MoP Bulletin Issues No.26 & 27 by World Organization of the Scout Movement

Messengers of Peace

ASIA-PACIFIC The Messengers of Peace quarterly newsletter is an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Support Centre of the World Scout Bureau highlighting the project, programmes and activities of National Scout Organizations under the MoP Initiative.

ISSUES NO.26 & 27 APRIL-SEPT 2019

International Day of Peace 21 September 2019 Story on page 2

Vietnamese Scouts plant fruit trees for rural households

16 Rover Scouts organise flood relief efforts in Myanmar

20 Scout group in Bangladesh highligts gender equality and women empowerment

International

21 September 2019 The International Day of Peace is observed around the world every 21st of September. On this day, the United Nations declared it as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations. Thru the Messengers of Peace Programme, the National Scout Organizations in the Asia-Pacific Region have been celebrating the Peace Day for five years now, encouraging and inspiring more and more young people commit for peace and take actions.

This year’s theme is “Climate Action for Peace”, anchored towards SDG Goal No. 13 – Climate Action. The theme draws attention to the importance of combatting climate change as a way to protect and promote peace throughout the world. Here are some of the highlights of the Peace Day throughout all participating National Scout Organizations:

TREE PLANTING ACTIVITY

BHUTAN

120

BHUTAN

563 Scouts

HONG KONG

1,000 Scouts

MYANMAR

60,100

saplings

PEACE RALLY & PLEDGES

INDIA

saplings

MONGOLIA

680 Scouts

INDIA

6,585 Scouts

CLEAN-UP DRIVES

SINGAPORE

BHUTAN

Scouts

452

INDIA

21,585 Scouts

Day of Peace

PEACE AWARENESS BHUTAN

HONG KONG

Scouts

7,424

1,000

INDIA

6,585 Scouts

MONGOLIA

680 Scouts

SPEECH COMPETITION BHUTAN

269 Scouts

INDIA

6,585 Scouts

CLIMATE AWAREN ES S BHUTAN

HONG KONG

Scouts

800

1,000

MONGOLIA

680 Scouts

SINGAPORE

Scouts

Bhutan

INDIA

6,734 Scouts

MYANMAR

342 Scouts

OTHER VOLUNTARY SERVICES BHUTAN

Scouts

MYANMAR INDIA

6,640

342 Scouts

Scouts

The theme draws attention to the importance of combatting climate change as a way to protect and promote peace throughout the world.

Hong Kong

India

Myanmar

Mongolia

Local MoP coordinators in Maldives gather for a 3-day workshop Local Messengers of Peace Coordinators of The Scout

World Framework and Scouts for SDGs. The three-day

Association of Maldives gathered for the first time for

workshop included sessions based on the MoP Guide-

its MoP Local Coordinators Workshop on 1-3 August

book.

2019 in the capital city of MalĂŠ. Sixteen participants were gathered, including a few young people and

As culmination of the training, the participants under-

Scout Leaders.

went a hands-on experience by organising modules and activities to 25 Scouts. The activities allowed the

The workshop sought to equip the participants with

facilitators to observe how the participant applied the

the knowledge about the Messengers of Peace Pro-

skills and knowledge theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve acquired from the previ-

gramme and eventually appoint the participants as

ous sessions.

Messengers of Peace Local Coordinators and be part of the Messengers of Peace Team.

The workshop concluded with the participants preparing a personal action plan for a 6-month period. Key

Participants were provided with knowledge on how

leaders of the Association including the President and

to further engage young people in undertaking peace

the Chief Commissioner also participated in the work-

actions. Resources and discussions included the Better

shop as facilitators.

Photo (c) The Scout Association of Maldives

PSV partner with private groups to conduct community development projects Over the past few months, the Messengers of Peace team of Pathfinder Scouts of Vietnam has been conducting multiple projects in the country. The activities were supported by private groups and organisations.

These projects have been very helpful to the communities in the province, making them their daily transportation and walks more convenient and safe.

