Leeds, said:

“The cheeky, enthusiastic kids, the supportive team mates, stunning scenery and even the little things that go wrong sometimes, all bring a smile to my face when I think about my CWB trips. Although I didn't realise it at the time, they've given me confidence and a new perspective on life.”

Pete Lamb, from Bristol, said:

“I knew a CWB trip would be amazing, I didn’t realise it would be quite so amazing… No matter how much or little you know about Cricket it’s a great opportunity to do something unique and meet some fantastic people.”

In total, in 2018, CWB has worked in 6 countries and volunteers have delivered over 800 hours of coaching. More than 34,000 children have taken part in fun, inclusive cricket sessions with a health or social message. And over 180 adults have been trained as coaches to deliver cricket sessions.

Click here for more information on volunteering for Cricket Without Boundaries.