ECB Regional Head of Performance Steve Williams is urging people to follow in his footsteps and volunteer with Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB).
The UK-based HIV/AIDS and cricket development charity are currently looking for enthusiastic people for two-week projects to Africa in 2015 and 2016.
Each trip involves coaching in schools, running cricket festivals and training new coaches.
Williams visited Uganda in October 2014 and he said he would recommend a CWB project to anyone who wanted to use cricket to make a difference or develop their coaching skills.
He said: “It was an inspiring trip, a really great charity and something I would be really keen to do again.
“As coaches we spend a lot of time encouraging our players to find that level of ‘stretch’ where they are learning and challenging themselves but perhaps we don’t do it enough ourselves.
“For experienced coaches or tutors, being part of a CWB project gets you thinking outside the box and is a great way of refreshing your skills. For those newer to cricket it will challenge you to find different ways of applying your knowledge and getting the key messages across.”
And despite Williams’ considerable experience in the game as a professional coach, tutor and field-based trainer, he says he still learnt a lot from his two weeks in Africa.
He added: “I think from a personal perspective it really sharpened up my quick decision making and ability to think on my feet. At home we get used to planning and preparing for everything in detail but the big thing in Africa is you never know quite what to expect.
CWB, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has coached 130,000 children and trained over 3,000 adults as coaches in nine African countries.
With an estimated 23.5 million people, 69% of the global AIDS burden, living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, the charity is committed to using cricket as a tool to deliver vital HIV/AIDS awareness messages.
Previous projects have also seen CWB help communities in Rwanda continue their recovery from civil war and use cricket to rehabilitate former child soldiers in northern Uganda.
A number of players introduced to the game by CWB have also gone on to play international cricket.
The charity is currently looking for volunteers for Autumn 2015 and Spring 2016 when it will be returning to Cameroon, Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda .
One person to benefit from the CWB experience is 23-year-old Olly Ralph, a county and district youth coach with Gloucestershire.
He visited Uganda in spring 2014 and is the current ECB Young Coach of the Year for the South West.
He said: “The experience of coaching in Africa with CWB has definitely improved me as a coach. Having to deal with large numbers, often in limited space, has helped me learn to think on my feet and has given me the confidence that I can deal with anything that is thrown at me.”
Interviews for upcoming projects will take place in London on February 28 and Birmingham on March 7.
To find out more about CWB and to apply for an upcoming project visit www.cricketwithoutboundaries.com .