Scout Family Overcomes Crisis and Arrives at JamCam
Written by Jéssica Constantino and Ivan Brugalli
Bags Packed, map on … everything would have been ready for JamCam if it wasn’t for the unexpected resignation of Acacio, who worked on two nursing shifts, to come to JamCam. It was with his and his wife’s income, Claudia Guimaraes, that the car trip was planned. They would cover more than 2,200 km of ground from the city of Vitória da Conquista to Foz do Iguaçu. With his resignation, Acacio would not be able to arrive by car, nor would he be able to buy air tickets from Bahia. By that time, the family had given up on going to their first international camp.
But it was from one of the hobbies and experience of over 40 years of Scouting that Acacio got his inspiration: he announced on social media that he would sell his badge collection to be able to attend the event. The idea was a success, and over 90% of its collection was sold in 42 lots, each with at least 6 badges.
“Getting rid of the material goods was not so difficult, my main purpose was the happiness of my family”, says Acacio.
Claudia was also determined to help with the income: she worked three weeks in a row in another city giving nursing classes to get more money for the event. Unfortunately, the payment was not made and once again the family was in trouble.
And thanks to Baden-Powell’s legacy, they realized how incredible the Scout fellowship is, as they received support from several scouts who helped them financially and even offered their homes to Acacio, Claudia, his daughter Sofia, 13, and João, 15, all of them activate in 81 Group Impisa. Now they could rest while they were on the road. “Every help, house offered by the volunteers, motivated us to continue the trip to JamCam. It was heartwarming how everyone helped us, we saw how good people are”, says Claudia, very moved.
Of the four days of travel, three nights were spent in the homes of scout families of Governador Valadares (MG), Ribeirão Preto (SP) and Cascavel (PR). For little Sofia, it was an indescribable experience “As much as we spent four days in a car, we met new places, made friends and tried different foods, I even had corn juice” says the scout, excited.
It was through determination, resilience and the support of other scouts that the dream of getting to know part of Brazil and attending their first international camp was made possible for the Guimaraes family.
Photography left to right: Sofia, Acacio, Claudia e João | Photographer: Gabriel Rodrigues