PSV partnered with various private companies to provide 30 water tanks to 30 selected families in Hon Giang District in Kien Giang Province. The tanks were provided to the families in order for them to be able to gather enough potable drinking water for the dry season. The tanks can hold up to 3,000 liters of water. They also partnered with different business entities and individual donors to source out funds to build two steel bridges for the community and provide its people with an efficient local transportation route. Solar lamps were also installed in the bridges for the security and safety of the passers-by.

Photo (c) Pathfinder Scouts Vietnam

Vietnamese Scouts plant fruit trees for rural households A Scout group from Pathfinder Scouts Vietnam conducted a tree planting activity for some rural households in Quang Nam and Lam Dong provinces, two mountainous areas in the country late in September 2019. A total of 68 Scouts and non-Scouts participated in the said activity. It was done with the help of the local government of the provinces and a religious organisation. The team was able to plant a total of 600 green grapefruit trees, 50 mangosteen trees and 50 flat-seed

durian trees at the Da Nang village, while 90 green grapefruit trees, 5 mangosteen trees and 45 flat-seed durian trees were planted in Dhung village. The team also donated a wheelchair to one of the beneficiaries of the project. To monitor the progress and success of the project, the team committed two local point persons and two local staff to see to it that at least 80% of the fruit trees planted will be visible in 2 years.

Photo (c) Pathfinder Scouts Vietnam

Scout groups in India conduct activities to support Scouts for SDGs The Bharat Scouts & Guides conducted various activities that aim contribute in the achievement of the Sustainable Developments Goals.

where they cleaned the temple and the surrounding forest area. 2. Tree Planting Activity

1. Clean-up Drives On August 10, the SAMARTH Rover Scout group conducted a clean-up drive in Jogni Waterfall, one of the famous tourist spots in Manali, India. The team was able to collect a total of six bags of plastic wastes and has able to engage 13 Scouts and Non-Scouts in the activity. Another clean-up drive was conducted in Bijli Mahadev Temple, Kullu. The activity was in celebration of the Indian Independence Day and was conducted in partnership with the Rotary Club Kullu. Two different teams participated in the project

In celebration of the Pachmarhi Day on September 10, Paavan Pawan Scout team of Kur District conducted a tree planting activity at the East Coast Railways in Khurda Road. 3. Relief Effort In commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Scouts from the Holy Family Convent School and North Howrah Rover Crew, distributed food packets to the street children in the Liluah and Salkia region respectively. The group pledged to contrite further to alleviate hunger.

Photo (c) Bharat Scouts & Guides

Rover Scouts organise flood relief efforts in Myanmar Heavy monsoon rains that poured in major parts of

Through the monetary support from the MoP Sup-

Myanmar early in July 2019 resulted in the unprece-

port Fund, the organisers, led by Phyo Thura win

dented overflow in the Laymyo River. About 38,000

were able to provide the affected families with

people were evacuated from affected states â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kachin,

drinking water, rice packs, canned foods and hy-

Rakhine, Chin and Mon. Mon State which was severely

giene products.

affected by the flooding also experience landslides in Paung township, resulting to 5 deaths.

The relief operation began on August 23. Towards the end of the project, more than 150 households

To help the affected communities, Myanmar Scouts

from Bo Tel Gone, Kadoh Seik Village and Sel Eain

conducted an emergency response where Rover

Su Village received relief supplies and assistance

Scouts collected monetary and in-kind donations

from the propject. Scouts from other universities

from different universities. The emergency fund

also coordinated with different public and private

sourced out thru the Messengers of Peace Sup-

organisation to provide the most needed assistance

port Fund also provided assistance to the project.

to the affected families.

Photo (c) Myanmar Scouts

Online youth membership system

Regional level trainings on the Online Youth Membership

Series of trainings were conducted in Maligaon Guwaha-

System were organized by Bharat Scouts and Guides to

ti, Madhya Pradesh State, Gandhinagar, and in Bhopal.

manage the growing membership of the NSO as well as the efficient access to data, such as registration of male

Participants shared the knowledge to the state level to

and female, age and other demographic information

introduce the new online portal and were guided step-

which can help in effective planning of youth programme.

by-step on the new registration system.

