The MMC for Health and Social Development has described social workers as the backbone of the City’s response to a myriad of social ills facing residents.
Cllr Eunice Mgcina says working alongside the municipality’s Emergency Management Service personnel, Social Workers are often first responders in situations of dire need.
“On a daily basis, Social Workers pursue social justice, human rights, and social development in their respective communities by promoting best practices in social work,” says Cllr Mgcina.
Joining the global community in commemorating World Social Work Day – observed annually on the third Tuesday in March – the MMC hails the City’s mental healthcare professionals as unsung heroes and heroines.
“I wish to pay tribute to all our Social Workers and commend them for their selflessness in providing much-needed emotional relief to residents across all seven regions,” she says.
Observed annually on 16 March, World Social Work Day is designed to recognise the hard work and dedication of Social Workers across the globe, while highlighting the importance of their work. This year’s focus is on Ubuntu, an age-old African custom that denotes humanness.
Cllr Mgcina notes that the City’s Social Workers embody principles of Ubuntu and practice Batho Pele values, which she says are the cornerstones of municipal work.
“Without them, there would be no social development to speak of in the City and I wish them well on this day. Long may your contributions to the welfare of our residents continue,” she says.
Silvana Martinez, the President of the International Federation of Social Workers says this day is about strengthening social solidarity and global connectedness.
“Ubuntu is a concept and philosophy that resonates with the social work perspective of the interconnectedness of all peoples and their environments. It speaks to the need for global solidarity and also highlights indigenous knowledge and wisdom,” Martinez explains.
He says this year’s theme comes after extensive consultations within IFSW and beyond.
“Ubuntu is a powerful message that all people are interconnected and that our future is dependent on recognising all people’s involvement in co-building a sustainable, fair and socially just future,” Martinez says.
According to the International Federation of Social Workers, the first World Social Work Day was celebrated in 2007 under the theme “Social Work – Making a World of Difference”. It has since become a highpoint in the social worker’s annual calendar, with mental health professionals all over the world celebrating and promoting the contributions of the profession to individuals, families, communities and wider society. It’s commemorated annually to highlight the achievements of social work, raise the visibility of social services for the future of societies, and to defend social justice and human rights.