The wait is over. Fundraising efforts are complete. Bags are (hopefully) packed. Malawi is calling for around 60 Explorers from across Berkshire, who embark on Berkshire Scouts’ fourth Project Africa expedition in the coming days.
We’ve enjoyed all the updates from our county team from the past months, as they have worked tirelessly to prepare for this epic trip, following three previous expeditions to Uganda in 2011, 2015 and 2019. The participating Explorers have all worked hard on training camps to acclimatise, however possible, to what they will experience over the coming three weeks in Malawi – but there’s no substitute for the real thing.
To get a taste for what life is like out in Malawi, we caught up with Edward Nyamwera, National Rover Commissioner in the country and Scout Leader in the Blantyre region, to where our intrepid Explorers are heading. Here’s an extract from our exclusive interview to what your appetites for what promises to be a life-changing experience.
Edward, great to speak to you. Let’s start by learning a bit more about Scouting in Malawi.
“My role as National Rover Commissioner is to look at all the activities ranging from the ages of 16 to 25; I am also Scout Leader in Blantyre where we have a number of Scouts we are working with. We have a number of activities we do with our young people. We try to teach skills for life so that our young people become responsible citizens. We impart skills like soap making using locally available resources, and we teach them how to make school bags from cartons. In addition, we try to work with young people to solve real problems affecting our community. We have a problem of electricity in rural areas and the Scouts take the initiative to organise fundraising and then bring solar lighting to the schools. Scouting impacts many young people in our community and changes their behaviour so that they become responsible citizens.”
How many Scouts do you have in your area?
“The growth of Scouting in our area has increased since I came into the area of Blantyre. I was from the north and moved to the south. So far, we have 260 Scouts, and approximately five Scout groups in different communities. We are truly growing and it’s a good number for us now.”
What are the similarities and differences between Scouting in Malawi and in the UK?
“We have many similarities. We work with four age groups: we have the Cubs, the Scouts, the Rovers – which is maybe what you call Explorers – and the leaders. The similarities are about the promise that put into practice and all the Scout laws that we have. The differences are around culture. We involve traditional dances into Scouting, like Chilimika, a dance for girls, we have Maripenga, only for males, and we have Vimbuza where you have a mix of all the girls and boys dancing with local songs.”
What can our Explorers expect from their trip to Malawi?
“They can expect life to be a bit different to the way it usually is in the UK, where maybe they are used to computers and phones. Here things are much different because kids spend time cheering themselves, playing games and playing around with old tyres. There is not much watching movies or TV. Malawian people are very friendly, very interactive. The Scouts who are coming will make new friends that will last for a long time.”
What kind of preparations have gone into this trip at your end?
“We have set up a number of activities that we like to share with our friends. We want to see that they are able to make soaps from locally available resources. It’s very fun and interactive because everyone in the group plays a role. We’re going to make friendship bracelets, and we’re going to try some recycling; I believe UK Scouts have a different way of recycling things around them. Maybe we’ll have a platform where we can share knowledge, ideas and make a difference in the community. The interaction with the leaders coming over has been really perfect. We have worked in a number of ways, designing the programme and activities; we have had Zoom meetings trying to share what we have so we can create a memorable experience for the Berkshire and Blantyre Scouts. We have learned a lot from them and they’ve been interested in learning our skills. It’s very nice. The Berkshire Scouts are not just coming for the project, but as well to interact with the Scouts in Blantyre. This is really amazing. So that we make a strong friendship with our family, to share knowledge and make long-lasting friendships. They are coming to help the community to build for the orphanage, which is really amazing, and will be a really life-changing project. The charity Joshua is truly a part of Malawi.”
There’s a great video of you on YouTube talking about the impact that Scouting has had on refugees, tell us about that.
“Yes, I am also the coordinator of Ticket to Life, a programme that deal with refugees and young people. We have a refugee camp in Malawi, initially designed to provide 10,000 people but because of the people coming in, there are now 50,000+ people. The situation there is really horrible, so as Scouts we believe that the skills we have, if we bring them to the refugees, it can really bring a change. We can create a platform where young people can still find hope and build their resilience. We have brought Scouting to refugees and have changed the number of young people by teaching them about farming, agriculture, growing vegetables, and more. It’s a huge impact”
What message do you have for the adults who are entrusting their young people to you for the next three weeks?
My advice is that they should feel their kids, when they are in Malawi, are in a safe hime. Malawi is a warm part of Africa, so when their children are here, they should not be worried. They should be assured that their kids will have incredible memories and they will learn new skills and experience a different life. It will give them a space where they will develop new innovation ideas that will help them to solve real problems. The kids should get ready to make new friends, meet new people and experience a new life that will remain in their memory for a lifetime.”
And what can Malawi Scouts learn from our Explorers?
“This trip is going to part of international exposure for them to learn what it is like having a Briton in Malawi, about the weather – we are going to ask a lot about how you survive at zero degrees! So they should expect a lot of questions like that.”