Bhutan Scouts to extend its MoP network to college students As a result of the success of the project on globalising the Messengers of Peace network, the Bhutan Scouts Association has just recently decided to extend the implementation of the project for young people in the tertiary (college) level. The project was first implemented in 2017 and has since contributed to a huge increase of new members for Scouting in Bhutan. Several activities were lined up throughout the year. The implementation kicked-off with a Messengers of Peace Training conducted on 2-6 August 2019 which was participated by 65 Rover Scouts from 19 different higher educational institutions. The participants were introduced to

Photo (c) Bhutan Scouts Association

World Scoutingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initiative on Scouts for SDGs and the components of the Better World Framework, including the Messengers of Peace Programme and the Scouts of the World Award Programme.

Thai Scouts conduct relief operations and livelihood training for flood victims The onslaught of tropical cyclone Podul in the northeastern part of Thailand has displaced about 40,000 households and affected approximately 158,000 people. It ravaged 170 hectares of shrimp farms, 2,652 hectares of fish farms and flood 130,371 hectares of livestock farms. As an immediate response, Scouts from the provinces of Ubon, Roied and Phrae organised a relief operation to help the flood victims. Necessary supplies including food and drinking water were distributed to the victimsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes. The Ubon Scouts also distributed 1,000 sets of Sabb Eelee Survival Food Packages which includes fermented fish and some monetary donations so that the victims could buy other essentials. The packages were also distributed to the Roied province. Together in the package are packet of 20 papaya seeds donated by Thai Airways to encourage the victims to plant papaya seeds once the flood subsides. The Scouts also initiated a training on how to make Pla Dakk or fermented fish as another possible

source of income for the affected families. The training was very helpful to the communities as there were more freshwater fish were harvested during the flooding.

Photo (c) National Scout Organization of Thailand

The Scouts invited local experts in fish fermentation to train the people in the communities. The fishermen who were also affected by the flood benefitted from the distribution of 500,000 hatchlings bought from the Department of Fisheries in a subsidised amount. To further improve the source of living of the affected victims as well preserve the culture of ancient crafting, they

were taught on crafting traditional bamboo fish traps by senior craftsmen to improve their fish harvest. The trainings conducted by Thai Scouts were very helpful as they strengthened the capacity of the affected communities to work and earn for a living, and reduce their reliance on donations.

IN FOCUS:

Messengers of Peace Hero

Humayra Ibnat

Scout group in Bangladesh highlights gender equality and women empowerment Humayra Ibnat is a female Scout from Bangladesh Scouts who pioneered the first all-girls Scout group in their school comprising of eight members. Her group aims to boost the confidence of all the women they could reach out and to educate them about their basic human rights.

the women are forced to get married because their parents thought that education is not for women. This perspective made Humayra decide to create an all-girls Scout group that will highlight the capacity of women and provide new opportunities for growth.

The women in Bangladesh often face various disadvantages that hinder self-development. Most of

Humayra believed that Scouting serves as the perfect platform to increase womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-esteem and to

Photo (c) World Scout Bureau, Inc. / Enrique Leon

promote gender equality. To achieve her goal, she conducted several Scout meetings to convince the girls in her school and their parents to join her all-girls Scout group. The all-girls Scout group started with eight members only. Since then, it has grown to have over 2,000 female Scouts – Scouts, Rovers and Scout Leaders. These Scouts have begun establishing Scout groups in their communities and are encouraging more young people to join Scouting. She currently leads a team of ten Scout volunteers called “Team WINGS.” They are working on a project

called “Fight the Power” which aims to further educate women on their rights and to raise awareness about the inequalities that women face in Bangladesh. Humayra’s team is conducting various events in their schools and would often conduct interviews with several girls to discover the root cause of their problems. They also hold lectures, as well as faceto-face conversations with the women’s parents to further explain the inequalities that women face in their country. The project has been very vital in combatting gender inequality and empowering women in Bangladesh.

This perspective made Humayra decide to create an all-girls Scout group that will highlight the capacity of women and provide new opportunities for growth.

