Scouts to the Rescue: How volunteers in Argentina rallied for Bahia Blanca
When devastating floods swept through Bahía Blanca in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, on 7 March, leaving at least 16 people dead and thousands displaced, the Scouts of Argentina wasted no time launching a nationwide solidarity movement under the hashtag #ScoutsxBahía.
The unprecedented disaster saw nearly 290 millimetres of rainfall in a single day — a March record for the region — comparable to the historic floods in La Plata (2013) and Santa Fe (2003). The city's vulnerable position in the lower basin of the Napostá stream exacerbated the crisis, with both the stream and the Maldonado canal overflowing and submerging large parts of the area. Young volunteers stepped up to make a difference.
Local Scout groups immediately emerged, organising themselves to receive, sort, and distribute donations across the city. These young people set up community kitchens to provide hot meals to affected families and rolled up their sleeves to help clean homes damaged by floodwaters, embodying the Scout motto of being prepared and helping others in need.
The effort wasn't limited to local groups. Scout troops from across Argentina's provinces launched collection drives, sending food, clothing, and essential supplies to the disaster zone. At the Scout Headquarters in Buenos Aires, over 200 volunteers worked tirelessly, sorting and packaging donations to ensure rapid distribution to those in need.
The dedication shown by these young people has been remarkable during this national tragedy, for which the national government declared three days of mourning. Working through long days, they've demonstrated the Scout movement's ability to respond effectively in times of crisis. For many of the younger Scouts, this emergency response has been their first experience putting their training into real-world action, showing that being a Scout is useful when your community needs you the most.
The scale of reconstruction, estimated to cost hundreds of billions of pesos, highlights the significance of the volunteers' contribution. Multiple factors made this disaster particularly severe: the extraordinary rainfall concentrated in just a few hours, the city's vulnerable geographical location, historical deficiencies in long-term urban planning, and the increasing influence of climate change on the frequency and intensity of such weather phenomena.
Despite these challenges, the young Scouts' organisational skills, teamwork, resilience, and commitment have made a genuine difference to the affected community, highlighting how the Scout movement's values translate into practical action during emergencies.
The #ScoutsxBahía campaign remains active, and those wishing to contribute can do so via the following link: https://bit.ly/scoutsxbahia.