Italian Scouts to the Rescue

here is a story about Scouts from the Federation of Italian Scouting which shows how Italian Scouts responded to the huge earthquake that occurred recently there. The story made the International News link for the World Organization of the Scouting Movement website. So here is the story:

Italian Scouts commit to the rescue efforts after the terrible earthquake

On the night of 6 April an earthquake has shaken a central region of Italy called Abruzzo. It was a real catastrophe: more than 250 people were killed, 1000 injured and about 25000 are now without a home. AGESCI and CNGEI (the two NSAs in Italy part of FIS - Federazione Italiana dello Scautismo) after the official request of the Italian Civil Protection are already on the spot to offer help and support to the people affected by the shock.

The response of Italian Scouts to the catastrophe that hit Abruzzo has been well-timed and generous. About 200 volunteers from CNGEI and AGESCI have already arrived on the spot of the earthquake and they are supporting the Civil Protection in the rescue. In particular, at the moment they are engaged in setting up camps for the evacuees and supporting those people affected emotionally.

The Scouts come from all around Italy and most of them have travelled all through the night to offer support as soon as possible because the situation is still grave.

One city, L’Aquila, and some villages in Abruzzo have been almost completely destroyed and the need for help will surely continue in the coming months. For this reason AGESCI and CNGEI are preparing shifts in order to guarantee a constant presence of Scouts in the affected area: more than 300 Scouts are ready to go.

In the past, with similar events that unfortunately happen quite often in Italy, the commitment of Scouts was always recognized as very important and also in these tragic circumstances, they are doing their best to be near and support the huge number of affected people.

WOSM-European Region has already sent a message to Federazione Italiana dello Scautismo to demonstrate its solidarity with our brother and sister Scouts and the whole Italian nation. We know that many other associations have sent similar messages.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 Philmont AA '08