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Girl Guides build their confidence

Girl Guides build their confidence

The Girl Guides Association of Namibia held its annual “Guide Sunday” at the Hosiana ELCIN Parish in Katutura this past Sunday. Lya Mthoko, Guide Leader at the Windhoek Girl Guides Association said although the Girl Guides are not affiliated to any religion, culture or tradition, it is customary for them to select a church to host their annual Guide Sunday. “Carrying out duties at a church is aligned with one of our aims, which is providing social responsibility and displaying good citizenship,” explained Mthoko.
She said Guide Sunday offers a platform where the Girl Guides are exposed to self-esteem and leadership, in this case public scripture reading and assistance with gift offering. She added that the Girl Guides introduced themselves to the congregation and sang motivational songs, which for some girls was the first time appearing in front of a crowd for a public performance. “I felt nervous and excited at the same time, but I hope we get to perform in front of people again,” said one of the guides. “These experiences help the girls to overcome shyness and build confidence,” said Mthoko.
After the church service the Girl Guides held a cupcake sale and the funds raised will be used to carry out activities such as camping and leadership programmes in 2017. “We always encourage parents to enroll their children for the Girl Guides as it plays a big role in child development, for instance, selling cupcakes teaches children entrepreneurial skills and money management,” said Aase Geel, Finance Chairperson of the Girl Guides Association.
The association is supported by the Ministry of Arts, Education and Culture and guiding activities take place in such a way that they do not disrupt the normal school schedule. The girls are divided into two categories, which are the brownies from the ages of 5-11 and the guides from 12-16.

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