COACH CRICKET TO UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN IN ACCRA

AKWAABA - Welcome to Ghana! On this project you can coach cricket to children who've rarely seen the game played - but it doesn't stop their enthusiasm to learn! Your role will be to coach cricket at poor schools during lesson times. After school you could be involved in selecting and coaching an Under-12s and Under-14s team for all of the schools. On the weekends you might have the opportunity to coach and train with the Ghana National Cricket team, depending on the season.

Travellers Worldwide, together with the Ghana Cricket Association, have set up a cricket development program to develop the sport in Ghana and to give Ghanaian children the opportunity to learn to play an exciting sport that is new to them.
 

►SUMMARY FACTFILE
Start Dates	All year round - you choose your start and finish dates! Please check the school term dates below when planning your programme.
Duration	2 weeks to 1 year, subject to visa requirements
Requirements	Minimum age 17. You don't have to a great knowledge of the game and the rules, but you must be an enthusiastic person who enjoys playing the game.
Price	From £795 for 2 weeks, ranging to £1,795 for 12 weeks. Full Price List
What's included	►Accommodation ►Food ►Meeting you at the Airport ►Transfer to your accommodation ►Transport to and from your project ►Full pre-departure support ►Local in-country team support and backup ►24-hr emergency support ►Two free T-shirts.
What's not included	Flights, Insurance, Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and assistance), Return transfer to airport.
Who can do this Project?	All projects are open to all nationalities. Unless otherwise stated, you need to be aged between 17 and 70+

PROJECT OVERVIEW
Ghana is a wonderfully welcoming country and the people are overwhelmingly hospitable and friendly. They love their music, dancing and socialising, and this, together with lots of glorious open African country and sunshine, contribute to making your travel adventure to Ghana very special.

You'll probably work in a few different schools, depending on your timetable.  Part of the uniqueness of Cricket is that the game also embodies a philosophy and discipline based on "fair play" and other life skills - so you'll actually be teaching the children more than 'just cricket'!

The schools are a mixture of primary and junior secondary. You will generally be asked to teach cricket to all age groups. You are very likely to be in popular demand everywhere - in and out of the classroom. We're looking for cricket enthusiasts as volunteers who can continue with the ground work started by previous volunteers. We run a number of successful cricket tournaments and you can get involved in the running of these tournaments.

OUR CRICKET DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Travellers Worldwide and the Ghana Cricket Association are working hand in hand to develop cricket in Ghana. As a Travellers cricket coach, you'll assist in this development programme that is designed to strengthen the sport of cricket in Ghana. 

As we are trying to strengthen the sport of cricket in Ghana, three times a year Travellers hold tournaments for the 4 schools involved, who all play for the Travellers Trophy. Your role in this will be to organise the tournament, as well as select the players and run the operation of the tournament. These tournaments are a great way for children to put into practice the skills you have taught them. These tournaments are the only opportunity that Ghanaian children have to play cricket anywhere in the country.

"The level of cricket at the Tournament may not have been high, but it was one of the most enjoyable days I have spent on a cricket pitch. I've watched and played cricket all over the world, at all levels and only on rare occasions have I felt like I did after the Tournament was over. The rush of pleasure from seeing how much the children enjoyed it was for me unrivalled." Tom Thorley

At the same time as teaching Cricket, you can also teach other subjects, such as conversational English or even other sports, if you'd like to. You don't need any qualifications to participate in a teaching placement in Ghana (but if you're combining Cricket with teaching English, you do need to be fluent in English).

Some of the teachers are also keen to learn the game and help out in cricket sessions, and we believe that this will help to expand the game not only in the schools, but also in the entire community. Your help is very much appreciated and schools embrace our volunteers wholeheartedly. Before you leave to do your placement, you'll be provided with a mountain of information on just about everything to do with Ghana and your placement.

Our Ghana Manager and his team will look after you well. You'll get lots of advice about the do's and don’ts of Ghanaian culture, what to do and where to go.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into Africa and Ghanaian culture.

• The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and knowing that you made a difference to them.

• New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.

