Click on PHOTO's to zoom...
1. Ngwelezane Hospital Children's ward
2. Ngwelezane Place of Safety
3. Thandukuphila HIV AIDS Project under children's project called ISIBINDI (BRAVERY) Project for infected and affected children
4. House of Shalom -Ikhaya Lethemba(Bringing Hope) for Vulnerable children:(Neglected & street children, abandoned)
On the 16th of March 2011 the celebration continued at the University .
The Acting HOD Dr N H Ntombela highlighted the purpose of the day and also the global agenda and mobilisation of social work educators and practitioners to contribute to the Social Work Agenda. Different Social Work stakeholders were given a chance to present on their roles as social workers in their different settings for example the Social Worker in the South African Defence Force(SANDF)stated what it entails when working outside South Africa when they are deployed for peace security.
Industrial social worker, South African Police Service Services(SAPS) social worker, Correctional Social Worker,as well as Social Workers from the Provincial and the National Department of Social Development.
The local newspapers had an interest in our Social Work day hence it was publicised on those newspapers.
The College of Human Sciences
Launch of Short Course in Refugee Law and Humanitarian Support (click to read...)
From the left: Prof Nqosa Mahao, Dr Joseph Diescho, Prof Rushiela Songca, AA Bl, Prof Schenck and Sergio Calle Norena.
Launch of Short Course in Refugee Law and Humanitarian Support (click to read...)
From the left: Prof Nqosa Mahao, Dr Joseph Diescho, Prof Rushiela Songca, AA Bl, Prof Schenck and Sergio Calle Norena.
Ryukoku University started a relief fund for the victims of the Earthquake which occurred near the northeastern coast of Japan on March 11 and created extremely destructive tsunami.
Some students of Ryukoku University Junior College offered to help victims, especially people with special needs. They claim that since they major in social welfare, they should offer a long-term support for those who are in need. They have ideas for supporting the aged, the poor children, or the challenged people in facilities or institutions (offering contributions to
them for rebuilding their environment, or giving things they need).
Because there are a lot of aftershocks around the centre of the Earthquake even now, they are only assisting the initiative of the relief fund at this
time. They will organize volunteers and undertake helping activities based on social work or care work. The staff are willingly going to support the students.
New Short Course
The College of Human Sciences’ flagship community engagement project, the Bright Site Project of Sunnyside Service Learning Centre, has already achieved far more than expected in 2011.
Recently, it was awarded second place in the third annual MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship, receiving over 15 000 rand to help further the current programmes at the centre.
Through its numerous community engagement initiatives, the Bright Site project also developed a short learning course which was launched at the Kgorong Building, Muckleneuk campus on 17 March 2011.
The course, Refugee Law and Humanitarian Support, is in collaboration with the VerLoren van Themaat Centre for Public Law Studies and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It aims to equip key role players and civil servants with knowledge about the challenges, backgrounds, causes and experiences of human migration and displacement, to define the criteria for an effective, sustainable humanitarian response to the plight of refugees, and to provide the ability to respond professionally and with empathy to asylum seekers, refugees, internally displaced people, migrants and stateless people. It is a six-month course and will cost 200 rand.
The Director of International Relations and Partnerships at Unisa, Dr Joseph Diescho, stated that this course is very important as it can broaden our understanding of a problem that is growing daily. “Unisa has adapted boldly to become the African University in service of humanity and it is concerned with the status of Africa. Through this course, we care here to extend our humanity and exercise Ubuntu and a duty to care for our fellow brothers and sisters”, said Dr Diescho.
The Executive Dean of the College of Human Sciences, Prof Nqosa Mahao, acknowledged Bright Site’s project manager, Prof Rinie Schenck, for doing a sterling job on the project. “I personally want to acknowledge Prof Schenck for her tireless and persistent efforts to see this programme take off. I’m truly appreciative as we are here because of her leadership and her Department. This course will equip and provide a sustainable response to the plight of refugees”, he said.
UNHCR Deputy Representative, Sergio Calle Norena, commented that this course has a multi-disciplinary approach which will certainly help to provide more solutions for Africa. Aher Arop Bol, author of The Lost Boy, was also present at the launch. He expressed his belief in the importance of this course stating, “Thank you to Unisa for this opportunity. This course will enable people to understand the refugees’ plight”.
In closing, Prof Schenck thanked all those who worked tirelessly to create the course material. She added, “It’s been a long road but here we are. This course for me is about social justice and understanding human rights”.
The course received 120 000 rand seed money from the Foundation for Human Rights (European Union), as well as 20 scholarships. The UNHCR awarded the scholarships to a range of people from the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Social Development, South African Police Services as well as refugees. The course endeavours to be open to more people in the near future.
World SOCIAL WORK Day
Dear Colleagues
See the celebrations attached [UP and Denmark WSWD Celebrations] of the joint event between Denmark and South
Africa to commemorate International Social Work Day. The initiative started
with Dr Helle Strauss who approached me. It took a while to get the photo
gallery done and thus the late sharing with you all. My apology for cross
posting.
Social work students of the University of Pretoria, South Africa and the
Metropolitan University College School of Social Work and Administration in
Denmark had an interactive video conference on the global agenda on the
morning of 15 March. During the video conference the students met for an
half hour, where they gave an overview of their respective countries,
Universities and Schools of Social Work. Then we went off line and had group
discussions on the 4 themes. We went back on line for an hour's discussion
on each theme sharing the ideas from the group discussions and posing
questions on the respective theme to the different countries.
It was a wonderful experience for our students to hear about social work and
the different challenges from the Global North and the Global South. We hope
to continue the contact and create opportunities for our students to link
with another. Thank you Helle for initiating this experience!
In the afternoon, Denmark's students continued their group discussions and
in South Africa we had a fun event in the Piazza saying a few words and
releasing a balloon on each of the 4 themes respectively. Thereafter all the
students jointly released many small balloons.
See the shared experience in the attached photos.
Kind regards
Antoinette
Prof. A. Lombard
Head: Department of Social Work & Criminology
Humanities Building 10 - 21
University of Pretoria
