Strenghtening the capacity of the Africa Scout Region / Food for Life 2 The objective of the project is to develop the capacity of the Scout movement in Africa and provide the youth with opportunities to actively participate in the development of their society. The project will further strengthen the existing partnership betwe
en SP-FS and ARO and also between the scout and guides of Finland Benin Ethiopia and Niger. The principal aims are to 1) develop the project management skills of the participants 2) strenghten the capacity of the organisations to act efficiently and indepe
ndently as well as to give them resources and tools to develop an active role in the society 3) learn about partnerships and cultural diversity 4) offer the youth meaningful experiences in scouting and provide them with opportunities to develop skills need
ed in the labour market or in the active participation in the society and finally 5) increase the visibility of scouting and enhance the positive image of scouting. These goals are achieved through concrete activities connected to food security. These Food
 for Life (FFL) activities have already been implemented in many African countries by the scouts. Also SP-FS has had an FFL project in Benin and Nigr in 2011-2013. Based on this experience it is possible to further develop the activities in more ambitious 
direction and new areas and especially to extend the project into a new partner countryEthiopia. The activities include principally the creation of model gardens in schools. The scout leaders will be trained to teach the younger scouts the cultivation of v
egetables locally adapted agricultural practices keeping of domestic animals and small-scale entrepreneurial skills. At the same time the scouts in Africa will learn about the interdependence between biodiversity climate change and food security. The risks
 related to food security are non-negligible in the African partner countries Therefore the project offers tools to fight poverty and famine or other nutritional problems at the community level as the skills and knowledge acquired are spread from the scout
s to their families and finally the whole community. The scout group can also decide to sell its products and gain income for their other scouting activities. In Finland some of the items of the project will be integrated into the global and environmental 
education programme of the scouts. This will increase the awareness of these issues among the Finnish youth as well.