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ASIA-PACIFICMessengers of Peace

The Messengers of Peace quarterly newsletter is an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Support Centre of the World Scout Bureau highlighting the project, programmes and activities of National Scout Organizations under the MoP Initiative.

ISSUE NO.31 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020

Bangladesh Scouts Easing pandemic effects with emergency fund

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Scouts in Asia-Pacific dedicate a week for SDGs

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The Bharat Scouts & Guides Supporting migrants in shelter homes

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International Day of Peace celebrations

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The General Association of Scouts of China: Targeting multicul-tural understanding at first MoP Coordinators Training

The General Association of Scouts of China: Targeting multicultural understanding at first MoP Coordinators TrainingThe first 2020 Messengers of Peace Taiwan-Local Coordinators Training was held on 29 August 2020 by The General Association of the Scouts of China in cooperation with the Hualien Scout Council.

Leading the event was MoP NSO Coordinator Sherman Sheng with 26 partners who par-ticipated in the event. The MoP local coor-dinators training targeted multicultural and international understanding so that young people learn to respect and appreciate multi cultures. Another important aspect of this training is understanding the relationship between health and environment in the face of the

Covid-19 pandemic.

“This activity has benefited me a lot. It took us step by step to understand the significance of this training. In the interactive course, the host led us to use practical actions to under-stand the four major processes of MoP, and to solve problems that will occur in actual application. I look forward to participating in such activities again”, said Wu Rongjun of the Hsinchu City Mountain Breeze Scout Team.

Another participant, Lin Qunyao, said, “I learned about the 17 Goals and the signifi-cance of SDGs. I hope that I will soon have the opportunity to cooperate with other local NGOs to maximize the power of MoP.”

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Bangladesh Scouts: Easing pandemic effects with emergency fundTo ease the impact of Covid-19 on affected communities, Bangladesh Scouts initiated an activity to provide cash donations and food relief to affected families. This happened from April to June 2020 in its initial phase. Apart from financial assistance received from the emergency fund of WOSM, Scouts raised funds from religious groups. Local author-ities helped to identify beneficiaries of the project.

“Scouts offered their services to the com-munity in previous disasters. But this time, we need to take initiative directly to help people by raising funds. This experience makes us more prepared to face emergen-cy situations in the future,” said Jubair

Eusuf, the MoP NSO Coordinator of Bangla-desh Scouts.

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The Bharat Scouts and Guides: Supporting migrants in shelter homes

The government of NCT Delhi established temporary shelter homes in schools for the safety and security of migrants in the city. This is a way to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

The Bharat Scout and Guides was requested to organize skills programs in the shelter homes. In partnership with the local government, Scouts and Guides organized and reached out to 13 temporary shelters. They were divided into small patrols taking consideration the health protocols.

The groups did awareness campaigns at

the shelter homes with information on the importance of maintaining social distancing, hand washing, maintaining healthy hab-its, sanitation and more. Some groups also introduced physical activities such as yoga, basic exercises and games. Small children were entertained through actions songs, games, drawing and painting. In the eve-nings, Scout volunteers arranged video clips for the migrants to watch.

“I am very Proud of our entire Bharat Scouts and Guides team who are actively creating awareness among the local people on how to fight Covid-19 and also extending help to the

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citizens voluntarily in various parts of the country”, said Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Youth Affairs & Sports and Minister of State for Minority Affairs.

The migrants have been showing signs of acute homesickness. Apart from entertain-ing the migrants, Scouts and Guides distributed clothes, COVID-19 safety kits and home-made masks. About 1,500 migrants took part in the daily skill-based activities.

A migrant labourer, Nupa, said, “Since the Scouts and Guides came in the shelter

home, we are very happy to see them and have learned so many new things, how to wash hand, how to use mask etc. I will go back to my home and share this story with others.”

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Covid-19 has affected economic activities of communities in Indonesia. To alleviate the increase in food price, the Islamic Commu-nity Scout Unit (Satuan Komunitas Sekawan Persada Nusantara) organized a food security project on home gardening and farming from May to August 2020.

“Food security can begin at home. We must be independent in maintaining food securi-ty, especially during the Covid-19 pandem-ic. Home gardening requires learning and training from preparing facilities, selecting seeds, planting and harvesting. Farming also includes maintaining and feeding fish and chicken. We hope that Scouts can be more independent in providing food for their families. Success is achieved through coop-eration, diligence, carefulness”, said Adityo Handoko, the project manager.

The team prepared the timeline of the pro-ject. This starts from coordination through online meetings and creation of task force

for monitoring and reporting. What follows are provision of tools, seeds, feeds and nutrition, preparing equipment, maintenance and harvest. The project involved young and adult Scout members who were trained to maintain their own garden and farm. They are encouraged to keep safe and healthy while staying and surviving at home.

