Kudumail Edition 32 EN by World Organization of the Scout Movement

May 2014

Kudumail

News from the Africa Scout Region

www.scout.org/africa

Rapid Response Initiative to recruit 1 million Scouts

Inside Highlight

Rapid Response Initiative to recruit 1 million Scouts

Page 1 From NSOs Southern Africa Scout Leasers

caucus on youth role in nation building

Page 2 From ARO Rehabilitation of defective masts in public schools

Forging forward with Scouting Basics !WSB-ARO/FILE

Page 3 Community Nigerian Scouts part of the Development Children’s Day Celebrations Page 4

KENYA - Scouting in Kenya started on 24th November 1910 and is the largest Youth Movement with over 500,000 Scouts and 40,000 Scout Leaders. The Kenya Scouts Association has developed a Rapid Response Initiative (RRI) to recruit 1 million Scouts by September 2014. The RRI which is part of the KSA 5 Year Strategic Plan 2013 – 2017 will include embarking on a mega nationwide Recruitment and Registration Drive and carry out different activities throughout the country to publicize Scouting. The main Activities will include: Tree Planting – KSA in partnership with the Government and other like-minded parties aims at planting 20 million trees as a gift of peace to the Kenyans. • Exchange Programmes – where Scouts will interchange from Counties for peace building and community Service. • Peace Marathons – Scouts will be involved in marathons for peace building and charity work, this will also be open to non-Scouts. • Peace Caravan Road Show – A peace caravan cross cutting the 10 Regions in Kenya to preach peace and register Scouts. • Community Service – this will include clean ups, blood donation drives, charity work, children homes visitations, disaster response, peace camps, youth forums, music concerts, hospital visits, helping the aged, adult literacy campaigns, road and bridge construction, first aid training, building schools and homes for the aged as well as many other projects across the country. Kenya Scouts Association has partnered with different stakeholders to help achieve this noble objective. Brand Kenya Board, Kenya Forestry Service, County Governments and National Bank are already in support of the initiative. The 20 Million trees (to be planted by 2017) will be a gift of peace to the Kenyans and is also part of the Government’s pledge of 50 Million Trees by 2017. The RRI was launched on 28th March 2014 at Kenya Scouts Association Headquarters in Rowallan Scouts Camp, Nairobi.

Events 40th World Scout Conference/12th calendar World Scout Youth Forum Uganda Scout Association Centenary Celebrations 16th Africa Scout Conference and 7th Youth Forum 23rd World Scout Jamboree

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May 2014

Kudumail

FOCUS ON NSOs Southern African Scout leaders caucus on youth role in nation building NAMIBIA - More than 70 senior Scouts and Scout leaders from around southern Africa gathered in Namibia from April 29-May 2 for the 11th Southern Zone Youth Scout Youth Forum and 40th Southern Zone Conference, hosted by Scouts of Namibia. The theme for both the forum and conference, held at Heja Lodge, was “Scouting: Contributing Towards Nation Building.

In his welcoming remarks, Namibia’s Chief Scout Brian Masule mentioned some of the social problems being experienced by young people in Namibia and elsewhere in southern Africa, primarily unemployment, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, passion killing, domestic violence, baby dumping and teenage pregnancy. He observed that the majority of cases reported relating to these issues involve the youth. “This gives me the impression that our youth are idle and therefore have so much time and energy to think of and commit such crimes,” Mr. Masule said. “The Scout Law says that a Scout is clean in through, word and deed. Unfortunately, there seems to be quite a number of youth all over who do not uphold this standard. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if all our youth were clean in thought word and deed?” Masule added that Scouting has the potential to make a significant contribution towards combating the problems facing young Africans and thereby enhance the nation-building process. Scouts of Namibia ARE ready to form a partnership with the Namibian Government in this regard, he said. Also in attendance at the conference was Mr. Frederick Kama-Kama, director of the World Scout Bureau’s Africa Region office in Nairobi, Kenya. Mr. Kama-Kama praised the southern African Scout associations for consistently holding zonal conferences and youth forums, and noted that the theme of the Namibia-hosted conference, “Scouting: Contributing Towards Nation-Building,” resonated well with the last words of Scouting’s Founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell: ‘Let us leave this world better than we found it.’” Kama-Kama further reminded delegates their NSOs need to implement programmes, including governance and management systems that foster personal integrity and social cohesion.

Delegates from the national Scout organizations of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe reported on activities and achievements over the past year and deliberated on issues and challenges faced by youth in the region. The NSOs of Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia were unable to send delegations due to various constraints. Keynote speaker for the conference was Mr. Patrick Haingura, Deputy Director: Directorate of Youth, Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture. Mr. Haingura spoke about the vital role played by youth in the nation-building process and pointed out that nations depend heavily on the ability of youth to mentally and physically prepare themselves for becoming trustworthy, reliable and contributing citizens and future leaders. “The role of youth in nation building is to perceive and enhance the skills needed to develop and promote the betterment of the country so that it becomes a place where all citizens, young and old, are informed about and engaged in all major issues that affect their lives, a place where adults and young people are together at the table debating, grappling with problems, crafting solutions and jointly deciding on how resources should be allocated, a robust democracy where all people, including youth, exercise their right to select those who should speak and act on their behalf and hold them accountable, a land where young people have an equal opportunity to have a sustainable livelihood,” Haingura said. “Imagine adults and young people working together to build a thriving a society from the ground up, contributing their knowledge, skills and resources to nation building,” Haingura said. “In Scouting this is a reality; in other spheres of influence it is largely myth. Actually, Scouting is able to harness the power behind the potential of youth as nation builders. That power is service – service to self, service to others, service to country. My ministry believes that these three principles of service that guide Scouts and Scout leaders all around the world can play a significant role in building enlightened, prosperous and compassionate nations.” The deputy director paid tribute to Scouting’s many contributions to the development of local and national communities throughout Africa, noting that the former Organization of African Unity resolved in 1963 to recognize March 13 every year as Africa Scout Day, an honour that continues to be observed by the OAU’s successor, the African Union.

