You are here:
- Home >
- News >
- 7th Crawley Cub Pack – Sponsored Silence Appeal
News
7th Crawley Cub Pack – Sponsored Silence Appeal - Help a Kenyan Scout
29 November 2011
In the summer 2010 one of our Explorer Scouts attended an
International Scout Moot (a big international Scout camp for
18-25s) held in Kenya. Whilst he was there he met a Kenyan
Scout named Alex who gave up his time to help the English
contingent. He was kind, honest, extremely polite, helpful and
giving even though he had nothing. During the week our Scout
visited the primary school Alex went to, his house (little more
than a hut, smaller than most British front rooms) and met his
family.
Alex wants to work his way out of poverty by studying for
qualifications which will enable him to get a secure, well paid job
and support his family. His family is supported almost solely by
his mother who somehow manages to pull together enough money to pay
rent each month and food, and cannot afford to send him to college
or university. She takes in laundry which she does by hand.
The 7th Crawley Scout Group wants to help Alex to achieve his
ambition and has offered to try to raise funding for him. Alex has
managed to get a place on an 18 month 'Food Production' (catering)
course at Utalii College in Nairobi., where he started in September
2011. Fees are about £500 a year and additional living costs are
about £150 a month (figures depend on exchange rates &
inflation.) It's a bargain compared to English tertiary education,
but the catch is that it all has to be paid for up front; there are
no government-backed student loans. So far enough money has been
raised to pay Alex's first term's fees and living costs and his
required uniform and equipment. The next fees have to be paid in
January.
In addition to these basic costs the Group was recently advised
that Alex now needed a laptop to help him with his studies.
This is because the college library has a limited number of
computers but the library is not always open at weekends when
students need to work on assignments and when it is open there may
be a queue to use the computers.
The Cub Pack agreed to hold a sponsored silence to help
Alex. It was suggested that the silence be undertaken for the
middle hour of our meeting on 29th November. Any parent or Leader
will realise that an hour of silence was always going to be a big
challenge to Cubs! And in particular during one of our fun filled
and exciting cub meetings - Were we up for the challenge?.......You
bet we were!
We raised £346.50 enough for the laptop and also a little over
to contribute to some medical bills for Alex as well.
Paul Masters - GSL/ Akela