Building Culturally Relevant Social Work for Children in Afghanistan

Developing curriculum from the ground up

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Joint Project of UNICEF and Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and the Disabled (MOLSAMD), the Hunter College School of Social Work of the City University of New York and the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work

Purpose- to support the development of an indigenous, professional social work for children in Afghanistan, based on local knowledge and culture that meet regional and global professional standards

What is this project?

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To provide a brief background on Afghanistan

To describe the methodology used to develop an authentic professional social work

To learn from others about ways to deepen and improve our work

Objectives of the Presentation

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Since 1979, Afghanistan has been the site of war and military occupation as great powers and competing ideologies from around the world battle on its soil (International Crisis Group, 2012)

Afghanistan had been a country that prided itself on the care and protection of children, through intricate layers of community and family based systems

With war and its sequelae, those systems have broken down or become subject to abuse

Brief Background

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In all of the countries that neighbor Afghanistan, social work for children and families is a recognized profession supported by an academic qualification

Internationally recognized schools of social work have long existed in Iran, Pakistan and India, educating social workers on the BSW, MSW and PhD levels

China’s recently established university level social work programs have rapidly expanded throughout the country

Degree level programs in social work are newly established in the university systems of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan

Social Work for Children in the Region

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Academically qualified social workers trained in their own country insure quality standards They oversee research on children’s wellbeing They insure that local interests and values are

protected They direct resources where they are needed

Academically qualified social workers provide indigenous, high quality care They insure that community standards are

maintained while children and families are protected They work with communities to prevent abuse,

create opportunities and support development

Why national academic credentials for social work?

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The leading public university, Kabul University has committed to establishing a social work department within the Faculty of Social Sciences

Before such a department could be launched, a draft curriculum had to be developed

Academic Social Work for Afghanistan

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The DaCUM Method (Develop a Curriculum) is one way to learn how to define and elaborate a profession based on knowledge from practitioners, service uses, and local “experts”

Participants were recruited from governmental and non-governmental organizations engaged in community and agency work with children and families, as well as community leaders and other professionals

The DaCUM Method

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Purposive Sample

Four distinct regions plus Kabul (Jalalabad, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar)

Organizations (governmental, international non-governmental, Afghan non-governmental, indigenous community structures)

Role (community worker, social worker, manager, service user-grass roots and professional)

The DaCUM Method-Participant Recruitment

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Participants were grouped by role- community worker, social worker, manager, policy maker, grass roots service user, and professional service user.

Participants were asked: What is social work? Who should be a social worker? What must social workers know? What must social workers know how to do? What are the most important values needed to be a social

worker?

Responses were put into a chart format and coded by frequency and emphasis

The DaCUM Method (con’t)

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Many of the results were reflective of social workers everywhere

Others were unique, such as the need to differentiate between culture, values and Islamic law

The social work practitioners were deeply devoted to their work and anxious to share their technical knowledge

Community members and service users considered social work a vital pillar for development

Results

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“The social worker is the doctor of the society:The social worker diagnoses and treats social problems, both at their roots in society, and through the symptoms that appear in the community, the family, the child.”

Program Director, Afghan NGO

(Mr. Wahidullah Shinwari is an Afghan MSW, educated in Pakistan)

Quotations from Participants

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“This is my country, where shall I go?I have to work every day to make this place better for children. Now I want to hire qualified social workers to make my programs the best that they can be.”

Afghan NGO Director(Engineer Youssef is the founder of an Afghan NGO that has worked throughout the last 20 years to help street working children and families)

Quotations from Participants

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“We need to lift up our wives and children, even our daughters, so that we are not reduced to poverty and begging.”

“Those who come to help us must be honest people, understand Holy Koran, and use the knowledge to teach us to fight for ourselves, for our families and educate our people.”

Community Elder from Kandahar

Quotations from Participants

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References and Contact Info

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Bragin, M. (2002). Lost and Found: Addressing the needs of young people affected by the conflict in Afghanistan: needs assessment and program recommendations. UNICEF Afghanistan.

  International Crisis Group (2011). Aid and conflict in Afghanistan.

Asia Report Number 10. http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/afghanistan/210-aid-and-conflict-in-afghanistan.aspx

  Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled. (2004).

National strategy for children at risk. Kabul: Author.  UNICEF (2009). Advocacy paper: Social Work curriculum

development. Kabul: Authorhttp://www.crin.org/docs/Social%20Work%20Curriculum%20Development%20Advocacy%20Paper%205%20February%202009.pdf

References

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Martha Bragin, PhDHunter College School of Social WorkCity University of New Yorkmarthabragin@att.net

Eileen Ihrig, MSWBoston College Graduate School of Social

Workihrig@bc.edu

Contact Information