Gerakan Pramuka/Indonesia: Home Gardening and Farming for Food Security during Lockdown

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Myanmar Scouts: Project Oasis for people living in slum areasIn May 2020, Myanmar Scouts organized the Project Oasis intended for people who are living in slum areas in Yangon. At the same time, thie project supported Rover Scouts who volunteered at government quarantine centres.

A total of 150 households benefitted from this project. They received basic supplies such as rice, cooking oil and eggs. In addition, 30 households from the Church of Thanlyin Town-ship and 20 households from Monastery East Dagon township received food packages. Rovers volunteering at the quarantine centres also received personal protective equipment such as facial masks and gloves.

Furthermore, Scout teams organized aware-ness campaigns on Covid-19 prevention and precautions as many people were still unaware

of Covid-19 and its effects, and many cannot afford to buy facial masks.

Phyo Thura Win, said “As MoP coordinator, I am encouraging other coordinators to implement the project and I am sharing my experiences to them. So, hopefully in the future, Myanmar Scout can implement the many other useful and impactful projects.”

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The government of Sri Lanka imposed a nationwide lockdown starting 19 March 2020. This move affected the labor sector consisting of over 2.5 million people who are daily wage earners and laborers. To support their families during the lockdown, Sri Lanka Scout Asso-ciation (SLSA) provided financial assistance to families amounting to USD20. This is in addition to the funds from the government of Sri Lanka of LKR 5000 (approximately USD25) per family which is sufficient to buy food for about ten days. This SLSA initiative was supported by the World Organization of the Scout Movement. To manage the project, the Scout association fol-lowed seven stages: (1) District Commission-ers selected 50 scouts from each district, (2) Identified the items to be given and selected 10 districts. (3) Bought the items from whole-sale market and manufactures, 4) Packed the items at the Scout Headquarters with the help of Rovers and Scout Leaders, (5) Arranged transport for each district with the support from the army; (6) handed the goods official-ly to the District Commissioners at the Scout Headquarters by the Chief Commissioner and

the Deputy Chief Commissioner, and (7) Each District Scout Association organized the handing over of goods to the beneficiaries.

Project manager, Kapila Kumara, has this to say about the project, “This was a great opportunity for Sri Lanka scouts and I am glad I was appointed to manage this project. Scouts were able to find people who real-ly needed help which were certified by the school and district authorities.”

Sri Lanka Scouts Care: Providing financial assistance to selected families

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Boy Scouts of the Philippines: Operation Plan Be Prepared: Your Aid, Our Shield Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) initiated a project called Oplan Laging Handa, Tulong mo, Proteksyon ko (Operation Plan Be Prepared: Your Aid, Our Shield). Its first phase started in May 2020. Faced by the challenge of Covid-19 pandemic, Scouts and volunteers have under-taken several humanitarian services in differ-ent areas with high cases of infection.

The Scout volunteers purchased materi-als and produced face shields which were distributed to hospitals and frontliners in several check points. A total of 1,760 face shields were made, donated 1,900 bottled water, 1,600 face masks, 1,000 head caps, 134 liters of alcohol, 78 liters of bleach/dis-infectant and 15 pieces of Personal Protec-tive Equipment suits.

Furthermore, the Lancauan Hall in Makil-ing Camp was utilized as quarantine facili-ty. There, Scouts and volunteers served as service staff who prepared food packs to frontliners.

“We are delighted that we were able to help and provide support to our modern day he-roes, the medical frontliners and those who

are serving in checkpoints to mitigate the spread of the virus in the communities. During this challenging time where a lot of people are concerned about health risks brought by this pandemic, Scouts are readily serving their communities by supporting govern-ment efforts. With this on-going fight against the worst public health crisis, we encourage all Scouts to unite and cooperate in various efforts in their communities as well observe and abide to the protocols while still enjoying and promoting Scouting inside the safety of their homes,” said Engr. Rogelio Villa, project manager.

In support to the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act”, the BSP has been working with the national government and local government units to distribute the Personal Protective Equipment to selected hospitals and check-points. Some of the hospitals that received the donations are Unciano General Hospital, Mandaluyong General Hospital, Sta. Ana General Hospital, Tondo Medical Center, Ospital ng Maynila (Hospital of Manila), East Avenue Medical Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, San Lazaro Hospital and Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center.

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Scouts Australia: Focusing on SDGs at Rover MootRovers participated in Better World activities at a recent Rover Moot last 3-4 October 2020 that focused on Scouts for SDGs and all activities linked to the Sustainabale Development Goals.

