The Centre has its office on the campus of Makerere University, but it is mainly a virtual hub for social research and innovative practice models that effectively contribute to poverty reduction and social development within the East African Community. Apart from Makerere University whose Department of Social Work & Social Administration serves as the coordinating entity, the Centre is backed by the following higher education institutions: University of Nairobi (Kenya), University of Rwanda, Institute of Social Work (Tanzania), Hope Africa University (Burundi), and Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (Austria).
In future, CRISOWO is supposed to serve as an attractive partner for international agencies and national social policy stakeholders who want to utilize the research skills of the Centre. It is also planned that joint proposals will be submitted and projects implemented under the umbrella of the Centre.
The official launch of the Centre was part of a regional consultative forum on “Social Work, Social Policy and Human Rights in East Africa” that brought together social work scholars, educators, practitioners and representatives of national associations from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Austria, and USA.
The opening ceremony was honoured by the presence of the Principle of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof Edward Kirumira, the Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Prof Andrew State Elias, and the Head of Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Prof Eddy Walakira. After a series of powerful and inspiring welcome notes and speeches, the new “East Africa Centre for Research and Innovation in Social Work” was officially declared open by Mr. Günter Engelits, Head of Office of the Austrian Development Cooperation in Uganda.
Learn more about the PROSOWO project
CRISOWO website
Save the date: The next international social work conference in East Africa will take place from 20th to 22nd March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda.
