Getting back on its feet.

Scouting in Rwanda is getting back on its feet as the country recovers from years of civil strife. The Scouts have embarked on rehabilitating their Scout Centre.

On the occasion of the Africa Scout Day on 13 March this year, an important celebration was organized at the regional stadium of Butare to relaunch the National Scout Training Centres.

The association is looking for assistance to rebuild Scouting in Rwanda.

The Scouts of Canada have expressed, their interest in extending assistance to Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Commenting on the situation in Rwanda, John Gemmill, the International Commissioner, Scouts Canada wrote; "We in Scouts Canada are delighted that Scouting in Rwanda is gradually returning to a normal situation, and that training is happening again. We try to understand the suffering which has occurred, and are entirely sympathetic to your efforts, and those of your colleagues in the country you are trying to rebuild in very difficult circumstances>"

Lets attend SEEONEE pack meetings! SEEONEE is a meeting for all Cub Scout leaders and Scout leaders are very Welcome. It is an informal training and socializing session. The name SEEONEE comes from SEEONEE hills where klolfs kiere was brought up and to us it is a place where we bring up Leaders through training and discussing any problems that we face with our packs.

Let’s take our searchlight and see what SEEONEE was like few years ago. SEEONEE members were identified through the red scarf which had an elephant face on the back. You worn the scarf after attending SEEONEE three times in a row. Every member came in his /her uniform, during the night meeting. They invited officials from various professions to come and inform them about what they do e.g. Forestry, Natural Resource Board, the Library, etc. Tea and Biscuits was provided during all sessions. They had Christmas parties at the end of every year which was great fun.

SEEONEE pack meetings have been on our provincial programmes from long back. If it wasn’t for our Leader Trainer, Rosemary, we wouldn’t be talking of SEEONEE being a traditional session because tradition sometimes dies due to some certain problems and we will be caught saying "we never saw the ship that sunk us"

I am encouraging you Leaders especially those leading Primary School Groups, to attend SEEONEE because you will be surprised of what you can learn and we suggest that there is a possibility that they would quiz pack Leaders about the SEEONEE during CUB competitions. See you there every first Wednesday of every month and lets bring the dark past to light.

Time : 5.30 pm

Venue : Provincial Headquarters

Can you spare two minutes or three of your troop meetings for collecting and exchanging ideas for Good turns? As Scouts we have promised to help other people at all times and few parts of our Scout programmes are more rewarding than bringing happiness and comfort to others. You may know that your school needs grass slashing: that Beavers want a hand with a party or that the Cub pack wants help over a wide game.

My suggestion is that in every Scout Troop meeting there should be a moment when all members of the Troop are invited to bring opportunities for good turns to the notice of the rest. The Troop can then decide whether the various jobs can be taken on and who will do them. A selfish life is a pretty dull one and its bad scouting.

Major Kinuthia Ng’ang’a Murugu was recently appointed the Africa Scout Regional Director. He replaces the late Kariathe Nyaga.

A meeting of all Scouts and Leaders wishing to attend the Jamboree will be held at Provincial Headquarters on Saturday 30 June at 0900 hours

Ntokozo Ncube

Dear Jamie

I am sure by now you are really looking forward to being invested as a full Cub Scout. Cubs who have not been invested are generally called Recruits. A Recruit is a person who is just at the very beginning of things, but who intends to grow. A man when he first goes into the Army as a soldier is called a recruit too, and has to go to Recruits’ Drill before he is passed out as a real soldier.

In Zimbabwe we often refer to boys who have just joined as "New Chums". You may prefer this name, as "Chum" is another word for friend, and it is good to know you are already a friend to the rest of the Pack. Names can be very important to people. I would like to tell you about my little five year old niece called Samantha. She was playing tennis with her mother and every time she missed the ball her mother said "Bad Luck" Samantha said " I don’t like being called "Bad Luck". She was furious! So we have to be careful to make sure people understand what we say!.

I have already told you the meaning of the Grand Howl. But you still have to learn your Law and Promise and the Salute and their meaning.

Baloo, the big brown bear was the one who was to teach Mowgli the Law of the jungle. May be you have an adult helper in your Pack, who is called Baloo. She or He might be the one to explain the Cub Scout Law.

The Cub Scout Salute is a sign we make when we meet Akela or other Cubs and Scouts. To make the Cub Scout Salute we use the three fingers pointing upwards to touch our hat or cap, and the three fingers help us to remember there are three parts to our Cub Scout Promise.

The Cub Sign is just the same as the Salute except you only put your hand up to your shoulder. You will have to make the sign when you are being invested and Akela asks you to say your Promise. Then whenever you say the Promise you will make the Cub Scout sign.

You also asked me why "if Akela is the Leader of the Pack and his orders are to be obeyed. Why is there a Brown six, a green six and a red six with a sixer at the head of each?" Well, yes, Akela is the only Leader of the Pack as a whole. Usually the pack is all together in one happy sort of family, but sometimes it is split up into smaller parts either for games or to learn things, and the six is the little family within the big family.

The sixer, takes charge of the six only when Akela wants him to and when he can help Akela by doing so, but all the time Akela’s eye is watching to see that everything is going right.

Next time I am going to write to you about the Cub Scout Law, and that will be a most important letter.

Your friend "Go-Go" Akela (with apologies to "Gilcraft")