Peace Dollars
The Peace Dollars initiative is a “gold coin” donation sought from our members to provide the funds for the formation of a new Scout & Guide Group based at the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad in India and comprised of 24 twelve year old children from a nearby slum area. The plan is to provide the support and material resources for these children to enjoy an active and varied scouting & guiding program, bringing them to Governor’s Award standard (ASM equivalent) over a period of 3 years.
Many thanks to the Newman Scout Group for sending in the first cheque for $100, and to the Coastal Plains District Scout Council for their $150 matched by a corporate donation of $150 from Mastery Multimedia. The dollars are finally trickling in and I’m waiting for them to become a flood!
Please make cheques payable to Scouts Australia WA Branch and clearly marked “Peace Dollars”.
Scouts of the World Camp
Interested Venturers and Rovers are invited to nominate for a Scouts of the World Discovery camp planned for the JOTA/JOTI weekend 17-18 October, 2009. This will be held at the Hillview Scout Communications Centre in East Cannington. Since the theme for this year’s JOTA/JOTI is Environment, it nicely coincides with one of the 3 main themes of the UN Millennium Declaration upon which the Scouts of the World Award is based.
The aim of the camp is to raise participants’ awareness of the Millennium Development Goals, with particular focus on global environmental issues. There will be opportunities to communicate directly with scouts in other countries (via radio and internet) to discuss their environmental concerns. There will also be a workshop to assist participants to formulate their own environmental project.
There is no fee for this camp and a Saturday night BBQ will be provided. You need only cater for 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches plus bring the usual clothes, sleeping bag, toiletries, and dilly bag. Places are strictly limited to just 12-15 participants and will be offered on a first come, best dressed basis. All enquiries should be addressed to ekta@iinet.net.au.
Pen Pals: The Humphrey Report, by Georgina Hall, 23 September 2009, Nairobi (Kenya)
Today I attended Ayany Primary School which is close to the Kibera slum in Nairobi and met with the Scout Master, Mr. Chacha and a group of about 20 scouts. They were sitting under a tree in the well-kept garden and I was shown to a chair of honour as a special overseas guest. My purpose in going to the school was to catch up with Humphrey, an 11-year old scout who recently became the pen-pal of Australian scout, … I also wanted to learn about the activities of this school scout unit.
Mr. Chacha told me they have 70 registered scouts, comprising both boys and girls, out of a school community of 2,020 students. 30 are active which means they have a scout uniform. The others are unable to afford the $46 it costs to buy the uniform. When I asked about a second-hand shop I was surprised to learn there isn’t one. However Mr. Chacha liked this idea and will suggest it at the next senior scout meeting.
Various presentations were made, interspersed with the Bravo song loudly sung at regular intervals, and a recitation of the Scout’s Promise. I could see Humphrey sitting in the front row wearing a badge denoting him as Class Prefect. I later learnt that he recently topped his Grade 4 class of 90 students so Humphrey is a man to watch.
The scouts are in two age groups: 6 to 12 years and 12 to 15. Primary schools in Kenya go up to Grade 8 and there are often older students who started school late. In order to earn badges those in the younger group need to pass proficiency tests relating to the ten laws and the promise of scouts. Only when they show a real understanding do they get their badge. The older group is tested on navigation, swimming, environment conservation and personal hygiene amongst other things in order to win badges.
In two days time, 30 scouts (the ones with uniforms) will be going to State House, the President’s residence, to take part in the annual Patron’s Day. This is to commemorate the Patron of the Scouts, President Kibaki who will be in attendance with the Chief Commissioner of Scouts. Other important occasions for this group are the National holidays such as Kenyatta Day and Labour Day when they join hundreds of scouts at Nairobi Stadium.
The scout unit plays a valuable role in the life of Ayany Primary School. Because of their training the scouts are in charge of first aid and are called on to handle medical emergencies and help get sick students to hospital. Only if they are unable to handle a situation do they call for the leader, Mr. Chacha. The scouts are also very active in sports and have started netball, volleyball and football at the school. They try hard to encourage other students to take part and to maximize their talents. Another activity is collecting clothes for the needy. They spread the news of the collection by asking their parents or guardians to gather up what is no longer needed and it is brought to school on a special day.
Since 2004 the scouts have planted 1,000 trees at the school. It is an ongoing project to try and make a forest in the school grounds, similar to the nearby forest where the Scout Headquarters are located. Mr. Chacha said that when the scouts first saw this forest they wanted to replicate it at school. They would like parents’ meetings to be held under the trees, doing away with the need for tents. The scout unit also takes part in the annual African Scouts Tree Planting Day.
Going away to camp does not happen often because of the expense involved. However the Lowland Camp at the nearby Headquarters is well used during the school holidays and it is the site of the annual national Jamboree when scouts come from all over Kenya. Soon an International Jamboree is to be held there.
Raising the national flag is an important scout duty every Friday at school, as is the loyalty pledge to the President which is taken very seriously. Peace, Love and Unity is their scout motto. Mr. Chacha made the point strongly that participation in the scouts is entirely voluntary, unlike other aspects of school life. A student has to want to be a scout. Several of the scouts described to me how ‘joyful’ it is being in a scout group, how they learn many things, how they are active and creative. I asked if they would like to have pen-pals in Australia like Humphrey and they said the whole school would like to have a friend in Australia!
Who is this Handsome Lad?
Does anyone recognise this photo of an Australian Scout at the 10th World Scout Jamboree held in the Philippines in 1959?
He would presumably be between 65-70 years old today.
The son of the Philippino Scout in the right of the picture is trying to track him down to arrange a reunion at the 26th APR Jamboree which will be held on the same site in December 2009.
Jules Rikkers
BC International
Email ekta[at]iinet.net.au
