Social workers are trained to help people in crisis and their efforts are intended to help citizens form their own structures--which will be important as the rebuilding in Iraq begins. Many people will need basics like food, shelter, and medicine, and they are going to need to create viable livelihoods.
According to Terry Hokenstad, PhD, ACSW, the Ralph S. and Dorothy P. Schmitt Professor at Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, in Cleveland, Ohio, "Social Workers have considerable experience and skills that are directly applicable to Iraq now that it is in the process of rebuilding." Hokenstad headed two major civic rebuilding projects in Hungary after the collapse of Communism there in 1989.
Social workers, he says, provide both organizational and clinical skills in each of these arenas:
* Providing disaster relief* Reintegrating internally displaced people and refugees* Helping local people build structures for a civil society* Helping local people develop specific social services* Helping local people develop grassroots organizations
Social workers also have much to offer in civic rebuilding efforts. With training in community development and a philosophy of empowering people to make constructive changes by listening to them and assessing their needs, social workers are well equipped to help Iraqis build this needed grassroots strength, Hokenstad says.
For more information about social workers in the international community or to interview a social work expert, please contact NASW Public Affairs at [email protected].
The full story can be found at https://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/events/peace/contribute.asp
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with nearly 150,000 members. It promotes, develops and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families and communities through its work and through its advocacy.
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