YORKSHIRE TEA PROGRAMME: AN UPDATE
Yorkshire Tea’s cricket coaching programme, delivered by Cricket Builds Hope at tea estates in some of the most rural parts of Rwanda, is now in its third year. In Gisovu, where the programme began in 2019, there are sessions in four local schools as well as coaching for tea factory staff.
The various coaching sessions and cricket festivals in Gisovu attracted more than 250 boys and girls and have led to the creation of T10 tournaments each weekend. The sight of this unfamiliar sport often draws a crowd, and I spoke with one parent during a monitoring visit, who told us “my daughter was always a very shy girl and because of this she hadn’t previously enjoyed taking part in any sports at school. She found that cricket sessions were so much fun. It has been a very big boost to her confidence. This encouragement has made a big difference to her and it has led to her doing more activities at school.”
February 2020 saw the expansion of the programme to a second tea estate - Pfunda in Rubavu district. The programme kicked off with sessions in six schools, hosting more than 380 students (boys and girls), 8 factory staff and 12 teachers as participants. The launch event was attended by heads of tea factories in Rwanda, the Tea Quality Manager from Yorkshire Tea and the Vice Mayor of Rubavu District who officially inaugurated the programme into his District. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic restricted the amount of cricket that could be played last year, but the coaches developed a home-based training programme and skill-specific training tips to ensure that players continued to improve their skills and kept physically active for their wellbeing.
The programme is set to expand further in 2021, to Nyabihu tea estate in Nyabihu district. The launch was due for February 2021 but Rwanda is currently subject to a strict lockdown so we will need to wait until organised sport is once again allowed.
The Yorkshire Tea programme will culminate in the Yorkshire Tea Cup at Gahanga Cricket Stadium in Kigali in 2022 where all the children and workers from the tea estates will come together for a tournament so they can show all the new skills they have learnt.
Cricket has taken hold in these three areas and we hope that, long after the programme and the tournament have ended, participation will continue to flourish, just like the tea plants that are the heart of these communities.
“Given the limited resources available to promote positive health behaviours, we are grateful that cricket creates an environment where our staff can interact and overcome multiple health risks through physical activity”
“From last year when I started playing cricket, I am happier. It stops me feeling stressed and worried”
“I’ve learnt I can do things I thought I’d never been able to do. Once you try something new the more you like it”
