International Social Work and Social Development Conference

Call for Abstracts

Extended Deadline for abstract submission | Conference registration now open!!

Theme:  Building Resilient Communities to Promote Equity and Social Inclusion for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 

16^th to 18^th June 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda

Makerere University’s Department of Social Work, in partnership with the East African Social Work Regional Resource Centre (EASWRRC) and the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA) will host an International Conference on social work and social development from 16^th – 18^th June 2025 at Makerere University, Kampala. The Conference seeks to galvanise academic knowledge, debate and critical inquiry and engagements on the topical issues of equity, social justice and inclusion within the framework of attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while foregrounding practice knowledge as experienced by development actors across the globe.  This conference is organised under the auspices of the NORAD-supported RESILIENT Project, implemented since January 2021 by a consortium comprising  Makerere University, the University of Rwanda,  the Institute of Social Work, Tanzania and the University of Agder Norway. The project seeks to enhance the participation of the vulnerable and marginalized members of society in the south in the development process itself. For more details on the conference and the ongoing project please visit the following website: https://resilient.uia.no/about-resilient/.

The Conference further seeks to enhance local content and scholarship through the applicability of generated knowledge to addressing local and regional development problems, within the confluence of the greater agenda for social work and social development and its emphasis on social change. This no doubt has ramifications for the application of good practices in social development interventions in other contexts within Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas and contributes to the evolution of global social work/social development practice which promotes contextual specificity and relevance without removing the need for international networking and collaborative engagement. 

We are now pleased to invite you to submit abstracts to be presented at the International Social Work and Social Development Conference.  We are particularly interested in presentations and contributions that reflect perspectives on social justice, equity, and inclusion within the framework of attaining the SDGs within developing countries.

Conference Justification 

The proposed conference is conceptualised within the indigenisation and decolonisation model of social work which seeks to promote social development through culturally and contextually relevant interventions from the grassroots. The major thrust of the indigenisation and decolonisation perspective is based on the notion that the process of social development can only be meaningful and effective if it provides context-specific and tangible responses to the given social problems in a particular local or regional context (whether it be Africa, Asia, Latin America or any other setting). These responses must be related to the socio-cultural realities in that region (Twikirize and Spitzer, 2019[1]).  The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (United Nations, 2007[2]) unequivocally recognises that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment.

The Declaration of the United Nations World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995 and the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, and their successor SDGs in 2015[3] all call out the need for role players such as social work and social development practitioners to review their strategies in addressing social injustices, poverty, social exclusion and inequalities. Within this context, social work is well positioned to explore more innovative ways to reach out to the poor and vulnerable and in doing so contribute more efficiently to addressing social exclusion and social inequality and to directly contribute to the realization of several SDGs (3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 13, 16 and 17).  Moreover, SDG progress monitoring reports seem to suggest that much work needs to be done to attain these targets by 2030 (Halkos and Gkampura, 2021[4]).

Conference objectives

The conference aims to:

1. Bring together social work and social development practitioners, researchers, students, educators and policy makers in order to interact, learn and share each other’ experiences on pertinent social development issues.
2. Generate topical resolutions that can be utilised by local and central governments and institutions in the global South and North to further advance the debate/efforts regarding the attainments of SDGs.

Conference Themes

We welcome submissions on any of the following themes, broadly conceived:

1. Child Wellbeing and Child Protection
2. Youth Participation and Inclusion
3. Older Persons, Social Protection and Socio-economic Participation 
4. North-South and South-South Partnership and Collaborations in Social Development
5. Green Social Work and Environment 
6. University and Community Engagement/ Role of Universities in Community Transformation
7. Migration, Refugees and Development
8. Civil Society, NGOs, Social Work and Development Practice
9. The role of Social Work in Emergencies, Pandemic Crises and Conflict
10. Climate change
11. Rights Equity and Social Justice
12. Technology and social development
13. Mental Health
14. Creative features, languages literature and social transformation

Conference level

This is an International Conference targeting academics, development practitioners, policy makers, students, researchers and the general public from all continents across the global North and South. We however strongly encourage participants from the global South and the Africa region to submit abstracts and papers for the conference.

Specific instructions to authors: 

• The abstract submitted should not be more than 250 words
• Nature of presentation:Poster presentations, oral presentations, panels and workshop formats

• All abstracts should be submitted in Microsoft word format
• The font type should be Times New Roman 12pt, 1.5 spacing
• The presenting author should be presented first and underlined
• Indicate the institutional affiliation and the country
• Indicate the email address of the presenting/corresponding author
• All abstracts should be submitted in English
• Themes of the submission should also be indicated.  
• Abstracts can be sent via Email to: resilientconference2025@mak.ac.ug copied to ainembabazi.dorynn@gmail.com or submitted online at https://resilientconference.mak.ac.ug/submit-abstracts

Potential benefits and impacts of the conference

• International networking and benchmarking on social development issues generally
• Opportunity to influence social agendas within the global development landscape and social programming through impacting the regional and international social work associations and the United Nations agencies .

