Gender equality for Scouts and everyone in Ethiopia and The Gambia

If we’re to achieve gender equality in Scouting - and beyond - we need to support and enact the meaningful membership, participation and leadership of women and girls in our Movement. According to UN Women, increasing women in leadership is key to sustainable development in many areas, including pandemic recovery, fighting climate change and reducing inequality.

World Scouting works with National Scout Organizations (NSOs) and partners to build greater gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness in Scouting and in the world. Scouts in Ethiopia and The Gambia have understood the importance of increasing diverse gender representation and leadership in their NSOs and have taken exemplary action to make Scouts - boys and girls alike - champions for gender equality.

The result:

  • 200 Scouts trained as Champions of Change
  • 60,000+ people reached through gender equality advocacy
  • 500 newly enrolled Scouts
  • 2,388 community outreach hours completed through gender equality, diversity and inclusion projects

Thanks to well-trained team leaders, the project outcomes will continue to grow. In both Ethiopia and The Gambia, we've seen Scouts grow their reflections on gender issues and understanding of how they can act. Let’s learn more about the projects in each country:

Advancing gender equality through Scouting in Ethiopia

According to the 2019 Gender Inequality Index (GII) - a global measure reflecting inequality in achievement between women and men in three dimensions - reproductive health, empowerment, and the labour market - Ethiopia is ranked 123 out of 162 countries, with a value of 0.508. 

Despite relatively strong policies and institutions that support the promotion of gender equality in the country, unequal power relations between women and men continue to be a significant barrier for women and girls. This lower status causes many poor health outcomes, human rights violations and deep-rooted poverty. Additionally, the inclusion and participation of women in social, economic and political arenas are well below representative.

Almost half of the Ethiopia Scouts Association (ESA) members are women and girls. However, at the national decision-making level, they only represent 16% of the Association. This realisation led the ESA to implement a national policy and strategy to strengthen gender equality, including training individuals to ensure the efforts are sustainable.

To improve the status and well-being of women and girls, the ESA implemented an eight-month project in 2021 to enhance the understanding and mainstreaming of gender equality within the Association. The project has inspired and supported Ethiopian Scouts to advocate for gender equality, commit to the HeForShe campaign, and bring long-lasting solutions for diversity and inclusion country-wide.

Six hundred adult volunteers and 1,024 young people from District Scout Councils across the country received training as Champions of Change on gender equality. The ESA also promoted the HeForShe Action Kit (download it here!) and rolled out Diversity and Inclusion Guidelines. To ensure these initiatives are mainstreamed, the Association also developed its first-ever National Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

An additional 32 young people - mostly boys and girls selected in schools - have been trained as Champions of Change. These young people, who have demonstrated strong leadership and social acceptance in their schools and communities, are actively engaged in creating positive change and can be role models for others.

These Champions trained 820 other Scout Troop and Patrol Leaders who then worked with one patrol each of 32 school girls and boys. In total, over 26,240 boys and girls have increased their awareness of gender issues and are now championing gender equality, diversity and inclusion, using the new tools, guidelines and training.

Gambian Scouts becoming a gender-equal organisation

The Gambia ranked 148 of 162 countries according to the 2019 Gender Inequality Index (GII), with a value of 0.612. The Gambia Scouts Association (TGSA) is committed to improving gender equality across the country, starting with increasing awareness and representation within its own institution. TGSA has prioritised the creation of a structured gender equality framework, building the capacity of its volunteers to conduct gender equality training, and the development of guidelines to entrench good practices.

In 2021, TGSA developed its National Diversity and Inclusion Policy and trained 150 Scout Leaders and Scouts on gender equality. They also improved the understanding of the HeForShe campaign for volunteers and Scouts. At least 300 new commitments to gender equality were registered, while many more young people and adult volunteers implemented activities to boost gender equality in their communities.

TGSA notes that gender equality is not only a concern for women and girls. The active involvement of men and boys is also necessary to achieve equality. The project, therefore, targeted young activists, regardless of their gender, social or economic backgrounds. 

The newly developed National Diversity and Inclusion Policy will guide the operations and actions of the Association and act as a resource for both adult volunteers and young people. It will be implemented by trained Scouts and Scout Leaders who will also disseminate information and good practices in their communities outside of Scouting.

With this guiding policy and a Scout membership that better understands what gender equality is and how they can contribute, the Association is building a generation of gender champions and becoming a more gender-equal organisation.

Next steps forward

The Scout Associations in Ethiopia and The Gambia will continue these activities by integrating the new projects into their existing Youth Programmes. To assure the continuation and success of the HeForShe campaign, the Associations have already trained 750 school club leaders using the HeForShe Action Kit to help them lead the campaign in schools.

The positive impacts of these projects will continue growing as the trained Scouts put into practice the advocacy, education and lobbying skills gained. Their work will influence change for greater gender equality in their Scout groups, schools and communities. 

Partnerships for gender equality

We can’t build a better world alone. World Scouting and our Member Organizations value partnerships with reputable international and local organisations to effect sustainable change. 

These projects in Ethiopia and The Gambia were made possible thanks to funding from the Messengers of Peace Support Fund and in partnership with Alwaleed Philanthropies as part of our Scouts for SDGs initiative. They also benefited from WOSM’s ongoing partnership with UN Women and their HeForShe campaign. 

Proving the value of partnerships, the project in Ethiopia was implemented through collaborations with government ministries and bureaus for education, peace and security, women, children and youth, and other youth-focused organizations like Action Aid Ethiopia, Ethiopian Youth Federation and the Young Women’s Christian Association. It was also key to work closely with the 12 Regional Scout Councils to ensure the future sustainability of the project by integrating curriculum on gender equality, diversity and inclusion with regular monitoring.

Become a champion for gender equality

Spread the word

  • Share your gender equality project by clicking “Take Action” on the Scouts for SDGs website
  • Post about your initiatives on social media using hashtags #Scouts #Scouts4SDGs #HeForShe
  • Follow us to learn more on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter

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