ISBN 9789966792525
Pages 156
Dimensions 210 x 148 mm
Published 2015
Publisher University of Nairobi Press, Kenya
Format Paperback

The Role of Social Work in Poverty Reduction and Realization of MDGs in Kenya

by Gidraph G. Wairire, Agnes P. Zani, Mumbi Machera, Pius M. Mutie

This publication addresses the extent to which social work curricula in Kenya prepares graduates to handle issues of poverty and social development, the specific knowledge and skills that they are equipped with an existing gaps therein. In addition, the challenges that confront the training and practice of social workers and what needs to be done to ensure that there is an enabling environment for social work education and practice in the country have also been addressed. The publication, which is the outcome of a study on the promotion of professional social work towards social development and poverty reduction in East Africa, analyses the role that professional social work plays in the efforts to reduce poverty, enhance social development and realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Kenya. Consequently, emphasis has been laid on the status of professional social work education and practice in preparing social workers to address issues of poverty and MDGs in the country. Cross cutting gender issues that impact on social work education and practice which in turn affect the efforts to address poverty in Kenya have also been analysed. Given that the time span for MDGs was to end in 2015, the authors envisage that the lessons learnt through this study, and the gains made with regard to MDGs should not end in the set time span but rather, that social work educators and practitioners, together with other stakeholders in policy formulation and implementation, still have more to of in making sure that these gains are consolidated into social work training and practice, with additional efforts being made towards sustainable poverty reduction efforts in Kenya.

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About the Authors

Gidraph G. Wairire

Gidraph Gachunga WAIRIRE (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Nairobi, Kenya. He is the immediate past Vice- President of the Association for Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA). He served as the Regional Representative for Africa in the IASSW Board of Directors from March 2007 to October 2012. His main interests include social work theory and practice, community organisation, international social work, developmental social work, social work with minorities, comparative sociology and social action for social change. He was the regional coordinator and the Kenya country coordinator of the PROSOWO project.

Agnes P. Zani

Dr. Agnes P. Zani is currently on secondment to the Senate of Kenya, has been a Lecturer at the University of Nairobi since 1993. She holds PhD in Sociology, MA in Sociology and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She has been involved in the teaching, supervising and mentoring of students training to be sociologists and social workers. She served as a senior researcher in the PROSOWO Project. Her main areas of focus and interest have been professionalizing social work, professional ethics in Kenyan careers, gender and education, culture and social change, human resources management and social statistics. She has authored over twenty articles and published in referred journals.

Mumbi Machera

Dr. Mumbi Machera is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Nairobi. She holds a PhD in Sociology, a Master of Arts Degree in Population Studies and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work. She served as a senior researcher in the PROSOWO Project. She is also a Gender and Development Specialist, working closely with academic institutions as well as local and international development agencies in pursuit of gender equality goals.

Pius M. Mutie

The late Dr. Pius M. Mutie was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Nairobi. He held a PhD in Social Anthropology and Development Sociology, a Master of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work. He also served as a senior researcher in the PROSOWO Project. His academic interests included natural resource management, social welfare, social development, and family and child welfare. He died of cancer in 2013 while the writing of this book was in progress and made significant contributions to the draft manuscript.

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