Cricket Namibia’s Kwata Cricket development programme for young boys and girls was launched at the Wanderers Cricket Ground on Wednesday afternoon. The programme, which is being funded by Unicef Namibia, has been implemented in the Khomas region and has two components: one that serves to introduce young boys and girls, aged between 9 and 12, to the game of mini cricket through regular physical education classes in schools and one that targets young women aged between 13 and 17, to learn the game in an after school setting. The girls with the greatest potential are then selected to enter a competitive girls’ Academy.
Currently 3 200 Grade 3 and 4 boys and girls in the Khomas Region have been introduced to softball Kwata Cricket on a weekly basis, while 85 teachers have been exposed to coaching Kwata Cricket and receiving training on Healthy Lifestyles, including life skills and leadership.
A total of 15 schools are currently playing cricket in a competitive league.
About 150 Grade 6 to 10 girls in the Khomas Region have been introduced to cricket and are attending regular practise sessions, while 13 Under 17 girls will be selected to represent Namibia in December 2010 in Gauteng in the Northern Cricket Union’s Interprovincial tournament.
Kwata Cricket was honoured for its developmental efforts by winning last year’s prize of Best Spirit of Cricket Initiative at the ICC Africa Development Programme’s Annual Awards, while Namibia also won the Best Overall Cricket Development Programme award.
At the end of February 2010, Namibia went one better when they won the Best Overall Cricket Development Programme at the ICC Development Programme Annual Awards 2009.
Namibia also won the ICC African UNAIDS awards in 2005 and 2009 and according
to the CEO of Cricket Namibia, Laurie Pieters, awareness of HIV and AIDS has formed an integral part of Cricket Namibia’s developmental efforts over the past few years, with Cricket Namibia’s development officers carrying the message of HIV and AIDS awareness to young children throughout Namibia.
“Together with Mr Ian Macleod and his team from Unicef, a programme has been initiated and will include the awareness of violence against women, alcohol abuse and HIV/AIDS,” he said.
“The programme will extend throughout rural Namibia, schools, colleges and academies. In total it would mean that this message would be carried over to a minimum of 5 000 young boys and girls,” he added.
Pieters called on the Namibia Sport Commission to embrace the initiative and to encourage all sport codes in Namibia to include similar programmes.
Ian Macleod, Unicef’s representative in Namibia, said that Unicef had been working with the ICC and its member countries to raise awareness and to reduce the stigma around people living with HIV/AIDS, and through Kwata Cricket this programme was being extended in Namibia.
“Our aims are to provide opportunities for all young Namibians of all backgrounds to learn, play and enjoy cricket; to work with coaches and teachers and parents, and to build the knowledge about healthy lifestyles and develop life skills to reduce their risk and vulnerability to HIV, alcohol and drug use; and through this wonderful team sport to help break through ingrained gender-biases and discrimination and overcome racial and other boundaries,” he said.
Macleod introduced the goodwill ambassador of Kwata Cricket, Paul “Gogga” Adams, the former South African and Western Province spin bowler, saying he was a great role model and ambassador for Kwata Cricket.
“Paul Adams is a unique cricketer and a unique individual. How many other cricketers among the leading Test nations in the past 50 years had played just two first class games before being thrust into a test team after their peers had been unable to knock over the English? Despite his background, which saw him growing up in Grassy Park, and all the pressures of his country in the mid and late Nineties, Paul managed to continue to conduct himself in an exemplary manner on and off the field,” he said.
Adams immediately broke the ice and endeared himself to the audience when he revealed where he had learnt his unique bowling style:
“To put the record straight – I got my bowling style from stealing hubcaps,” he said to much laughter.
He called on the youngsters in attendance to believe in the slogan of Kwata Cricket, “Catch your Dreams,” which is derived from ‘Kwata’ – the Oshiwambo word for ‘catch.’
“You can only catch your dreams if you pursue them. I started playing on the streets in Grassy Park and I went out at a young age and believed in my dreams. At the age of 18, I received my first international cap from Hansie Cronje in Port Elizabeth,” he said.
Adams said that Kwata Cricket was a great initiative which would provide some great opportunities for Namibia’s youth.
The chief administrator of the Namibia Sport Commission, Rusten Mogane said the Kwata Cricket programme was ‘history in the making’ since it would help to take cricket to underprivileged children.
“We all know that cricket is an expensive sport. It is seen as a sport for the privileged, but it should be the right of every child to participate in sport,” he said.
Mogane called on Cricket Namibia to ensure that integration took place at all levels of the game.
“It is good to see that there are children here of all colours playing sport together, but at the end of the day we want to see them representing Namibia,” he said.
“Cricket Namibia, we are watching you. So far you are doing well, but we will keep the pressure on you to continue to do well,” he added.