Promoting Social Development: Building a Professional Social Work Association in Namibia

Abstract

Although Namibia's government has established a social welfare system with a social development emphasis, social workers have not yet fully embraced this approach and have had few opportunities for professional cohesion. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of the National Association of Social Workers in promoting social development and cohesion among social workers in Namibia. Based on a 32-item survey, Namibian social workers believe that national organizations can help contribute to a nation's social development and promote social cohesion by offering networking opportunities. These findings indicate that professional associations can play an important role not only in marketing social work and offering continuous professional development education, but also can help in promoting social development in Africa.

Keywords:

• social development
• social work
• national associations
• cohesion
• Namibia

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the social workers in Namibia who participated in this research project.