The Past

The story of cricket4kids harks back to 2007 when Bree Hinselwood and Luke Serong travelled to Sri Lanka on their way home to Australia after living in the United Kingdom. 

equipment

Before departing London, Luke organised the collection of 50 kilograms of cricket equipment from his UK cricket club, the Old Wimbledonians. This was packed up and flown to Colombo. The equipment was distributed to a school near the coastal town of Hikkaduwa – an area badly affected by the 2004 tsunami. The school community that received the equipment was greatly appreciative. It was clear, however, that much more needed to be done - both with the restocking of lost and damaged sporting equipment and indeed, with general assistance in the region.Also evident from this visit is the danger of development, or redevelopment, being defined by a particular economic, environmental or political trauma. This runs the risk of linking any beneficiary of the development to the past trauma and thereby defining the person as a victim and less so a human.

With this in mind, and a yardstick of 50 kilograms of equipment, a small band of enthusiastic youngsters set out to begin an organisation that would deliver preloved sporting equipment to underprivileged schools. It was hoped that providing access to sport these children could develop through fundamental childhood experiences common to children regardless of circumstance.

Cricket4kids was incorporated in December 2008 and has since worked towards distributing preloved sporting equipment to communities around the world regardless of political, religious or economic positioning.

The Present 

Why?

On the face of it, sporting equipment may seem low of the list of priorities for people in the developing world. Development often focuses on the large and important themes of education, water etc. With such work it can be easy to overlook the simple pleasures and loves of local populations such as sport. Cricket4kids’ distribution of preloved cricket equipment fills this void and allows children access to playing sport.

School

Sport represents an important social space in society. Playing sport with team mates and friends teaches one about rules, winning and losing, skills, friendship, team and community spirit. Sport is an important rite of passage in physical and psychological development for boys and girls throughout the world. The battles, imitation of international player heroes and adapted variations of rules and game structure of any sport represent a deep and loving memory of childhood for many of us.

Distributing equipment around the world fulfils the right of more children to form such wonderful memories.

The Future

In the coming years we hope to establish a central funneling point for clubs and whole associations within Australia to send preloved equipment for distribution.

Within the next three years we expect to expand our delivery horizons to rural and indigenous communities within Australia, Papua New Guinea and central Africa.