Conference Keynote Speakers

1. Prof. Antoinette Lombard, IASSW President and Professor of Social Work at University of Pretoria.
2. Prof. Jeannette Bayisenge, former Minister of Gender and Family Protection in Rwanda and Professor of Gender Studies, University of |Rwanda.
3. Prof. Ann Christin E. Nilsen, PI of the RESILIENT project and Professor of Sociology at the University of Agder, Norway.
4. Dr. Zena Mnasi Mabeyo, Head of the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Social Work, Tanzania.

Registration

Online: https://resilientconference.mak.ac.ug/conference-registration

Or in person: With $100 registration fees for non-Africa-based participants; Students $10 or UGX 30,000; National applicants $30 or UGX 100,000.

For Registration

Extended Deadline for abstract submission: 30^th April 2025

Date for confirmation of acceptance of abstracts: Given on a rolling basis effective 15^th of March 2025. This will continue up to the 15^th of May 2025.

Chair Local Organizing Committee
Prof. Eric Awich Ochen
Tel: +256 772 352 887
Email: eric.ochen@mak.ac.ug

Conference Secretariat
Ms Doreen Ainembabazi
Tel: +256 774 468 902
Email: ainembabazi.dorynn@gmail.com and

Ms Prisciline Aciro
Tel: +256 778 549 669
Email: resilientconference2025@mak.ac.ug

[1] Twikirize, Janestic and Spitzer, Helmut (2019) Social work practice in Africa: indigenous and innovative approaches. Kampala: Fountain Publishers

[2] https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf

[3] See https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

[4] Halkos, George & Gkampoura, Eleni-Christina, 2021. “Where do we stand on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals? An overview on progress,” Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier,  70(C), pages 94-122.

Background

This call for abstracts is under the new U.S. Studies Center in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration supported by the U.S. Mission Uganda. As part of the startup grant for the Center, funds were earmarked for the initiation of the research agenda on the Study of the United States. The research agenda is pitched on how Uganda’s civilizational experience—related to progress in culture, economy, peace, science, and technology; can be strengthened by leveraging fraternal relations between the people of Uganda and the United States. Therefore, the Department of Political Science invites contributions to a special publication on, “Relationality Between Uganda and the US since 1945”.

The sense of “Relationality”

We take “Relationality” to connote encounters between civilizations. It speaks to the debate on how civilizations can transform each other through engagement. Where civilizations are suggestively transformed on account of relationality, the outcome is “relational interdependence”— relating to how the aspects drawn from other civilizations become constants in the national life of a people. Relational interdependence is a debate and it is sufficient to note that its generative power is drawn from “cross-fertilization—relating to enriching the existing ways of knowing and understanding life in general and “sharing”—relating to forms of exchange among people from different civilizations.

We, therefore, invite researchers from the disciplinary boundaries of humanities and social sciences to engage with the notions of “cross-fertilization” and “sharing” to examine how Uganda-United States relations have impacted Uganda’s civilizational experience as reflected in the different domains of (our) Uganda national life, including:

1. Peace and Security
2. Development/Foreign Assistance
3. Public Health
4. Education
5. Press and media
6. Socio-economics
7. Political organization
8. Arts, Music
9. Literature, Language
10. Visualization of national history and heritage

The researchers should interrogate the extent to which relations between Uganda and the United States have impacted one of the domains of Uganda’s national life (as listed above) since 1945.

The Plan

1. We plan to commission researchers to undertake studies on the domains of Uganda’s national life and how Uganda-US relations have impacted them since 1945. We shall publish an edited book volume with Routledge Publishers as part of the dissemination of the findings.
2. We thus ask interested researchers to submit 500-word abstracts proposing a paper contribution to the research agenda. The abstracts should revolve around one of the domains of Uganda’s national life. Researchers should also provide the titles of two recent publications on related topics.
3. Selected researchers will receive a research grant of USD 4000, to facilitate data collection and writing.