Photo (c) Banglade sh Scouts

IN FOCUS:

Messengers of Peace Hero

Junbert T Pabon Junbert Pabon is a Scout from Bacolod City, Philippines who leads a Scout group that implements a development programme that caters to children in conflict with the law. In the Philippines, around 28 children get arrested every day. These children range from ages 15 to 18 and are referred as children in conflict with the law. They are housed in a detention facility or a rehabilitation centre. Junbert saw first hand, the living condition of these children when a humanitarian organisa-

tion partnered with their school for a volunteer work in 2016. He saw the unaddressed problems that included unsanitary environment, lack of basic needs including mental and emotional needs, and lack of proper intervention to empower these children inside the rehabilitation facility. These problems interfere in the improvement of the condition of the children. Seeing the issues first hand had motivated him and his Scout group to create and implement a development programme for these children in

Photo (c) Boy Scouts of the Philippines

conflict with the law. The project sought to reintegrate the children in the society by way of joining and undergoing through various Scout activities and programmes, and transform them from lawbreakers into peacemakers.

itation centre and taught them timely Scouting values such as discipline and leadership. Due to this, a boy named John was able to be released from the centre and is now studying with a scholarship grant.

His programme was divided into five key areas: psychological, spiritual, culture and arts, environmental, and skills training.

Junbert believed that these children are innately good and were only pushed to do bad things due to poverty and unhealthy environment. He believed that these people deserve second chances at life to do things right and Scouting is an avenue for this second chance that they deserve.

One of the activities under the skills training was the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boy Scouts Auxillary Brigadeâ&#x20AC;? where they created a Scout unit inside the rehabil-

APR partners with Afghanistan to conduct training for leaders Moh Tamim Hamkar, Afghanistan National Scout Organization

The Afghanistan National Scout Organization (ANSO), a potential member National Scout Organization in the Asia-Pacific Region, organised a Messengers of Peace training and gathering at the PARSA Afghan Scouts National Training Center in Kabul on 17-21 April 2019. The training was conducted in partnership with

the World Scout Bureau Asia-Pacific Support Centre and sponsored by the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan (PARSA). The training was participated by a total of 56 participants from Afghanistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 30 provinces.

Photo (c) Afghanistan National Scout Organization

The training and gathering introduced the participants to the current situation of the ANSO, including its growing number of Scouts in the country, and how Scouting can be introduced to as many young people as possible with the Messengers of Peace Programme. A field visit was also conducted at Habibia High School in Kabul City, participated by 253 Scouts

and non-Scouts. At the end of the training, the participants were asked to make a realistic personal action plan which they could implement for 2019-2020, highlighting strategies that each will undertake in order to develop and promote Scouting in their respective communities.

APRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MoP Coordinators meet in Thailand, plan ahead for the triennium A total of 23 Messengers of Peace Coordinators from different National Scout Organizations in the Asia-Pacific Region participated at the 5th Messengers of Peace Coordinators Gathering held at Nakhon Pathom, Thailand on 9-13 June 2019. For the new triennium, more than half of the coordinators were just recently appointed by

their NSOs, and some of them were very new in handling activities under the Messengers of Peace Programme. To equip them with the necessary skills as MoP Coordinators, different learning sessions were conducted by the members of the APR MoP core team, including some resource persons from World Scout Bureau Global Support Centre.

Photo (c) National Scout Organization of Thailand

The sessions included updates on APR actions and achievements, the Better World Framework, Scouts for SDGs, introduction to MoP initiatives and project grant management, the Scout Donation Platform, among others. The participants were also asked to render update reports on the implementation of

MoP activities and projects in their respective NSOs, including the challenges that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve encountered and some success stories. A field visit was conducted at Wat Rai Khing School were MoP Coordinators conducted first-hand different Scout activities.

Throughout its history, Scouting has inspired millions of members to make a difference -- applying their leadership to creating a better world.

Photos (c) National Scout Organization of Thailand

A Scout group in Australia assists local community in Little Pantry project Nikketah Cuneo, Scouts Australia

Ulverstone Scout Group in Tasmania has been work-

There has been a huge amount of community sup-

ing on a project to assist the local community to

port for this project. The Central Coast Community

create the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Little Free Pantry.

