2007 Scouting Centenary reports

WOSM has produced report on the Centenary of Scouting as well as on Gifts For Peace. South Africa is featured in both reports.

2007 Centenary of Scouting Report

http://www.scout.org/.../2007REP_EN.pdf

"South Africa Scouts celebrated the Centenary of Scouting with two special events: The Cederberg Adventure and the Mafikeng Moot. The Cederberg Adventure for senior Scouts, from 28 December 2006 to 8 January 2007, saw in a spectacular New Year in the Cederberg Mountains North of Cape Town. Teams took part from Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Belgium, Namibia, Zimbabwe, USA and South Africa. Activity bases included light aircraft flying, archery, para-sailing, scuba diving, gold panning and rock climbing. A successful “Scouting and AIDS awareness” base was also run as part of South Africa’s Gifts for Peace project.

The Mafikeng Centenary Moot was held from 28 December to 5 January 2007 in partnership with The Scout Association UK, and was attended by participants from Austria, Sweden, Finland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, United Kingdom and South Africa. Activities included renovating a neglected school, the presentation of toys to an AIDS orphanage, a viewing game (where they saw a white rhino at 10m!) and the opening of the 20 kilometre B-P Trail".

Gifts for Peace Report

http://www.scout.org/.../Gifts_for_Peace_Report.pdf

"A new challenge for our Scouts!"

"Some years ago our greatest challenge in South African Scouting was to combat bigotry and discrimination. I am proud to say that Scouting here is now open to all communities and growing in numbers," says Garnet de la Hunt, the former Chief Scout - and former chairman of the World Scout Committee - who worked tirelessly to make the transformation of South African Scouting a reality. "I am excited by a new challenge that our Scouts have taken on. They have identified a different kind of discrimination which has crept into our society – and they are tackling this with the same energy that we used against racial discrimination," says Garnet proudly. "HIV/AIDS has hit our country very hard – there are millions of AIDS orphans abandoned, and shunned by their communities.

South African Scouts have adopted this challenge as their Gift for Peace, reaching out to those who have been marginalised. Olebongeng is 19 years old. When he lost an uncle to AIDS in June last year he persuaded his friends in the Mafikeng Scout Group to tackle discrimination. Working with the Loman Aneng orphanage, the Scouts re-integrate these kids back into the community, they camp together at the local game reserve, and have started an income generation programme. In Cape Town, 12-year-old Scout Bianca Davis has persuaded her family to foster little Sharon, whose mother fell sick with AIDS and couldn’t manage any more. Bianca’s parents are so proud. Their daughter has been able to make a difference to the lives of many children through her Scouting, and one particularly lucky girl will benefit from a caring big sister. And near Cape Town six boys, who are all HIV-positive and have experienced discrimination, have joined the 1st Belhar Troop. These new Scouts are fully integrated and happy to be treated as equals. "When people ask us why we hug these orphans, or play games with them, we say they’re just our mates," explains Olebongeng. "It’s OK to play with them, you can’t catch AIDS from a smile, a hug or a handshake! We don’t like when our classmates make jokes about kids like this – these kids are now our friends and we don’t like it when classmates call them names!"

Garnet reflects: "Scouting changes lives, and I am sure that these fine young men and women will, in the years to come, leave the world a little better than they found it!"