January 2013
Kudumail
News from the Africa Scout Region
www.scout.org/africa
Why did Baden Powell choose Nyeri as his last home?
Inside Highlight
Why did Baden Powell choose Nyeri as his last home?
Page 1 From NSOs Burkina Faso Scout Association MoP Team holds training
Scouts South Africa camp live on national television JML Rotary Scout crew in the Governor's Cup
Page 2 From ARO Lesotho ALT training during launch of FFL
The Regional Office welcomes an intern from Finland
Page 3 Community Scouts promoting peaceful elections Development in Ghana Page 4 NYERI, KENYA - At about 100 kilometres away from the World Scout Bureau Africa Regional Office, in Nairobi, stands PAXTU, the last residence of the Founder of Scouting, Lord Baden Powell. Towards the sunset of his fulfilled life, the Chief Scout of the World had chosen to retire at the foot of Mount Kenya, an area in the Central Highlands Region, in Nyeri. His former private secretary during the Great War, Eric Walker, had built there the Outspan Hotel, which still exists to date and accommodates rather fortunate customers since the beginning of the 1920s. Lord Baden-Powell had made a first visit there in 1927, during a trip which was to make him reexamine Southern Rhodesia (ex-Matabeleland and current Zimbabwe), and was allured by the gentle climate of the high plateaus, in the east of the Mounts Aberdare, and the splendid scenery of the slopes of Kenya's highest summits, which up until now is still an attraction for trekkers. At the time of this first stay, thanks to his host BP spent one night at Tree Tops, a house built with trees that formed a canopy near a waterhole where all the animals from the area assembled at nightfall, a spectacle which enchanted BP. History holds that it is “while in this tree that Elisabeth became Elisabeth II, Queen of England”, when she learned there, during a visit to Kenya, the death of her father Georges VI in 1952. Upon return to England, in his property 'Pax Hill', Baden-Powell, concerned about the evolution of the political situation in Europe, and heeding the initiative of his wife Lady Olave, started to prepare his trip to what was to become his last
country - Kenya- with declared intentions to spend his last days there. His friend Eric Walker asked him to build a special bungalow on the site of his hotel. This cottage (PAXTU) still exists to date and is visited by tourists and Scouts from all over the world. It is a modest residence (a living room with large windows, two bedrooms and two small bathrooms, with a garden surrounded by Jacarandas (African trees with blue flowers), the terrace offers a splendid sight of the mountains and the whole set up confirms Lord Baden-Powell's preference for life in outdoors. It is in his 'African' house that he passed on peacefully in the morning of July 8, 1941. In accordance with the wish of Lady Olave, and his own predilection, he was buried at the Nyeri cemetery, where his remains rest hitherto, and not at the Abbey of Westminster, the British Pantheon where the dean had reserved a site for him. Today, PAXTU has been transformed into a museum and shelters various objects that are of interest to the Scout Movement, especially countless written messages of the Scouts who visited the place. The Golden Book bears a message of an American Scout who visited PAXTU some days after the tragic bomb attack of Nairobi in August 1998, during which the first voluntary first-aider to arrive on the scene was a young Kenyan Scout. As we celebrate Founder’s Day on 22nd February, let’s remember our Founder’s resting place and make a point of visiting the grave to pay our respects.
Events Founder’s Day calendar
Africa Scout Day 2013 Southern Africa Zonal Youth Forum and Conference
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January 2013
Kudumail
FOCUS ON NSOs Burkina Faso Scout Association MoP Team holds training
They also talked about what makes Scouting so exciting, what goes into a hiking backpack and what to do if you come across a snake during a hike. Scouts South Africa has a good relationship with this youth programme that has an estimated audience of 2.5 million people nationwide. Plans are underway to have the next live show where showcase the adventurous spirit of Scouting combined with a message on being prepared.
BURKINA FASO - On the 4th of November 2012 the Burkina Faso Scout Association Messengers of Peace team trained during the 6th Africa Scout Jamboree in Burundi, held their first MoP training for 21 unit leaders drawn from the Central region.
JML Rotary Scout crew in the Governor's Cup SOUTHAFRICA - The JML Rotary Scout set sail on 1st December 2012 in the Governor's Cup which is a 1700-mile plus – usually downwind, yacht race from Simon’s Town in South Africa, to James Bay on St. Helena Island.
The objective of the training was to spread the peace message as well as equip the unit leaders with the necessary skills to come up with activities in line with the MoP objectives and share the knowledge and skills with members of their respective Scout patrols, friends and families and carry out an action challenge as a peace project to impact their communities. During the meeting, the team took the opportunity to request the National Committee to introduce them officially country wide and in particular during the national conference held from the 27th to 30th December 2012. The MoP team invited two unit leaders from each of the regions in Burkina Faso for Community Leaders training where they would among other activities brainstorm on ideas to raise money for a revolving fund to carry out their MoP activities.
The event started off with a parade of all the yacht crews where Scout groups sent many cubs and scouts to support the JML Rotary Scout crew and cheer them on during the parade.
Scouts South Africa camp live on national television SOUTHAFRICA - On Wednesday the 12th December 2012, twenty-eight Scouts from all over the Western Cape participated live on the popular South African youth television programme Hectic Nine 9 on SABC 2.
The crew was in first place during some days of the race and crossed the finish lane with an amazing performance where they were placed 1st in cruising class, 3rd across the line and 2nd in the race on handicap. They did extremely well. This competition is open to ALL Scouts in Scouts South Africa whether they are Land Scouts, Air Scouts and of course Sea Scouts. JML Rotary Scout is available to all troops who wish to go sailing at a very nominal rate for the day or use the facilities they have and experience the thrill of sailing.
