By Louise | Managing Director
Avuxeni, Minjane? Umfekile minjane!
I cant believe it, after months of preparation, the camp is over. The build up is always exciting, attending camp is always a challenge because of the cold, some years more so than others! Either that or I am just getting old, and that cant be!!!!
Now that it is over, and we have had a break, we are starting to plan our next camp in October and the excitement is building again. This time it will be in the warmer months which is fabulous. Not that the kids care, they just love getting away and learning new things and experiencing new adventures.
I shared last week about BOYS2MEN training and how well that went. I would love to share about the girls Sex and Sexuality Training however, it was considered as sacred women’s business, I was not allowed to listen in, I was not allowed to take photos or hear any of the comments. So sadly, I have nothing to show you, however over 30 girls did attend. What grieved my heart was that some of the girls from our partner organizations are sexually active which goes against what we stand for. This was discussed at length, unpacked, and examined. This is so desperately sad, and underlines how important the work we do is.
We have not had a teenager pregnant since 2018.
This is amazing and a testimony to the work we do, however sometimes it feels like we are fighting a losing battle with culture, expectations, peer pressure especially with our partners. Because of financial restraints we cannot visit our partners as frequently and reinforce the scout laws and promise. The recent girls training reflects the change of attitude we have identified. Some of the girls are dating, dating translates to having sex. In this culture that is the only reason to date. It is very sad, relationships are not developed, friendships with the opposite sex are not encouraged, sex is the only language of relationships.
The work we do is so important. Thank you for helping us to continue with this quite extra ordinary impact. The financial support you give enables us to change culture, change perceptions, change the future. At camp we realised how important working with both boys and girls is, how developing friendships and respect for each other is paramount.
Thank you for making such a difference. Thank you for seeing the impact and being willing to step up and hold hands with us, to produce this change.
Louise
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