Ticket to Life: transforming lives
In November 2024, a group of Honours Programme Members journeyed to Nairobi, Kisumu and Nyeri to discover Kenyan Scouting, interact with Scouts and leaders, and learn more about the Ticket to Life programme, which is transforming the lives of children living in vulnerable communities. We also visited Nyeri, the resting place of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, the Founders of Scouts and Guides.
We knew that Ticket to Life was a game-changer, but it was an entirely different experience to meet and spend time with the enthusiastic Scouts and their powerhouse, passionate leaders during our visit.
A day of discovery
On day one, we travelled to Rowallan Scout Camp, home of the World Scout Bureau Africa Support Office and the Kenya Scouts Association to learn about Scouting in the Africa Scout Region, current priorities, and the wider Ticket to Life programme as implemented in Kenya and another 10 countries in Africa. We received a fantastic welcome by the Africa Support Centre team, engaged in an informative exchange and questions and answers session with the Deputy Regional Director, Mary W. Waweru, supported by several colleagues including Calisto Ochieng', Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Fundraising and Kelvin Mirie, Officer, Membership and Capacity Building.
We then walked through the Rowallan grounds to the nearby Kenya Scouts Association to learn about Ticket to Life in Kenya from Kenya Scouts Association CEO Moses Danda; Commissioner for Diversity and Inclusion, Ruth Gason and Ticket to Life Coordinator, David Onyango Ng’iela. The information shared set the context for our Scout visits to come in Nairobi and Kisumu. We learned how, as of 2024, Kenya Scouts had welcomed 1044 Ticket to Life Scouts and trained 46 new leaders, thanks to support received via the World Scout Foundation from Honours Programme Members. In Kenya, the programmee predominantly supports young people affected by HIV, those living with special needs, orphans in care, and young people in conflict with the law.
We enjoyed a tour of the beautiful and expansive grounds which contain facilities for camping along with an abundance of nature trails and facilities for team building and large-scale events for Scouts, school children, youth groups and adults. We spotted baboons which wander freely and, as a small legacy of our visit, our group planted native seedlings in Rowallan Scouts Camp.
Treehouse Ticket to Life Scouts
We then travelled across Nairobi to meet the Treehouse Ticket to Life Scout group, to understand how the programme is providing opportunities for the young people at the Treehouse children’s home.
We learned how Ticket to Life is providing opportunities that these children might otherwise never have to:
- Play and learn as every child deserves,
- Find a family in Scouting when they have no other,
- Gain essential skills and knowledge that enhance future employability, namely rabbit and chicken rearing, and,
- Enable sustainable livelihoods.
The Scouts proudly paraded for our group, recited poetry, shared music, demonstrated their Scout skills and explained how their rabbit and chicken rearing activities support income-generation and skills development, and supplement food security. We danced and sang, engaged with the leaders and older Scouts, and were able to leave supplies and games to boost the children’s extremely limited resources. We then experienced the best reverse driving of a minivan with mm clearance by colleague Kennedy to exit the small streets. It was a touching visit full of hope in the knowledge that Scouting and Ticket to Life are making a positive difference and creating opportunities for the children we met.
Off on an adventure!
Jambo Kisumu! On day two of our Honours Programme Field Visit we travelled to Kisumu on Lake Victoria to discover the Ringroad Scouts’ Ticket to Life fish farming project, supported via funding from the World Scout Foundation, which empowers Scouts and their families with vital income generating skills and is creating more opportunities and jobs in their local community.
We travelled on Lake Victoria by boat with the wind in our hair and big smiles on our faces to discover the floating fish farms up close and hear about the impact this seed-investment has made from Scouts, their Scout leaders Beatrice and Evans, Frederick Okumu, the local Kenya Scouts Commissioner and fish farm manager Geoffrey.
Hear from Scout leader Evans and learn more about the importance of this programme for the Kisumu Scouts and their community in this video and dedicated impact story.
We then met with Ringroad and Emmaus Scouts for an incredible afternoon of games, dancing and exchange, laughter and fun outside. We enjoyed refreshments back at the Ringroad Scout headquarters and were again able to leave supplies for the Scouts. We also saw a few impala and zebra on the way back!
“The Ring Road Scouts fish farming project is enabling a vibrant and impactful Scout programme to enrich the lives of young Jokisumo (people from Kisumu). Each member of their Group clearly feels the impact, and it made me extremely proud to be part of the team supporting their initiative.” Alex Killby, Honours Programme Member.
Visiting Nyeri
We included a third day in this visit for those who wished to visit Nyeri, the resting place of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, the Founders of Scouting and Guiding. We left early for the long drive from Nairobi, which gave us another opportunity to get to know our group members and to also talk about our plans to raise funds for the next phase of Ticket to Life in Kenya, post-trip, to leave an important legacy of our visit.
In Nyeri, we were expertly guided around the BP information Centre and left a Messengers of Peace scarf as a memento of our visit. We visited the graveyard and learned more about the history of our Founder and more Nyeri and Scouting history. We also undertook our own adventure to find the home of one of our group’s grandfathers just outside Nyeri, which whilst wasn’t entirely successful, was great fun!
After lunch, we headed back to Nairobi for a farewell dinner with Africa Scout Support Centre and Kenya Scout Association colleagues, to exchange further and share memories of our shared discovery of Kenyan Scouting and the dedicated and passionate Scouts involved in Ticket to Life.
A legacy of our visit: support for Ticket to Life
Asante Maskauti; Asante, Kenya! Thank you to everyone who made this Honours Programme Field Visit such a vibrant journey of discovery, demonstrating the impact of Scouting’s Ticket to Life programme and the value of our continued, strong support to World Scouting. Thank you to all of the Kenya Scouts and colleagues from the World Scout Bureau Africa Support Centre who supported and shared our eye-opening Scout adventure. Thank you to our fantastic group of Honours Programme Members who joined the adventure.
Post-visit, thoroughly inspired by the Kisumu and Nairobi Scouts and their resourcefulness, our small group, together with additional donors — BP Fellows, Scouts and other supporters — raised an additional USD 20,000 via the Scout Donation Platform for the next phase of Kenya’s Ticket to Life programme. We know how far this funding stretches and can’t wait to share the upcoming plans for this next phase!