Message from Deputy Chief Scout Khonzaphi Mdaka

Today I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our volunteers. Often people generously give time, knowledge and compassion to enrich the lives of others without realising the immense long term value of their actions.

I want our volunteers to know that your actions – both big and small – are contributing towards building better communities. Your efforts to instil skills and values, continuously mould and build the children you serve, who without you, would not be encouraged to change their lives. The impact of your volunteerism in Scouting is a long term one. The effects of your input on young lives will be seen when they grow up to be people of integrity who embody the values of Scouting. In our culture we say it takes a community to bring up a child. We are all lending a shoulder in bringing out the best from our future leaders.

In my years as a Scout and an adult volunteer, I have been honoured to meet many people who don’t want to be in the spotlight but operate behind the scenes with passion and determination. Each one with their own reasons to volunteer, ranging from gaining new experiences, to acquiring new skills, meeting new people or wanting to see a change in their communities. In addition to our Scouting members, I also see elderly people giving their time and expertise in drop in centers and orphanages.

Volunteers don’t always recognize the valuable impact that are having. Albert Einstein once said “Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted, counts.” Volunteering is still foreign to many cultures. At times, it is associated with people who are unemployed and have plenty of time on their hands. We know that is not true because most of our volunteers are highly educated people who care about their community. I am proud to be a member of such a caring organisation. We are truly building better citizens of our country and the world at large.

I would like to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly thank the volunteers in our Scout Groups, Districts and Regional and National teams. Thank you to our Rovers, Scouts and Cubs who give back in their communities. But also thank you to our community members who help the elderly, the young and the underprivileged.

You might think that you are just ordinary people doing something for someone, whereas in fact you are building the foundations of brighter futures. You are all extraordinary people and your actions are priceless!

Khonzaphi Mdaka
Deputy Chief Scout
SCOUTS South Africa

#ScoutsSouthAfrica #volunteer #volunteering #thanks #VolunteerRecognitionDay

Find out more about volunteering for SSA here.