The Process

A. Abstracts should be submitted by 15^th January 2025, to the investigators:

1. Dr. Edward S Kaweesi (PI) edward.kaweesi@mak.ac.ug
2. Prof. Paul Omach (Co-PI) paul.omach@mak.ac.ug
3. Prof. Phillip Kasaija(Co-PI) phillip.kasaija@mak.ac.ug

B. The selection process will be concluded on 20^th January 2025, and the results will be communicated on 22^nd January 2025
C. The meeting between the selected researchers and the investigators will take place on 30^th January 2025.
D. Launch of the research agenda will take place on 21^st February 2025.
E. Data Collection will take two months, from 1^st March to 1^st May, 2025
F. Review meeting, 9^th May 2025
G. Writing process to take two months, from 15^th May to 15^th July
H. Peer Review of the first drafts (August)
I. 15 August, 2025, U.S Studies Center Public Dialogue on “Relationality Between Uganda and the United States since 1945”.
J. Revision of the drafts to take one month (September)
K. Peer review of the second drafts (October)
L. Revision of the drafts to take one month (November)
M. Submission of the final paper, 1 December 2025
N. Editorial Review and Proof Reading (January 2026)
O. Submission to the Publisher (February 2026)

Please direct inquiries to the investigators listed above.

The School of Languages, Literature, and Communication at Makerere University held a stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program. The workshop, held on 5^th December, 2024 aimed at refining the curriculum to meet the evolving academic and professional needs of students and employers.

The Dean of the School, Associate Professor Saudah Namyalo emphasized the significance of engaging stakeholders in the curriculum review process. She noted that feedback from students, employers, and academia is crucial for identifying gaps and improving the program.
“It’s a very important stage in our curriculum review to ensure that we have stakeholders’ workshops. This is an opportunity to hear from potential employers, students, and academic experts. Today, for example, we’ve learned that many of our graduates are not fully grounded in the science of the language, and because of that feedback, we are going to improve on it,” she said.

The Dean highlighted gaps in the current curriculum, such as limited focus on linguistic aspects like syntax, morphology, phonology, and semantics, which are essential for students pursuing advanced degrees. Additionally, the cultural component of Chinese language education was found to be inadequate.
“There’s no way you can teach a language detached from its culture. We are going to introduce courses emphasizing the culture of the Chinese so that the two go hand in hand,” she added.

The review aims to address these gaps by incorporating courses that build linguistic competence and cultural understanding. The program will now cater to both beginners and advanced learners, allowing graduates to pursue academic careers, including master’s and PhD programs, in Chinese linguistics. It will also strengthen the Asian Studies strand, enabling students to specialize in either Chinese language or broader Asian studies.

Dr. Enock Sebuyungo: Aligning Uganda’s Needs with Global Opportunities

Dr. Enock Sebuyungo, Head of the Department of European and Oriental Languages, underlined the growing importance of Chinese proficiency in Uganda. He noted that China’s rise as a global economic superpower has strengthened ties with Uganda in trade, education, and infrastructure development.
“Chinese companies dominate Uganda’s major infrastructure projects, and increasing numbers of Ugandans engage in trade and studies in China. Proficiency in Chinese offers competitive advantages for accessing the Chinese market,” he said.

Despite this, students under previous programs faced challenges achieving desired proficiency levels in international tests like HSK3. Employers expressed dissatisfaction with graduates’ language skills, and scholarships for study in China remained underutilized. The proposed BICAS program aims to bridge these gaps by producing graduates proficient in Chinese, knowledgeable about Asia’s economic and geopolitical landscape, and skilled in business, tourism, and diplomacy.

The BICAS program aligns with Makerere University’s expertise in foreign language instruction and supports Uganda’s strategic need to engage with Asia’s rapid development. It is expected to attract students from Uganda and East Africa, where Chinese is currently offered only as a short course. The program projects an annual revenue increase of UGX 865 million from an estimated 200 enrolled students. Partnerships with Chinese companies will provide scholarships for 10-15 students per intake, ensuring financial sustainability and accessibility.

Uganda joins a growing list of countries incorporating Chinese studies into higher education, with similar programs established in Botswana, Australia, and the United States. Makerere University, which already trains secondary school Chinese teachers, is poised to create a critical mass of experts to sustain Chinese language education and strengthen Uganda-China bilateral relations.

Dr. Sebuyungo expressed gratitude to Associate Professor Helen Nkabala, Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), for her moral and financial support in organizing the workshop. He also thanked the Confucius Institute and Xiangtan University for their invaluable contributions to the program.
“Confucius Institute and Xiangtan University sent us professors who reviewed this course. What we are looking at is a revised course done by professors from Xiangtan University, and we deeply appreciate their support,” he said.

The Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies program positions Makerere University as a regional leader in language and cultural studies. It prepares graduates to address gaps in trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange while enhancing Uganda’s ability to benefit from China’s global influence. The workshop marked a pivotal step in ensuring the program aligns with both local and international demands.