Cricket For Health And Social Change

Cricket Without Boundaries UK volunteers enhance cricket development in Kenya

6 of the UK volunteers at a recent training preparing for their trip to Kenya / CWB.

Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB) is one of the world's leading cricket development charities founded in 2005. Having delivered cricket for development programs in Kenya, Nepal, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, Cameroon, Jordan, Lebanon, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia and UK, the organization aims to empower communities through the game of cricket. With three main goals, CWB has helped empower communities, coach children, train adults and link the game to messages and action on health and social issues.

CWB has broken all barriers and boundaries to develop youth cricket all over the world by introducing students and teachers to the sport. Across the world, they have run sessions for refugee children in Jordan and through cricket, they have helped some children overcome the fallout of war and conflict in Uganda including conducting a range of unstructured cricket related activities at center for children with special educational needs in Entebbe. In Nepal early this year, they coached 3500+ kids in 35 schools (including 2 differently abled schools), umpired and facilitated 4 tournaments, and worked with 15+ local coaches and Changemakers in the country.

No child is ever left out of a CWB session. Here volunteers visit a school for the disabled in Kigali / CWB.

“Central to CWB’s work is the mentoring and empowerment of local coaches to lead cricket sessions which also tackle local health or social issues with the aim of boosting the lives of young people both on and off the field. The UK volunteers will be supporting a 13-strong team of Kenya-based local CWB Ambassadors,” said a press release prior to the Kenyan visit.

CWB delivers cricket development alongside health and social messages. They work on the principle that sport - particularly cricket - is inclusive and accessible for all. Local coaches are empowered to lead coaching sessions and identify local health or social issues that can be discussed during the games. All sessions provide high quality coaching and a safe place for participants to discuss issues that impact their lives. Adapted games, active group discussions, and education using metaphors from the game of cricket, work together to create an environment where players learn from their coaches and peers, and coaches learn from their players.

Training session at Kisumu Junior and Senior Academy in Kisumu – Kenya / Judy Rotich.

SI caught up with Cricket Without Boundaries volunteers at Kisumu Junior and Senior Academy in Kisumu, Kenya at a training session for children from the school. Throughout the training sessions, adapted games, active group discussions, and education using metaphors from the game of cricket were used to create an environment where players learnt from their coaches and peers, and coaches learn from their players.

“We know the appetite for cricket amongst the children of Kenya is huge and whenever we visit the sheer number of excited kids wanting to play is both hugely exciting and a little overwhelming! We’re looking forward to playing our part in expanding the game in Kenya, together with our brilliant local CWB Ambassadors, while also supporting youngsters with their development off the field as well. Through their work I have seen the ability of sport to unite, break down barriers and bring about personal and community development,” said Project Leader Mark Campbell, a veteran from many previous Cricket Without Boundaries trips.

The modest charity operates with minimal overheads in the UK, employing just one part-time staff member. The majority of the funds available are dedicated to paying Ambassadors worldwide who deliver cricket programs year-round. Twice a year, UK volunteers also travel to countries in East Africa and Nepal to support these efforts.

The CWB initiatives in Kenya, supported by Cricket Kenya, have helped local children to make it all the way to international cricket. Nick Oluoch, the lead Kenyan CWB ambassador had a hand in the development of many of the Kenyan women’s under-19 squad who went to the recent T20 World Cup Tier 2 qualifier that was held in Rwanda, as did several other Kenyan CWB Ambassadors. Malawi and Kenya successfully qualified to move to the final tier 1 stage of African qualification.

Gisele Ishimwe, inducted and nurtured into cricket by CWB now plays for the Rwandan women's national team / CWB.

It is not just in Kenya where CWB has supported the development of international cricketers, it has done the same in other countries like Rwanda. Several of the international women’s team members have developed through programs run by CWB, who have collaborated with Rwanda Cricket over the long-term to to deliver cricket programs across the country. An example is Gisele Ishimwe who began her involvement in cricket at a CWB session and who now plays for the women’s national side having captained the Under-19s at the 2023 World Cup. Her cricketing success has allowed her to pay for running water to her family home and also further education for herself and her siblings.