19 Students Graduate in Social Work

FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)

Madiba Singhateh

10 May 2011

The Regional Mothers and Adult Training Centre (RMATC), at SOS, on Thursday 5th May, 2011, held a graduation ceremony for of their 19 students in the area of social work.

The social work certificate program was initiated through the collaborative work of the Government of the Gambia, SOS children villages and UNICEF the Gambia. The general objectives of social work training program in the Gambia is to respond to the growing demand for social work practitioners in the country as well as up- grade the delivery capacities of those already rendering social work services without basic knowledge of the social profession.

It is envisaged that the implementation of the social work certificate program would help to cater the human resource needs of the Governmental and NGOs.

Speaking at the graduation, Mrs. Ellen Maraize, Director of SOS (RMATC), said the SOS regional mothers and adult training center was founded in 1999 with the overall aim of building the personal and professional capacities of SOS mothers and aunties in the NWA sub- region (The Gambia, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry Sierra Leone and Liberia).

She said in the career path of the mothers, SOS envisioned advanced training that would position them better to manage the challenges of child care in a changing society.

She concluded by challenging the graduating students to stand for and support families and individuals cope with the challenges of their changing society. “They may be manifested in issues such as child protection, mental health, youth violence domestic violence, marital issues, the issues of the differently- able and working with older people.” She said.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Dr. Juliet Mendes, SOS Regional Program Development Adviser and Chairperson of SOS Social Work Academic Advisory Board, who said SOS Kinderdoft International was founded in 1949 in Austria as a child care social organisation to address needs of children displaced during the Second World War. She said the founder, Herman Gmeiner, saw the plight of these “adopted children and was motivated to contribute something meaningful to their lives.”

She said the theme of this year’s graduation ceremony is “Social Work in a Changing Society.”

“In SOS partnership with UTG it was expected that students would be given the chance to move to a higher level,” she. She continued to explain that after the diploma level at the UTG, the students as at date could not move further to the undergraduate degree programme in development studies at the University of the Gambia (UTG). She therefore appealed to the University authorities to facilitate and expedite the introduction of a Bachelor’s degree program in Community Work for their students. She stated that the lack of access to such a university programme for their students impedes their academic and professional development.

Madam Fanta Bai Secka, the Director of Social Welfare, and the American Ambassador, Pamela White, were present at the occasion. Fatoumatta Joof, a student, gave the vote of thanks.

AllAfrica – All the Time