Global Social Work: World Conference ‘Voices for Development

Never ‘JUST a social worker’ says Deputy Minister

International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), 25 September 2013.

‘Social workers make an essential contribution to community life in South Africa’, said Deputy Minister Mara Bongi Ntuli speaking at today’s opening of the world conference ‘Voices for Development’ being held in Johannesburg 25 – 27 September 2013.

Thanking social workers for their hard work, she told the almost 600 social work participants that they are ‘special people who contribute to the moral fibre of the nation.’

The Minister criticised those who spend hours and hours developing a diagnosis of the problem and then developing plans, but who never implement them.  ‘Don’t spend lengthy periods on diagnosing’ she said.  ‘We need concrete ideas that will make a difference.  We need leaders who will take action for the benefit of our people.’

The Minister referred to the government’s review of policies to respond to the triple challenges – poverty, unemployment and inequality.

Concluding her remarks, the Minister gave a challenge to participants: ‘Let us make the change.  Let us BE the change.  Change starts with a free mind.  Let us be leaders to fight for change, to fight poverty’, the Minister concluded.

Contact

For further comment, background information and interviews, please contact:
NASW(SA) – Ulene Schiller, NASW Secretary, Phone:  +27-828-558913
Email:  schillerulene@gmail.com
IFSW – Rory Truell, IFSW Secretary General, Phone: +49-17671-697916,
Email: Rory.Truell@ifsw.org

Note for Editors

The “Voices for Development” Conference opens today, Wednesday, in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Around 500 social workers are gathering from South Africa, the wider African region and more widely to participate in 3 days of presentations and discussion on 25^th – 27^th September 2013.

The National Association of Social Workers – South Africa (NASW(SA)) is a voluntary organisation which supports the professional development of Social Workers, Social Auxiliary Workers and Social Work and Social Auxiliary Work Students in South Africa.  The Association draws its membership throughout the country from Social Work Practitioners, Educators and Managers within the Social Work sector who are self-employed, or work in Non Profit Organizations or Government Departments.  There are currently at least 1,000 signed up members.

The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) is the global federation of national social work organisations, including around 90 national associations consisting of more than 750,000 individual social workers.  IFSW is divided into 5 regions with the Africa region consisting of the following countries; Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Lesotho, Morocco, Niger and Zimbabwe, Senegal, Egypt, and Mozambique. IFSW remains true to its focus and belief that development should not only be sustainable but also be able to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

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From the conference:

Why can’t we use our experience of fighting colonialism and apartheid to fight poverty?

Social workers urged to make a difference in the broader pursuit of human dignity and social justice