The King of Sweden attended a 3-day visit to Malaysia and the Philippines as the Honorary Chairman of the World Scout Foundation (WSF) on November 2015.
The scout trip consisted of the Foundations 60th Board Meeting and a Board Seminar on 19 and 20 November 2015. It was the first time King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden visited the new headquarter of World Scout Bureau Global Support Centre in Kuala Lumpur, and it was also the first time the WSF held its annual Board Meeting at the Global Support Centre.
“I have heard so much about this office and I am glad to be here with you in Kuala Lumpur. I can feel good vibes in the air. Carry on with all the great work you are doing to create a better world,” HM King of Sweden said.
It was not his first visit to Southeast Asia, though. After his visit in Malaysia he went on his second trip to Tacloban in the Philippines. In January 2014 he and WSF took part in the relief effort to rebuild the city after devastation caused by the Super Typhoon Haiyan.
He was impressed by the improvements he saw during his revisit of six-hour stay in the city. He held a press conference where he proceeded to the construction site of the Boy Scouts of Philippines (BSP) Leyte Council Scout Office, which was destroyed by the storm. HM King of Sweden wanted to see for himself the progress of the construction of a two-story Boy Scouts of the Philippines-Leyte Council building, which he and WSF funded two years ago.
His Majesty also met the parents of the Scouts who are beneficiaries of a livelihood project that he sponsored providing the families with motorised banca (a type of small boat), carabaos (water buffaloes), and funds to rebuild their houses.
The Swedish King personally requested to meet with the Scouts of Ticket to Life Project in Malate in Manila, where he was very happy to see old faces from his last visit. He met the new group of Scouts, which was inspired by his advise to start with younger Scouts. Scout Jerwin returned the favor when he offered the Ticket to Life Scarf to the Swedish King.
His Majesty has been actively involved in scouting since he was a little boy. On his last visit to Philippines, he mentioned that one of the characters of a scout is the willingness to help.
“Let us work together. I believe that’s what scouts are good at because they know how to help each other”. The recovery in Tacloban and the many work efforts in Kuala Lumpur were the visual proofs to words of the Honorary Chairman. He was pleased to see how the Scouts in Southeast Asia are developing and making a difference.
Sources: www.kungahuset.se ww.worldscoutfoundation.org www.pengakapmalaysia.org
