Professional Social Work in East Africa - Towards Sustainable Impact | PROSOWO II
Project Coordinator: Helmut Spitzer
Coordinating Institution: Carinthia University of Applied Sciences
Partner Institutions: Makerere University (Janestic Mwende Twikirize), University of Nairobi (Gidraph Gachunga Wairire), Hope Africa University (Jacqueline Murekasenge), University of Rwanda (Charles Rutikanga), Institute of Social Work (Zena Mnasi Mabeyo)
Partner Countries: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi
Project Duration: 1st of January 2016 – 31st of March 2019
Abstract
PROSOWO II is an extension of activities that were successfully implemented under the PROSOWO project (2011–2014) in order to promote professional social work in East Africa. The overall objective of the international cooperation between partner institutions from Austria, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda is directed towards the formation and strengthening of mechanisms for social work education and practice to more effectively contribute to social development, poverty reduction and social inclusion.
The project has six major components:
- Empirical research on indigenous and innovative models of social work practice.
- Establishment of a regional center for social work and social development research.
- Capacity building of tertiary social work institutions through research, training, joint publications, and networking at national, regional and international levels.
- Efforts towards the legislation of social work in East Africa.
- Increased engagement of social work professionals in social policy and advocacy for human rights.
- Multidirectional knowledge transfer and sharing of lessons learnt within Africa, with stakeholders in Austria and the international scientific community.
Key outcomes of the project will be disseminated through national workshops, regional meetings and international conferences, and through an open access policy with regard to journal articles and internet-based distribution of knowledge, particularly through a new project website.Country-specific research reports will be produced, and an empirically based book on social work practice in East Africa will be published.
A major social work conference in East Africa will be launched, bringing together practitioners, educators, scholars, students and policy makers.Finally, all project activities are geared to have a tangible impact on the lives of poor and marginalized people by highly qualified social workers and improved social services.
APPEAR Scholars contribute to the new PROSOWO book
Jacqueline Murekasenge and Charles Rutikanga carried out empirical research on culturally specific and innovative social work practices in Burundi and Rwanda. Their research was part of the PROSOWO project and has now been published in the book "Social Work Practice in Africa. Indigenous and Innovative Approaches."
Book Launch - Indigenous and Innovative Approaches: The latest book of PROSOWO II presents some of these approaches from Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Kenya and will be launched on 6th of March 2019 at Makerere University.
This podcast is dedicated to the genozide in Rwanda. It contains original sounds and interviews with project partners and other participants at the social march and conference "Professional Social Work and Sustainable Development in Africa" that took place in Kigali in March 2018.
Podcast is in German with original sounds in English.
Watch the conference video that provides highlights of the event