Resurgence of Scouting in Afghanistan
Scouts in Afghanistan are working hard to support peace-building and youth development in their communities and in April 2021 ran a training in Kabul for 40 young local Scout Leaders from across the country, to build their capacity on Scouting and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs training was made possible as part of Scouting’s now decade-long Messengers of Peace Initiative and with support from the Asia-Pacific Scout Region Support Centre. And it was the most recent in a number of key developments since the Afghanistan Scout Association (ASA) rejoined the World Organization of the Scout Movement in January 2020, marking a the resurgence of Scouting in Afghanistan following a period of reconstruction and reunification that has been supported by local and regional leaders and government partners.
Over the past year, Afghan Scouts have increased their efforts to introduce more Afghan youth to Scouting, to equip young people with the skills to contribute as active citizens towards building a stronger, more peaceful society.
Another milestone in 2020 was the awarding of the first Wood Badges to female Scout Leaders as part of continuing efforts to encourage more young women, as well as young men, to take part in Scouting and learn about the important values of service, dialogue and peace-building.
“Right now Scouting in Afghanistan is predominantly government school-based with a few other open units. There are 485 private schools in Kabul alone, and these schools could provide a great opportunity for us to extend Scouting,” said Madhusudan, a World Scouting consultant who has been supporting the Association to design and implement the recent Scout Leader training. “The government will construct 6,000 new schools by 2023, and nearly half of them are ready. This is an area where the Scout Movement can support ASA to develop a growth plan to involve more Afghan youth in Scouting.”
Photos (c) Afghanistan Scout Association (ASA)
Text adapted from scout.org (Global Support Centre, Kuala Lumpur) with thanks.