Better world Activities included Scouts Go Solar (solar cars, solar beetles, and solar cookers), HeforShe (discussions on equality, sharing stories), Messengers of Peace (writing peace messages), plastic Tide Turners challenge (learning about the impact of plastics).

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Joey Scouts completed a day of adventures across the state of Queensland last 11 October 2020, celebrating 30 years of the Joey Scout section. As part of the activity day, Joey Scouts completing their adventures in Brisbane visited the Shrine of Remembrance learning about some war history and remembering those who served their country during war.

Celebrating 30 years of the Joey Scout section

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Scouts in Asia-Pacific dedicate a week for SDGs

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To mark the five year anniversary of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) last September, the Asia-Pacific Region launched a webinar series dedicated to the SDGs under World Scouting’s Scouts for SDGs initiative, to raise awareness among Scouts and National Scout Organizations to mobilize them in taking different actions towards the SDGs. The series, called “Shaping Peace Together” was also a way to celebrate the International Day of Peace which falls on 21 September.

The series of six webinars ran from 12-20 September 2020 and broadcasted live on Scouting in Asia-Pacific Facebook page. Launched in 2018, Scouts for SDGs is World Scouting’s flagship initiative with partner

Alwaleed Philanthropies, as a commitment to make the largest coordinated youth contri-bution to the SDGs and Agenda 2030. Since then, Scouts of all ages, around the world have been mobilizing around Scouts for SDGs as they lead inspirational community service projects to act for the environment, equality, education, poverty and more.

“Scouts around the globe have been instru-mental in serving their communities, no matter how tiny it is, yet they are making a difference. Most of the time, Scouts knowingly or unknowingly had been making contribu-tions towards former MDGs, now known as the SDGs,” said Prassanna Shrivastava who coordinated the webinars. “We hope that as a result of these webinars,

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Scouts and Scout Leaders will have a better understanding of each SDG and how they can continue to contribute, with clearer direction, passion and commitment,” he added.

This webinar series aimed to further explain each SDG through a 40-minute discussion with invited guests including WWF and Green-peace. The webinars outlined the Scouts for SDGs initiative, key competencies for sus-tainable development, explore the concepts behind a culture of peace, and identify Scout actions in one’s daily life that contribute to the SDGs. “Scouts for SDGs is more than just a cam-paign or promise, it’s a systematic effort to leverage Scouting’s Youth Programme and initiatives under the Better World Framework, including Messengers of Peace, to raise aware-ness and take action for the SDGs,” said Erwin Samuel Ramli, the project lead of the webinar series, “in this webinar series, we will learn more about Scout for SDGs. We can under-stand how to contribute in supporting the SDG

which is very impactful for our future. We can inspire other young people out there with the way Scouts do great things to create a bet-ter world.” (source: https://www.scout.org/node/592627)

This webinar series aimed to further explain each SDG through a 40-minute discussion with invited guests including WWF and Greenpeace. The webinars outlined the Scouts for SDGs initiative, key competencies for sustainable development, explore the concepts behind a culture of peace, and identify Scout actions in one’s daily life that contribute to the SDGs.

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INTERNATIONALDAY OF PEACE

Nepal Scouts: Addressing lockdown with activity-packed events

Nepal Scouts organized an MoP Local Coordinators Meet on 12 September 2020 with the participation of more than 50 local coordinators.

During the workshop, MoP coordinators developed an activity pack for celebrating the International Day of Peace 2020 and other activities that address the needs of the lock-down situation. When the peace day arrived, activities were organized around the country

such as peace photos, peace video clips and tiktok video clip, trees for peace, peace cycle rally, blood donation program, peace run, live interview, webinars and more.

Apart from these activities, Samajsewa Ratna Alankaar medals were also awarded to Rajesh Gaiju and Arun Saiju for their outstanding performance at the time of COVID-19. They were recommended for the award by Nepal

CELEBRATIONS

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Boy Scouts of the Philippines: Boosting peace with creativity

The Boy Scouts of the Philippines composed of 124 Local Councils participated in the celebration of International Day of Peace last September 2020.

Local Messengers of Peace Regional Coordi-nators, with the assistance of their respective Regional Scout Directors, spearheaded the celebration creating best results in promoting Scouting despite the pandemic. Some of the activities organized were Tiktok dance to the tune of MoP song, the Twibbon, Profile Ring, and “What Peace means to me” poster mak-

ing contest. Other initiatives include crane making display and video clips, dialogue through zoom and webinar, and a series of radio inter-views about peace initiatives. Even outdoor activities like planting of trees, bamboo and gardening were promoted in social media.

