After an activity for World AIDS Day 2003, a group of Explorer Scouts decided they should be better informed about world health issues.

The Explorer Scouts began by approaching a local Scout Group, who agreed to become involved. They also made contact with the local University based Scout Network. Some of the Explorers then started searching the Internet for International Aid Agencies. This provided important information on the hardship and distress caused in the developing world by AIDS related illnesses, poor nutrition and poor water quality.

Some of the Explorer Scouts and Network members attended a locally run Global Awareness Partnership Project (GAPP) course, which provided some very practical ideas to use with Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. The Group organised a series of fundraising activities to purchase ShelterBoxes - boxes packed full of essential survival items that are sent to areas of devastation and disaster. They also used every opportunity to explain why it was so important to support projects that promoted health schemes in the developing world.

All who took part in the project developed a greater awareness of the way that others live and felt they had made a small but worthwhile contribution. The Explorer Scouts who had initiated the project were thankful for the support that had been provided by the Leaders, and particularly proud that they had helped to educate other people on world issues. The Network members praised the GAPP training weekends, saying it taught them about other global issues that they could cover through activities.

If you wanted to try this project or a similar project on world health, here are a number of practical suggestions

• Encourage your Explorer Scouts to research issues they are interested in and then design or even run some activities with the younger Sections. If you check through our website addresses, you will find listed a number of charities, which offer material and information that Explorer Scouts and others can use. The younger Sections can then develop some of the issues at their own Section meeting nights.

• Encourage your Beaver and Cub Scouts to raise enough money to buy a cow for a farmer in Africa. This will provide the family with milk and manure to grow better crops contributing towards improving their health. More information can be found on the Send-a-Cow website (www.sendacow.org.uk).

• Your Scouts could then write an article about the 'buy a cow project' for the local paper. (This is a possible programme link with the Public Relations Activity Badge.)

• Scouts could write about the event for the District or Group website. They could then put together 'bite size' information facts to display.

• Get your Group to collect items to put into an 'aquabox'. These are used in the wake of distasters as a rapid response. Provision of safe drinking water and welfare aid items. Go to www.aquabox.org for more information.

• Get your group to fundraise for the Shelterbox Trust. Shelterboxes contain a large tent, sleeping bags, cooker, water purification -warmth and shelter for ten people for an extended period of time... all in a box. More details are available at www.shelterbox.org

• Have a Colony Chat with your Beaver Scouts about healthy eating. Visit www.bda.uk.com/Downloads/healthyeatingchildren.pdf for further information. Get them to design posters comparing hunger and obesity to display around the Scout hall. The Christian Aid Global Gang website (www.globalgang.org.uk/planetteacher/health/)includes useful information and worksheets.

• Photocopy a map of the world and colour it in to show which places in the world suffer with problems of obesity and hunger. (The World Scout Map is available from Scout Shops (Tel 01903 766921 quote reference 820253) £2.00 plus postage and packing)

• Help your Cubs and Scouts to understand a little more about the problems of malnutrition and overeating by playing the true or false game (see the game attached). The Christian Aid Global Gang includes useful information and worksheets www.globalgang.org.uk/planetteacher/hunger/

• Challenge your Cub Scouts to find out what a healthy diet is and design a healthy menu for camp. (needs a good website or other resource)

• Encourage your Explorer Scouts to investigate the issue of AIDS orphans - those left without parents due to the AIDS epidemic. This could show them how poverty exacerbates the problem. The UNAIDS webste (www.unaids.org) has a lot of information on HIV and AIDS including AIDS orphans.

• Your Explorer Scouts could also undertake some of the AIDS Awareness activities produced by the Guide Association in their Action on AIDS pack.

• Arrange for your Explorer Scouts to have discussions on sexual health and discuss personal choice. Invite a local health worker in to teach them about prevention of STDs.

• Your Beaver and Cub Scouts could talk about what it would be like to be an orphan.

• Your Explorer Scouts could run an evening for all Sections on river blindness (water born disease); the 'River Blindness- a community decision' activity from The GAPP Pack is ideal (The game places people in the role of villagers who decide they may have to move due to the threat of disease). The activity can be downloaded from the GAPP website (www.gapp.me.uk) and where the game can be found on pages 25-30 of the Insight resource.
  
  The "In Sight" module contains a lot of other activities and information about River Blindness. Alternatively, check out the Sightsavers (www.sightsavers.org) or Water Aid (www.wateraid.org.uk) websites. West Yorkshire Scouts have lots of good ideas on their website ( www.wyscouts.org.uk)

• Get your Scouts to do an activity on what it is like to be blind. Have them attempt everyday tasks with blindfolds on - for example, walking a course blindfolded or trying to eat or pour a drink.

• Your Beaver and Cub Scouts could do an activity about 'wants and needs', which could lead onto a discussion about things we have in our lives that are essential. Also get them to watch a video on life in Africa and discuss comparisons with their own.

• The world produces enough food to feed everyone, but it rarely reaches those who need it most. This results in problems with hunger and obesity.

• River blindness affects 18 million people in parts of Africa, Yemen and Central America. Tablets to protect against the disease are given away free by the manufacturers. Distribution costs each country only 50p per person a year, but many poverty stricken countries cannot even afford this.

• Since 1950 the population of Africa has grown by over 50%, while food production has increased by around 40%. It is estimated that 30% of the 60 million people in the world in need of food aid are in East Africa (from Issues and Environments by Payne and Jennings, 2002).