• An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market

• And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

SCHOOL TERMS 2010:
Coaching is not available during school holidays, so if you're planning to participate in a placement, please take the school term dates into account when planning the timing of your project. On the other hand, if a holiday falls during your proposed placement, you could use this time to do any independent travelling and sightseeing. Dates for the school terms (semesters) are given below (These dates are used as a guideline and can change yearly)

"The pleasure for me is in seeing youngsters learning to catch, throw and hit a ball and play in a team game where healthy competition is encouraged and where they encourage one another to do well. You do not have to be a good cricketer to teach this. Occasionally I have had more than one class at a time and it is quite difficult keeping control of large numbers of kids and ensuring that everyone has a chance to have a bat and a bowl. The older kids are so competitive that they have latched on to the idea that if they sneak into the queue for a second bat then their team will score more runs!!!” Paul Edmunds

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF YOU
You don’t have to have a great knowledge of the game and the rules, but you must be an enthusiastic person who enjoys playing the game. So if you have a passion for cricket then why not become a Travellers cricketer and help to develop the sport to the children in Ghana?

Self-reliance, independence and initiative are highly appreciated and a sense of humour when the electricity fails, or buses don't turn up, will help you to make the most of this wonderful opportunity! 

Like all our destination countries, the culture in Ghana is different to what you're used to. For example, the people are exceptionally friendly and helpful, with big smiles and a relaxed attitude. On the other hand, the living standard falls short of UK or Western standards. And Ghanaian time is when someone says, "See you at 10.a.m.," - what he really means is, "I'll see you sometime tomorrow" ... And then he may not turn up at all.

The pace of life is slower and more relaxed. This must be borne in mind and you are naturally expected to live within local cultural rules. But you'll quickly get involved in the daily life of the local people and pretty soon you'll feel completely at home - Ghana has that effect on you!

The first school cricket team!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The BBC filming one of our volunteers, Paul Edmunds, during his placement, giving his first cricket lesson to the children. The BBC "Grown-Up Gappers" series.

Paul Edmunds giving the children the basics of the game

“We took the Kwik-Cricket equipment out to one of the dusty fields, while the kids all gathered around in curiosity. Ghana does not play cricket so for most of these kids this was the first time they had seen a cricket bat.

...Paul then did an under-arm throw. To my amazement, this young boy's swing was very natural and he gave the ball a good belt! It zoomed across the air and one of the girls jumped up high and caught it. I think England may have found new team to give us a good bashing in the future!!!” Andrew Kemp

MCC Foundation donates cricket equipment to Ghana: Press Release

"The MCC Foundation, the charitable arm of MCC, recently donated cricket equipment to help schoolchildren in West Africa. Two primary schools in the Ghanaian capital city of Accra received “Kwik-Cricket” sets. Craig Barrington, a volunteer hospital worker on a placement with ‘Travellers Worldwide’ discovered that the organization had started a cricket-coaching project. He approached the MCC for assistance and the MCC Foundation offered two complete ‘Kwik-Cricket” sets. The bats, stumps and balls in each set are made from high quality moulded plastic. This makes them light enough for children of all ages to be able to learn the basics of the game, for both outdoor and indoor use.

Craig said, 'Cricket is much a sport on the rise in the schools in Ghana. I spent a couple of hours explaining the game to the children and showing them how to play. The donation by MCC was appreciated greatly by both the staff and the children at both schools.'

Following Chris’s visit, 'Travellers Worldwide' has approached Ghana’s Sports minister and members of the national cricket team to arrange for additional coaching to take place at the schools.

Other recent donations made by the MCC Foundation include fifteen “Kwik-Cricket” sets (plus literature in French) being sent to Gabon Cricket to help develop the game amongst children aged 6-14 years and £2,000 to Hatfield Peverel Cricket Club in Essex for a new outdoor net facility to be used by both the Colts teams and the local primary School."

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ACCOMMODATION AND LIVING IN GHANA

Your accommodation will vary depending on the type of placement you're doing and where you are located. You may live in comfortable guest house accommodation, but you will most likely live with a host family in their home. This means that you get to eat, sleep, work, socialise and generally live like a Ghanaian. Local family stays enable you to fully experience the local culture from the inside.

Many of our volunteers remain friends with their host families long after they leave Ghana and in some cases they return to the country later especially to visit their family. Sometimes members of their Ghanaian family have even gone to visit them in their home country.

"The family for the past 6 weeks, the Opuku family, have been very warming to us staying there. They've cooked up some fabulous meals and have been very helpful to us when we have needed some help finding our way around. The children at the house are fantastic! They're very keen to explore your room, and sweets seems to be very high on the list." Jonathan Childs

Food will be local cuisine - again this is to enable you to fully experience living as local Ghanaians do. When we arrange your placement, we will liaise extensively with you regarding both the placement and your accommodation.  As always, our Local Manager will look after you well and will always be on hand to help and offer advice.

Caroline on the left, Susannah on the right
standing on the front verandah of their accommodation with Caroline’s host, Lizzie