A network of global action starts locally: Scouting in response to a global pandemic

As the Africa Regional Director of the World Scout Bureau, I feel privileged to witness at a relatively close range the initiatives of many local Scout groups in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. From Seychelles in the east to Cape Verde in the west and from Chad in the north to South Africa, as it is the case in other parts of the world, Scouts have naturally sprung into action to help their local communities cope with the effects of the pandemic.

The initiatives range from awareness raising, getting the message across—especially in areas where the pandemic is seen as a hoax, a myth, or a conspiracy despite the records of infections and deaths—to filling in the gap created by the shortage of services in their local communities. Being innovative and motivated by the desire to always do good no matter the circumstances, Scouts across Africa have been actively helping the authorities and those on the frontline. This includes: packaging and distributing soap, sanitizers, and face masks; setting up community handwashing points; shopping and running errands for disadvantaged people and; distributing foodstuffs to needy populations among others.

As I prepare this blog, reports have come in about the work of Scouts across Zambia. In Zambia, the Rover Scouts (18-26 years of age) have been involved in a vast campaign of getting the COVID-19 messages across. The campaign consists of  building trust with the local community, conveying factual messages in vernacular, collecting information on the needs of the community, as well as collecting and distributing donations (hand washing equipment and face masks). In Ndola, the Chiluba Rover Scouts have been trained to help with screening people and orienting those in need of medical care. In Kalulushi, the Rover Scouts have teamed up with the Municipal Council Public Health Department to intensify the campaign on wearing of face masks in public and fumigating public areas.

Similar and many more activities are witnessed in other countries. In Côte d’Ivoire, for example, Scouts have elected to address the shortage of face masks by making the masks themselves and distributing them to most vulnerable communities and law-enforcement agents.

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