Key recommendations arising from conference discussions included youth empowerment, greater involvement of Scouts in community projects, and the undertaking of benchmarking audits to improve the levels of governance and management at national Scout organisations in the region. Special guests at the conference included Mr. Nico Kaiyamo, former member of Parliament and past president of Scouts of Namibia; Mr. Chris Mbanga, Chief Scout of the Zimbabwe Scout Association and former vice chairperson of the Africa Scout Committee; Mr. Winston Adams, retired director of the Cape Town Operations Centre of the World Scout Bureau’s Africa Scout Region who once served a stint as acting regional director; and Mr. Frank van Rooyen, current president of Scouts of Namibia. Prior to the conference a two-day Youth Forum was conducted at which youth delegates from the participating Scout associations delved into such matters as personal values and ethics, community service and development, entrepreneurship, social media, and the pros and cons of digital technology. Mr. Patrick Sam of the Namibia Institute for Democracy delivered the keynote speech for the forum. Both the conference and the youth forum were supported financially and inkind by the National Youth Council, the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, and Bank Windhoek.

May 2014

Kudumail

FROM THE REGIONAL OFFICE Forging Forward with Scouting Basics NIGERIA - As part of Nigeria National Scout Organization efforts of developing the Leadership Competencies of our Scouts, Venture and Explorer Scouts, the South-East Zone of the Association organized a General Information Course hosted by the Enugu State Scout Council at Nsukka with no fewer than 25 Scouts (Candidates) in attendance.

The Objective of the Course was to train Scouts on Basic Scouting Fundamentals in preparations for Basic, Advance and other Leadership Courses. Candidates were divided into Four Patrols with the objective of identifying their Patrols with Native names namely: Tiger as Agu Patrol, Kite as Egbe Patrol, Lion as Odum Patrol and Eagle as Ugo Patrol.

Rehabilitation of defective masts in public schools! COTE D’IVOIRE - Scouts in Abidjan are committed to changing their communities as part of the Messengers of Peace project. In line with the project, the Scouts went to various public schools in the city to repair and replace damaged flag masts and as a lesson to young people on good citizenship.

The mast is considered as a symbol of education, cohesion and gathering. Rover Scouts of Mahatma Gandhi community repaired and replaced three masts in schools in the districts of Abata, N'Gnanda and Gbaba (Bingerville) and offered several National flags to the managers of these schools. This project was initiated by the Scouts to show young people the importance of their presence in schools and in helping the students sing and know the words to their national anthem (“Abidjanaise": name of National anthem). As part of continuity to the project, the Scouts look to extent it to another 11 public schools in the districts of the Abidjan region. “Education and child protection” is the 2014 working theme for the rover Scouts in the city of Abidjan.

The Training Course was managed by the Zonal Training Commissioner for Southeast; Prince Uche Madu (Leader Trainer) with other 9 Assistants handling different topics of the curricular. In attendance at the Opening Ceremony was the representative of the Chief Commissioner of Scout of Nigeria, the Assistant Chief Commissioner, NSO Management & Communication, Bar. Mrs. Mary Emengo, the State Scout Commissioner, Chief Nduka Eya, the Divisional Police Officer for Enugu, ASP Imen Zanara, Nsukka Urban Commissioner, Pastor Odeme Best Odeme, Rev. Fr. Matthew Eze – Nsukka Scout Chaplin.

May 2014

Kudumail

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Memorable quote

Nigerian Scouts part of Children’s Day Celebrations

the

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world".

NIGERIA - 27TH of May of every year is celebrated as Nigerian Children Day, with the renewed hope and promise to the development of Youth in Nigeria. This year’s celebrations were low key due to the abduction of some Secondary School Students at Chibok in Borno State Nigeria.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

PLEASE EMAIL US A PROVERB OR SAYING FROM YOUR COUNTRY. WE WILL PUBLISH THE BEST IN THE NEXT ISSUE! (africa@scout.org)

UPCOMING EVENTS While celebrating the day and equally showing solidarity to the abducted children, Scouts from various parts of the country led by His Excellency Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) engaged in various Scouting activities focusing on leadership and commitment to Youth Development in Nigeria. The Governor of Lagos State Nigeria has been quite resourceful to Scouting in Nigeria since he’s credited with recruiting over 70,000 Scouts in his State alone.

EVENT

DATES

COUNTRY

Uganda Scout Association Centenary Celebrations

2015

Uganda

40th World Scout Conference/12th World Scout Youth Forum

11th – 14th, 4th – 7th August 2014

Ljubljana, Rogla, Slovenia

23rd World Scout Jamboree

28th July – 8th August 2015

Yamaguchi City, Japan

16th Africa Scout Conference & 7th Youth Forum

2015

Mauritius

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

He also gave a directive that Scouting should be part of the Secondary School curricular as a way of developing good citizenship. The Benue State Scout Council as part of the celebrations organized a camp training at Makurdi in Benue State under the leadership of Chief Shangbum. Representing the Chief Commissioner at the program was Hon. Dave Awunah, the National Headquarters Commissioner for National Programs.

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