Washington DC | A South Sudanese Boy Scout has been chosen by the Kenya Scouts Association to participate in the 24th World Scout Jamboree to showcase how Scouting can empower refugees through education, skills development, community service and citizenship activities. Taking place in West Virginia, from July 22 to August 2, the World Scout Jamboree aims to inspire 50,000 young people and adults from 170 countries to take action toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through the theme Unlock a New World. 

Thirteen-year-old Kok Matim is among the over 1,043 Boy and Girl Scouts who participate in the Scouting for Refugees program run by AVSI Foundation in partnership with the Kenya Scouts Association in Dadaab refugee camp in Garissa County, Kenya. Over the last seven years, always funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), the Scouting program has been providing life-changing opportunities, hope and a sense of belonging to thousands of children and young people. The World Scout Bureau has recently identified the Dadaab Scouting activity as a flagship refugee Scouting program in Africa.

 “Scouting activities in Dadaab are excellent examples of what Scouts from everywhere could do for people, the planet, peace and prosperity,” said Stephen Peck, Senior Director with the World Scout Bureau Global Support Centre, after visiting Dadaab. “By allowing this boy to represent Scouting from Dadaab, thousands of other Scouts from different countries will be able to be inspired by their stories.”

“This is a significant achievement,” celebrates Henry Waitindi, Program Manager and Head of Dadaab Office for Refugee Emergency and Relief Operations and Development at AVSI Foundation, a Scout Leader himself. “At AVSI, we support youth development, which is a principle we share with the Scout movement, and this is why we have continued to support Scouting activities in Dadaab.”

Scouting for Refugees program is part of the project “Integrated Education Response in Dadaab and Host Communities” (2018-2019) implemented by AVSI Foundation with funding from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).