Shed built the weather-proof cupboard from reclaimed materials and the cupboard was installed

This project involves the wider community and

free of charge on land leased by the Central Coast

is a similar concept to the free library concept,

Council, located near the visitor information centre.

with a cupboard in a central community location where people can drop off non-perishable food

An overwhelming amount of food donations were

donations. Anyone who needs food can access

received after Holly, a Scout, organised a donation

the cupboard and take whatever food they are in

night for the Scout Troop. The food donations were

need of for no cost.

then given to the Little Free Pantry project.

Photo (c) The Advocate / Landsdown,S. (2019), theadvocate.com.au

Afghan Scouts join government, civil society groups to combat single-use plastics Moh Tamim Hamkar, Afghanistan National Scout Organization

Highlighting and promoting environmental protection, the Afghanistan National Scout Organization (ANSO, in partnership with Afghanistan’s Environment Protection Department and the Civil Society Activist group, led the distribution of 700 cotton bags in Ghor Province on 18 March 2019. The distribution of cotton bags was in response to the growing problem on the widespread use of single-use plastics and plastic bags. The project was part of the community development initiative of the NSO that seeks to reduce the harmful impacts of single-use plastics to the environment by encouraging the people to participate with the Green Afghanistan and the Healthy People campaign. A total of 1,000 beneficiaries received cotton bags with the campaign message, “Say NO to Plastic!” Abdul Burhani, one of the Scout Leaders who participated in the project said that it is part of their study

to educate the young people about their responsibility to the environment. “The best way to protect our environment is to educate the young people about the benefits of a green and clean environment, so the new generation will get used to utilising garbage bins for their rubbish.” “Let’s stop using single-use plastics such as plastic bags and plastic water bottles. As an alternative, we should use cotton or eco bags and water cannisters. We must start it in ourselves, individually. No matter how a single action will be looked as a small deed, if every person will do it individually, then those simple actions and bring about the change that we need,” Burhani added further. The programme aims to distribute more than 20,000 cotton bags in different provinces of Afghanistan to further promote the use of cotton bags as an alternative for plastic bags.

Photo (c) Afghanistan National Scout Organization

Scouts and Guides in India assist in community development projects With reports from The Bharat Scouts & Guides

The Bharat Scouts & Guides one of the leading National Scout Organizations who regularly conduct and assist in various community development projects in India. From relief efforts for the victims of natural calamities and man-made disasters, to environmental clean-ups, the Scouts and Guides are always there to lend a helping hand. 1. Odisha Relief Efforts When tropical cyclone Fani hit Odisha on May 23, a small eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal, followed by a storm surge of about 1.5 metres, it resulted to heavy damages in Gopalpura and Chandbali around Puri district. Responding to the call for service, 35 Rovers and Rangers from the Scout and Guide unit in Bargaon ITI, and some staff from Vedanta University volunteered to help in the relief operations in the affected areas. They helped in distributing food and clothing to the victims. They also assistant in constructing temporary shelters for the families affected by the cyclone.

Photo (c) Bharat Scout & Guides

About 100 Scouts from Rajasthan State were also deployed for relief and rescue operations in the affected communities. 2. Railway Station Clean-up Drive The Bharat Scouts & Guides of Udupi district completed its cleanliness programme at the Udupi Railway Station which lasted for 36 months. The cleanliness programme coincided with Abhiyan, a nationwide campaign in India for the period of 2014 to 2019 that aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructures of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cities, towns and rural areas.

Sustainable Development Village at the Scout Jamboree Jubair Eusuf, Bangladesh Scouts

Bangladesh Scouts built a Sustainable Development Village (SDV) booth during the 10th Bangladesh National and 3rd SAANSO Scout Jamboree held at Gazipur, Bangladesh on 8-14 March 2019. The booth was visited by 10,000 Scouts and Scout Leaders.

made aware of what the Sustainable Development Goals are what they seek to achieve. They were also encouraged to integrate the SDGs in their current and future projects.

