Jamie Clifford Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Kent county Cricket Club has written the British Prime Minister David Cameron to explain the work of Kent Cricket club(KCC) in Sierra Leone.
The letter reads; I would like to draw your attention to the work of Kent Cricket Club, Sierra Leone-KCC (SL). In November 2013, Kent County Cricket club established a partnership with a group of cricket enthusiasts in Freetown, Sierra Leone. (Photo: LR: Emmanuel and Jamie Clifford)
The KCC Cricket club was formed and named Kent Cricket Club. They set up with the intention of using the game of cricket to give young people hope and focus, in overcoming the challenges they faced as a result of war and conflict. Since the creation of the KCC (SL) they have achieved some amazing results, delivering some tremendous outcomes in their communities. In recent months, in the face of the Ebola, they have had a change of direction. Because of the risk it represents to the spread of the disease, sports is now a prohibited activity and so the work of KCC (SL) in developing the game of cricket is on hold. Rather than disband the cricket club, they are now using the organization to help educate and communicate good practice in the face of the Ebola outbreak. They are a respected community group and it appears that the power of sports to communicate key messages, even when the sport itself is not permitted, is proving very effective. I am sure you will join me in applauding their magnificent efforts, and furthermore reassure them that the British Government is doing all that it can to support the work currently underway in Sierra Leone, and the rest of West Africa, to arrest the alarming spread of this terrifying disease.