Transforming lives
In Nyalenda, Kisumu, Kenya, the lives of an entire community are being transformed thanks to Scouting’s Ticket to Life programme, passionate Scout volunteers, and seed funding to set up a floating fish farm.
The Scouts attending the Ring Road Orphans Day School in Nyalenda, one of the city’s largest informal settlements, live in extreme poverty. “We have children whose parents passed away. We have children in single-parent homes. We have child-headed households here in Nyalenda”, says Evans, a dynamic Scout leader in the Ring Road Scout Group.
Yet where there is Scouting, there is hope. These young people are part of Scouting’s Ticket to Life programme in Kenya, driven by passionate Scout leaders like Evans, who are determined to create tangible opportunities to positively change the course of their lives.
A Scout family, skills and opportunities
In this challenging context, Scouting’s Ticket to Life programme offers:
• A Scout home and family, where these young people so often have none.
• Skills development and learning, for girls and boys, where educational opportunities are extremely limited, including to boost their future employability.
• Seed funding for sustainable income-generation activities for Scout groups and communities, including to enhance their food security.
Boosting employment, income and food security
Evans shared the story of how his Scout Group brainstormed and decided, with the support of Ticket to Life, to invest in fish farming on Lake Victoria and learn a trade that could be passed on to the children, Scout leaders, and parents. The Scouts wanted to generate a sustainable income for their Group and create employment opportunities within the community. The seed funding from the project, via the Foundation, covered the floating infrastructure and initial supplies that would have otherwise been beyond their means.
As a result, Geoffrey, a fisherman and single parent of one of the Scouts, has been employed to manage the project, along with security guards who work in shifts on the lake. Geoffrey has developed and shared his expertise and learning. They had a successful first year and reinvested profits in a second structure. Some of the Scout parents are even fishmongers now, benefitting from fair Scout prices, and the children love visiting the fish farms whenever possible.
“We are able to buy books from the proceeds. We harvest the fish and we sell them”, says Evans. Importantly, they can also enhance the Scouts’ nutrition and buy essential supplies.
“Our number has grown because every child wants to participate. Every child wants to learn something new because of Ticket to Life. Thank you.”
Seeing the impact of your support
In November 2024, a group of World Scout Foundation Honours Programme Members joined Evans and Geoffrey, some of the Ring Road Scouts and representatives of Kenya Scouts Association and World Scouting, on Lake Victoria to visit the Scouts’ floating fish farms. This was followed by an incredible afternoon of activities with Ring Road and Emmaus Scout Groups.
We knew that Ticket to Life was transforming lives, but it was an entirely different experience to meet and spend time with the enthusiastic Scouts and their powerhouse passionate leaders. We exchanged, played games, laughed, danced and sang together.
Post-visit, inspired by the Kisumu and Nairobi Scouts and their resourcefulness, our small group raised an additional USD 20,000 for the next phase of Kenya’s Ticket to Life. Thank you to all our colleagues from the Kenya Scouts Association and the World Scout Bureau Africa Support Centre who supported and shared our eye-opening Scout adventure.
“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.”
Ticket to Life in Kenya
Kenya Scouts is one of 12 National Scout Organisations in Africa with a thriving Ticket To Life programme. Since 2022, 1044 young Scouts have been supported and 46 new leaders trained. The number of indirect community beneficiaries is much higher, estimated to be well over 6400. The programme is currently focused on supporting orphaned children and young people living in care, young people affected by HIV, those living with disabilities,
and young people in conflict with the law.
And the Kenya Scouts are not working alone! They have built up an impressive network of partners to continue scaling up the project, including local non-governmental organisations, county governments, the Ministry of Education, UNICEF, and Compassion International.
Scaleability
23 National Scout Organisations in three Scout Regions (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe — Interamerica is coming in 2025!) have Ticket to Life. The programme is replicable and scalable and can be tailored to all local contexts. Target communities include refugees, street-connected children, ethnic minorities, orphans, young people with special needs, those in conflict with the law, and young people living in extreme poverty.
All of these young people deserve to laugh, play, learn and have opportunities to thrive in life, just as much as any other child.
Ticket to Life: A funding priority
Scouting is a proven solution, and our continued support will ensure this programme can be expanded to benefit even more young people in communities across the world. Heartfelt thanks to Doris and Hans Imholz, The Martine & Betram Pohl Foundation and all BP Fellows supporting Ticket to Life.
We continue to seek funding — around USD 560,000 for 2026 — to sustain and scale up implementation. Help us to transform lives of more young people and their communities by donating today! Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.