International Scout and Guide Expeditions

Zambia 2010 Expedition
To Register an interest for the next expedition (2012) - Click Here

Zambia 2010 Badge -

Latest News : The Zambia 2010 team has just finished their third training weekend, held at Bentley Copse. It was a great team building weekend, coupled with a lot of talk on fund raising, gift aid, details on the selected project etc. Photo's all of the training weekends are now on-line, Click Here Information on the chosen project is available by Clicking Here Central funds (including Gift Aid) now stand at just over £15,000. We have just received sponsorship from Hampshire County Council, who have donated £1,540 to the central fundraising.

For photos of the Zambia 2008 expedition, click here

What is it all about?
Julian Sore has been running International Scout and Guides Expeditions for a number of years, mainly to Uganda and more recently to Zambia. The expeditions usually last for 3 to 4 weeks, and the main purpose is to develop UK Scouts and Guides (14 to 23 year olds) to have a better understanding of third world countries (see aims and objectives for a full breakdown).

What do we do on an expedition?
The expedition is usually broken down into three sections
a.    Acclimatisation - Includes some sight seeing and relaxtion.
b.    Community Project Work - This is the main purpose and the main section of the expedition.
c.    Sightseeing, Safari and adventure activities such as White Water Rafting, Quad Biking etc.

Community Project Work                 The main purpose of the expedition, is to undertake a significant community project in a rural location in Zambia. We usually undertake an expedition pre-visit and look for a school that requires developing. In Zambia, we are based in the district of Siavonga. Siavonga is to the South of the capital, and edges onto the Zambezi river, and Lake Kariba. Siavonga is approximately 100 Kms wide, and is a massive area (probably about the size of Hampshire).                        The typical school  run by the local community, who live in mud huts. The school is usually officially recognised by the educational department, however, they receive virtually no funding from the educational department. The school usually educates around 320 pupils in grades 1 to 7 (ages 5 to 12). The school uses straw shelters. There are no desks or chairs in the classrooms, with pupils sitting on the floor, or whatever they can find. Quite often classes are held under a large tree. Toilet facilities are usually very poor, with a single squat toilet, usually built with a wooden floor, and no roof.

             The usual project helps by

Providing a clean water supply
Providing new double toilet block
Providing 2 brick built Classrooms
Providing desks and chairs for the Classrooms
Providing Educational and Sports Equipment

The above program of works can cost around £24,000.

How is the team made up?
The team is made up of 18 / 19 members of the Scout or Guide Association, aged between 14 and 23 at the time of the expedition. In addition to this are the 5-6 members of the Leader Team. The team comes from across all of the UK.

Expedition timescales?
The next expedition is currently looking to run around late July to mid August 2010.
Team Member Applications are Jan / Feb 09

Selection Process
We had a very large number of applications for the 2008 expedition (42 in total), and to reduce this to the 18 for the team, we had to hold a selection weekend. We will be repeating this, probably in March 2009. This was a very hard process, with some very difficult decisions having to be made. As a result, the 18 / 19 team members that make it into the team should very much be congratulated for making it this far.

Aims and Objectives of the expedition.
1.    To return all team members safe and well to the UK.
2.    To Develop Scouts and Guides from the UK, to have a deep appreciation of life in a third world country
3.    To Develop Scouts and Guides from the UK, to be able to work together as a team, to understand different peoples needs, and to give support to all members of the team.
4.    To Develop Scout and Guides from the UK to become leaders of the future.
5.    To Develop the leaders from the Leader Team to become better leaders, and expedition leaders of the future.
6.    To complete a community project in a third world country, that substantially benefits the local community, which they can take ownership of the project.
7.    To develop Scouting and Guiding in the community of the country we visit.

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