Scouting in Uganda

Scouting in Uganda was started by a British missionary in 1915 and the Uganda Scouts Association has been a member of the world organisation of the Scout Movement since 1964.

Scouting in Uganda is divided into age-groups and each group has a different motto.

Name	Age	Motto
Cubs	7-11 years	Do your best
Juniors	12-15 years	Be Prepared
Venturers	16-18 years	Look wide
Rovers	18-25 years	Service

The Ugandan Scout Promise is:

On my honour,
I promise that I will do my best
to do my duty to god and to my country,
to help other people at all times and
to obey the Scout Law

In the UK we expect Scouts to wear a uniform from the day they are invested. In Uganda the uniform would look like the diagram opposite but most families cannot afford to provide it. Children in Uganda learn that the uniform is not what makes them a Scout but it is their actions and style of life.

Scouting in Uganda is based mainly in schools but unlike Scouting in the United Kingdom the young people play a very important role in supporting the development of their communities and taking vital health education messages to the villages. The health education is often carried out by Cubs in Uganda. Most children will have primary education but only about 9% go onto secondary schools. These schools are usually Boarding schools so Scouts are less likely to be active in the local villages.

The Scout Association has an immunisation badge which is sponsored by UNICEF. This supports the Uganda National Expanded Programme of Immunisation. To pass this badge Scouts must know about the main childhood diseases, advertise the local immunisation clinic and support a mother in having her baby vaccinated and returning for all the recommended doses.