Scouting has arrived in Nangarhar province

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – What started out as an idea to positively affect a few local boys has grown into a full-fledged, legitimate program recognized and supported by the provincial government.

Prior to mobilization, the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team established a goal to form a Boy Scout troop in or near Forward Operating Base Finley-Shields, said U.S. Army Capt. Glenn Battschinger of Maye Landing, N.J., Nangarhar PRT civil affairs and Nangarhar Boy Scouts Troop 1 Scoutmaster.

The second day the team was on the ground, the PRT met with the maliks, or leaders, of the three surrounding villages to discuss the Scout program, said Battschinger. The program’s design is to build character, develop leadership skills and to train the boys in responsible citizenship. The maliks all agreed the program would benefit the area youth.

Once the program started, the PRT had a short-term goal of 100 boys enrolled in the Scout troop and a long-term goal to officially establish Scouting with the provincial Ministry of Education.

Forty local boys attended the first troop meeting, held at an orange orchard just outside the FOB. The 40 quickly grew to 50, and through word of mouth the troop now has 100 boys attending weekly meetings.

“When the boys are with the troop, we do not tolerate lying, stealing, cursing or beating. At Scouts, we teach them this is not acceptable behavior,” said Battschinger. “Instead, we teach them to help a fellow Scout, be kind to him, lead by example.”

Scouting has not only helped with their English, but has afforded an opportunity to teach and lead the younger boys, said Mohib, a 17-year-old boy who is the troop leader for Troop 1.

“Learning new things helps our families, our village,” he added.

In June, the PRT received the news it was one step closer to achieving its long term goal when the provincial MoE agreed to bless the formation of a provincial Scout program. The program will incorporate elements of the pre-Soviet area Scout program with elements of modern world Scouting.

Currently, the PRT plans to implement a provincial program to use Nangarhar Troop 1 as a model for other Scout troops in the province and train adult leaders in the techniques of practical scouting field craft and administration techniques, Battschinger said. In just four months, the PRT has made significant progress toward the program’s short and long-term goals, allowing the team to take it further.

In addition to having a troop with 100 boys and getting support from the MoE, the team has also gained the support of more than 400 teachers. These teachers will form the Nangarhar shura on Afghan Scouting.

The ultimate goal of the Scouting shura and these instructors is to get the training necessary, with the help of the MoE and PRT, and to run a sustainable program at each school in the province with 40 Scouts per troop, with separate troops for boys and girls at each school.

A Scouting program in the schools could put 16,000 Afghan Scouts in the Nangarhar province during the 2010 school year, said Battschinger.

“The message of the spirit of Scouting is reaching the children,” he said.

Scouting is not new to Afghanistan. While the Nangarhar PRT troop is not associated with the Afghan Scout Association, the ASA has a long and storied history. It was officially founded in 1931 by royal decree. In the mid 1950s and 60s, the program was very similar to Boy Scouts of America and became a popular, nationwide organization. In 1978, the communist government banned the organization and that ban continued under Taliban rule. The organization has been struggling to re-establish itself since 2003. The ASA national office currently counts 34,000 Scouts nationwide.