The SDV booth introduced two activities. The first activity was a knowledge-based activity where Scouts were able to tackle the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals, and how it can be integrated in Scouting and its activities.

Photo (c) Bangladesh Scouts

The second activity focused on partnerships. It featured several agencies of the Government of Bangladesh implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, including non-government organisations and international non-government organisations. The partners offered various interactive activities that showcased what they are currently doing to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and how Scouts can be a part of their activities and the solution in general. The Scouts and 50 different local organisations and government institutions that visited the booth were

Mongolia takes part in anger prevention seminar Khaliun Lkhamdash, The Scout Association of Mongolia

The Messengers of Peace Team Mongolia participated at “1 ХОРОМ”, an anger management and prevention seminar held in Ulaanbaatar on 29 March 2019. It was a project spearheaded by the General Policy Agency of Mongolia that sought to educate young people on the importance of anger prevention. Over the last five years, 30 percent of criminal cases among people under 35 years old were reportedly committed out of anger. Armed with compassion and the commitment to spread the culture of peace in the country, the Messengers of Peace team of The Scout Association of Mongolia reached out to the government and offered its assistance in the programme. They offered to provide a support system to the offenders.

Photo (c) Khaliun Lkhamdash, The Scout Association of Mongolia

The MoP Team in Mongolia met with government leaders and discussed the next steps forward. They meet at the Ulaanbaatar Palace. The team committed to help the government in its campaign on anger prevention and management by way to conducting online campaigns to be participated by over 3,000 non-Scouts and 1,000 Scouts. From time to time, they will post photos and videos that tackles anger prevention and management, as well as offer direct in-person support and counselling. As a matter of support from the entire Scout association, they rallied all their members of change their Facebook profile frames in line with the campaign. Three months after, results yielded to a 12% drop in criminal case among people under 35 years old.

WOSM holds management training for global and regional teams The World Organization of the Scout Movement gathered World Scout Bureau staff and volunteers across the world who are responsible for the implementation of the Messengers of Peace Programme for a management training. The training was held at the Park Hotel in Pforzheim, Germany on 10-12 May 2019. The meet sought to build their capacity in terms of ensuring high quality projects and management of grants. During the training, emphasis was focused on project management, grant application review, reporting and field visit guidelines. An in-depth discussion about the new management software was also discussed. The training also provided an avenue to meet and interact face-to-face with the MoP teams and Decision Committees from different Scout regions.

Photo (c) Alex Wong

Monthly Statistics This monthly statistical report shows the current progress of our National Scout Organizations in the implementation of the Messengers of Peace Programme through the data populated at WOSMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Global Network of Service â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.scout.org. The results are primarily made on the basis of [a] the number of users registered, [b] the number of actual service hours rendered, and [c] the total number of projects posted.

APRIL 2019 TOP 10 NSOs (scout.org users) 1. India 2. Indonesia 3. Philippines 4. Malaysia 5. Bangladesh 6. Bhutan 7. Australia 8. Hong Kong 9. Pakistan 10. Thailand

21,248 19,709 15,994 13,068 7,410 5,028 3,947 3,350 3,221 2,414

TOP 10 NSOs (service hours) 1. Philippines 2. Bangladesh 3. India 4. Malaysia 5. Nepal 6. Bhutan 7. Fiji 8. Indonesia 9. Thailand 10. Sri Lanka

545,426,541 184,120,866 62,348,178 26,512,195 13,230,915 11,449,293 8,816,590 5,895,124 5,439,140 3,292,071

TOP 10 NSOs (projects) 1. Malaysia 12,514 2. India 10,270 3. Bhutan 3,795 4. Philippines 2,450 5. Thailand 1,934 6. Indonesia 1,344 7. Fiji 512 8. Pakistan 470 9. Australia 421 10. Bangladesh 411

MAY 2019 TOP 10 NSOs (scout.org users) 1. India 2. Indonesia 3. Philippines 4. Malaysia 5. Bangladesh 6. Bhutan 7. Australia 8. Hong Kong 9. Pakistan 10. Thailand

21,368 19,733 16,220 13,213 7,440 5,675 3,971 3,459 3,243 2,658