World AIDS Orphans Day will occur on 7 May. More than 25 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS – equivalent to the number of people living in New York, Paris, Rome and Bangkok combined. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 12 million children have been orphaned by the pandemic. In addition to being especially vulnerable to all forms of exploitation, these children face financial difficulties, disease, and stigmatisation.

The ANZAC Peace Prize, announced annually, is awarded by the Returned and Services League (RSL) to ‘recognise any outstanding effort by an Australian citizen who has promoted the concept of international understanding and who, in so doing, has made a contribution to world peace.’ The RSL ANZAC Awards Committee has awarded the 2008 ANZAC Peace Prize to Scouts Australia. 2008 is the Year of the Scout and marks the centenary of Scouting in Australia. The award of the ANZAC Peace Prize recognises the part that Scouting has played in the development of two million Australians over the past 100 years, both as individuals and as citizens.

Como una forma de presentar los alcances de la ejecución de los proyectos realizados durante el verano de este año, Oficina Scout Mundial preparó una memoria fotográfica de los momentos más importantes vividos por los niños y jóvenes que participaron del Programa de Campamentos Recreativos Escolares, desarrollado en el Centro Scout Mundial Picarquín entre el 3 de enero y el 7 de febrero.

En un emotivo encuentro junto a los más de 1.200 niños y niñas que participan del Programa de Campamentos Escolares en el Centro Scout Mundial Picarquín, el jueves 10 de enero del presente año la Presidenta de Chile, señora Michelle Bachelet, inauguró un nuevo año de esta iniciativa que ejecuta la Oficina Scout Mundial, Región Interamericana.