Zoom meetings included Laro ng Lahi, a game to commemorate historical events. Online Kamustahan, was a virtual exchange of greetings between Patrols and Troops through various media channels. Another project,

ALLCANSIYA, encouraged Scouts to save money in containers and pet bottles.

Mr Carmelo Francia, coordinator of the celebration, expressed his appreciation to all participants. “We are very proud and honored to have Scouts respond to the call of “Shaping Peace Together,” the theme of IDP. To Regional and Council Offices and the vibrant Scouts and Leaders, we are thankful. And to MoP Regional Coordinators who spread the news and boost the event, you have done part of your responsibility.”

Afghanistan National Scout Organization: Promoting a culture of peace and book reading

Afghanistan Scouts actively participated in the celebration of the IDP last September 2020, conducting various activities across the coun-try. Activities were simultaneously organized following the theme Shaping Peace Together.

Activities include Peace Booth/Peace Road Show where Scouts organized network and snake games, write What peace means to them on the peace wall, exhibit community services and community development projects

and take pictures with their personal commitment related to peace. A campaign of Book for All was also conducted in two residential areas in Kabul; Polytechnic University and Shahrak Aria, where they have collected unused books. The program aims to promote the culture of book reading and culture of peace. A total of 385 people visited the event and exchanged books.

In addition, Scouts also conducted Scout MoP Reporter and Afghan & US Scouts Peace Talk. Afghan Scouts as MoP reporter have interviewed several community members to raise awareness about peace. On 21 September 2020, Afghanistan and US Scouts organized a virtual meeting to pro-vide a platform for youth on both countries to talk about peace and their role in shaping the peace as individuals.

The events were successfully conducted. “Scouts can spread the message of peace starting from their own families”, said Dr. Rohullah Mohaqeeq, Director of Education Directorate of Takhar.

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Fiji Scouts Association: Appreciating Nature through Peace Walk

The IDP Peace Camp was successfully organ-ized in the highlands of Lautoka District, Fiji participated by Scouts and Leaders who came from various parts of the country. The major objective of the peace camp was to engage Scouts in action. Project Green, a nation-al project, was the main highlight of the camp. A bigger purpose is to plant trees in different parts of Fiji as a way of supporting the President’s Four Million Trees In Four Years Initiative.

Scouts also organized an awareness campaign in five rural communities where locals were informed on the importance of trees and safety during the pandemic. They shared ideas how young people can engage in Scouting, learn dif-ferent skills, and grow holistically. In addition, Scouts also conducted a Peace Walk where participants could feel and appreciate God-giv-en nature. “Being a Scout permits you to learn and do things you would never do ordinarily. It takes you places not many have been and gives you a better indebtedness to the world around us. The places you go and the people you meet change who you are and make you a better

person so that in the future, you can change the lives of others. Comprehensiveness is one major area which I appreciate the most in scouting. As a per-son with hearing and speech impairment, I thank everyone who make me feel involved and appreciate my skills. This is how the world should be!!”. These words are from Sereana, Classroom Assistant At Lautoka School For Special Education and a Hearing Impaired Teacher.

Sri Lanka Scout Association: Launch of ring badge criteria for all Scout Sections

Sri Lanka Scout Association (SLSA) celebrated the International Day of Peace with an annual progress review of MoP District Coordinators, Badge Examiner Training for MoP ring badge and various community activities.

After the successful 5-day District MoP Coordinators Workshop last February 2020, SLSA conducted an annual progress review to assess the performance of each district MoP Coordinator after six months. They also launched the ring badge criteria for Cub Scouts, Junior Scouts, Senior Scouts, Rovers and Adult Leaders. A total of 37 district MoP Coordinators and ten national MoP core team members were trained as badge examiners for the MoP ring badge. In addition, the 37 districts in the country organized various community projects

including tree planting, beach clean-up, launch of Better World Framework syllabi, and appointment of National Coordinators for initiatives under the Better World Framework.

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The Scout Association of Macau: Staying Strong Together

The Scout Association of Macau held a virtual event entitled Staying Strong Together in COVID-19 from August to September 2020. Scouts were engaged in various activities such as drawing, photography, videos and prayer articles to express their gratitude and support to frontline medical staff. Almost 1,000 participated in the activities with 123 reports submitted, collated and uploaded in the NSO’s Facebook page. A Scout participant said, “Even though confirmed cases in Macau has not been increasing for a while, we must do our best to persist, and I am looking forward to seeing the smiles of my schoolmates once again after the pandemic.”

Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia: Blending the outdoors and online events

In celebration of the International Day of Peace, Scouts in Malaysia engaged in various activities throughout September 2020. The NSO has organized various peace activities such as 74JB Peace Run, Seri Bayu Scout is the Messenger of Peace, Poster Col-oring Competition, Tiktok Video Competition, Radenan’s Tree planting, Earth tribe: Tide Turner Plastic Challenge, Scouts Go Solar Challenge, and Champion for Nature. In addition, they also organized peace gather-ings, photo and video competition, food for love for homeless, kayaking, hiking and tree planting in various localities.

The NSO successfully organized all the activities even though there were cases of Covid-19, taking into account standard

health protocols like social distancing. “Programs like this can be continued and strengthened in order to give a more mean-ingful impact to the community in Malaysia that bring elements of peace.” Said by Honorable Datuk Zamani Bin Tambichek.

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The Bharat Scouts and Guides: Going Green

Persekutuan Pengakap Negara Brunei Darussalam: Promoting Self-Based Activities

On 25th September 2020, Persekutuan Pengakap Negara Brunei Darussalam(PPNBD) celebrated the International Day of Peace with the objective of promoting the MoP programme. Due to the Covid-19 situation, schools were not allowed to conduct extracurricular activities, thus, the NSO organized self-based activities highlighting healthy lifestyle and awareness of Covid-19. The activities targeted all levels of Scouting where activities were divided into three options.

Option 1 includes photo pledge or video pledge, Option 2: step challenges (21,000 steps) for five days or environmental aware-ness, and option 3: community project or environmental based project. Each level has a guideline to be completed. Those who completed and uploaded their activities received a participation badge and certifi-cate. A total of 140 members participated in the activities.

PPNBD also awarded MoP scarf and MoP ring badge to Scouts who have completed their projects and required service hours.

At district level, Scouts organised beyblade competition to attract people to come and see what peace day celebration is all about.

In celebration of the International Day of Peace, the Bharat Scouts and Guides in different districts of the country actively participated in various activities organized by the NSO for the whole month of September 2020.

Some of the activities includes Plant a Peace Tree which aims to plant a tree in celebration also of World Peace Day and to grow green environment. A Peace Rally campaign raised awareness about peace and harmony. More activities were organized including peace march, MoP peace dance, food and books distribution, scarf exhibition, handicraft competition and exhibition, clean-up drives, blood donation camp, Covid-19 awareness programs, poster making contest and more.

“We make our community green by planting tree saplings. We donated old books to needy students. We also enrolled new members into the Movement,” said by R.S.Prithvi Raj Adv.SM.

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WORLD SCOUT BUREAU ASIA-PACIFIC SUPPORT CENTREIf you want to know more, or if you want to contribute a story about your MoP project or activity, contact us at [email protected]

Messenger of Peace Asia-Pacific Region(Facebook Group)

@ScoutinginAPRwww.scout.org/messengersofpeace

@ScoutinginAPR

AUGUST 2020TOP 10 NSOs

(scout.org users)

Philippines 550,823,060Bangladesh 274,431,911Fiji 143,886,888India 90,845,761Malaysia 69,810,508Bhutan 44,016,806Thailand 14,902,582Nepal 14,000,289Indonesia 6,760,643Sri Lanka 3,888,579

TOP 10 NSOs (service hours)

TOP 10 NSOs (projects)

India 21,658Malaysia 13,459Bhutan 9,319Thailand 7,110Bangladesh 5,940Philippines 3,016Indonesia 1,245Pakistan 864Fiji 821Nepal 494

India 59,948Indonesia 39,503Philippines 23,129Malaysia 17,332Bangladesh 16,017Bhutan 9,064Australia 6,485Thailand 6,148Pakistan 6,119Hong Kong 4,197

SEPTEMBER 2020TOP 10 NSOs

(scout.org users)



TOP 10 NSOs (projects)

India 22,396Malaysia 13,505Bangladesh 10,004Bhutan 9,423Thailand 7,749Philippines 3,027Indonesia 1,247Pakistan 864Fiji 821Nepal 498


This monthly statistical report shows the current progress of National Scout Organizations in the implemen-tation of the Messengers of Peace Programme through the data populated at WOSM’s Global Network of Service – www.scout.org. The results are primarily made on the basis of [a] the number of users registered, [b] the number of actual service hours rendered, and [c] the total number of projects posted.

StatisticsMonthly

JULY 2020TOP 10 NSOs

(scout.org users)TOP 10 NSOs

(projects)

India 20,777Malaysia 13,456Bhutan 9,281Thailand 6,920Bangladesh 4,489Philippines 2,959Indonesia 1,245Pakistan 860Fiji 821Nepal 494




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