The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) in the School of Social Work and its leadership have been asked to consult and support the development of an innovative research and training center on child welfare at the University of Namibia (UNAM). 

Ndilimeke Nashandi (’22 PhD) of UNAM and Traci LaLiberte of CASCW have worked together for the past year discussing potential pathways forward in the development of this new center. The culmination of these efforts is a week-long gathering of key Namibian stakeholders from the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare and 14 non-government organizations (NGOs) who provide direct services to children and families across their 14 governmental districts.

The gathering, to be held in Windhoek at the end of June, will also be attended by Joan Blakey of the School of Social Work, Kristine Piescher of CASCW, and Amy Hewitt of the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), all of whom bring expertise and the offer of technical assistance in the development of different aspects of this new center. Travel to Namibia has been supported, in part, by a competitive grant made available through the International Initiatives at CEHD and the Global Signature Grant.