With the support of Scouter Brendan Dale, the young Scouts showed off their skills by swinging into the studio on a rope, setting up a tent live on air, cooking an apple crumble in an improvised oven and teaching the presenters how to purify water from a river.
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© 2012 World Scout Bureau – Africa Regional Office
January 2013
Kudumail
FROM THE REGIONAL OFFICE Lesotho ALT training during launch of FFL
The Lesotho Scout Association for a long period of time has been sending its leaders to participate in training organized by neighboring NSOs.
LESOTHO – From the 16th to 22nd December 2012, unit leaders and commissioners from corners of Lesotho participated in a course for assistant leader trainers at the Mineworkers of Lesotho Conference Centre just outside Maseru Berea District. Lesotho Scout Association with the support of the department of Strategy and Education Services in the World Scout Bureau Africa Regional Office organized the course.
The association has challenges, as most of its planned activities have not been completed, due to lack of resources. The Training of Trainers, Adult in Scouting Policy and the printing of the Youth Program are some of the activities that are still to be finalized. The association also needs support in capacity building including review of the current constitution so that it serves the current realities. The participants who successfully completed this training will now form the base of local experts and will be very instrumental in the strengthening of the volunteer support. As a result more Unit Leader training will now be conducted locally.
The Regional Office welcomes an intern from Finland NAIROBI – Joonas Kinnunen, a Scouter from the Finnish Scouts has started his 6-month volunteership at the World Scout Bureau Africa Regional Office. Joonas joined ARO on Monday 7th January and will be with us till the end of June 2013. His work focuses primarily on supporting the implementation of the Food for Life project. Nevertheless, he will also be involved in other service delivery activities of the office.
The purpose of the training was to help increase their knowledge, develop their skills and modify their attitudes. It was a dynamic process of change leading to personal development and an increase in job performance. Trainers would be active agents in this process, through their interventions at various stages. They would also create appropriate conditions to start the process and provide the necessary elements to sustain its momentum. The Scout movement depends heavily on the work of the volunteers who provide support especially on the implementation of the Youth Program and management of the organization. Training of Adults has remained a challenge for a number of National Scout Organizations within the Africa Region.
Although the responsibility of training leaders rest with the National Scout Organization it is important that the World Scout Bureau Africa Regional Office support and develop the capacity of individual Scout Organizations.
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Joonas, 25, is a Masters student in Social and economic History at the University of Helsinki, Finland. His undergraduate studies include Sociology, Gender, Development and Anthropology. Thus, he is passionate about social and economic matters, including international equality and the active inclusion of women and young people into the society. Whereas this is his first experience in Africa, he had participated in a student exchange in Reykjavik, Iceland (2010-2011). He had also served as a research assistant on Development Studies at the University of Helsinki and as a surveyor at the Criminal Sanctions Agency of the Finnish Ministry of Justice. For the last two years, he served at the University of Helsinki Sport Facilities as a part-time worker. Much of his spare time is dedicated to voluntary work/organizations. His involvement with Scouting includes being the treasurer of a Scout Group in Helsinki (2008) and being a member of Finland Scouter’s support group for Woomal Project (Senegal) before joining Finland Scouter’s support group for Food for Life projects in Benin and Niger. Besides Scouting, he has been actively involved in numerous student organizations, both nationally and internationally. He has been a student representative in the administration of his university for many years and have done lot of equality work for the same. He is currently a representative of the student council. © 2012 World Scout Bureau – Africa Regional Office
January 2013
Kudumail
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Memorable quote
Scouts promoting peaceful elections in Ghana
“Try to leave this world a little better than you found it and, when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best”
GHANA - The Ghana Scout Association as part of its MoP project titled “Scouts promoting peaceful elections in Ghana” organized a press conference after the several pockets of post-election violence.
Lord Baden Powell, Founder of Scouting
PLEASE EMAIL US A PROVERB OR SAYING FROM YOUR COUNTRY. WE WILL PUBLISH THE BEST IN THE NEXT ISSUE! (africa@scout.org)
The event was held on Wednesday, 19th December 2012 at the Ghana International Press Center, in Accra and attended by about a 100 people (Scouts, other youth organizations and the media). The objectives of the Press Release were; 1. 2. 3. 4.
Make a statement calling for peace after the 2012 elections Officially unveil the MoP project Interact with the media Continue to rebrand our image to Ghana
As already noted, the event was held to make a confirmed statement from the Scouts on the series of post-election violence dotted in most of the cities, this created panic and fear for most members of the two main political parties but also alarmed most Ghanaians who went about the normal everyday business. Partners to the Peace Project gave brief solidarity messages to support the Ghana Scout Association in not only the press statement but with the entire peace project. Some of the partners present were; 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Ghana Girl Guides Association Head of State Award Scheme (HOSA) Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) Ghana Red Cross Society National Cadets Corps Student and Youth Travel Organisation (SYTO) St. Johns Ambulance
The press conference also took the opportunity to inform the people present of the MoP project and some of the activities done and others yet to be implemented in the regions
UPCOMING EVENTS EVENT
DATES
COUNTRY
Founder’s Day
22nd February 2013
Celebrated at NSO Level
Africa Scout Day
10th – 14th March 2013
Ethiopia
Southern Africa Zonal Youth Forum and Conference
9th to 11th and 12th to 14th April 2013, respectively
Gaborone, Botswana
STAY IN TOUCH!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scouting-in-the-AfricaRegion/163797806967899?sk=wall World Scout Bureau Africa Regional Office P.O. Box 63070 00200, City Square Nairobi, KENYA
https://www.twitter.com/#!/ScoutingAfrica
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africa@scout.org www.scout.org/africa Skype: worldscoutbureauafrica Phone 1: (+254 20) 728499553 Phone 2: (+254 20) 245 09 85
© 2012 World Scout Bureau – Africa Regional Office