NASW Foundation Manager of Fund Development Susan Rubin and NASW consultant Luisa Lopez traveled to Tanzania in March as part of a multiyear exchange program and Social Work Partnership between NASW and the Tanzania Association of Social Workers, or TASWO.
The trip served a twofold purpose, Rubin said, and began with an American International Health Alliance-sponsored All Partners Meeting in the city of Dar es Salaam. The meeting gave TASWO representatives the opportunity to meet each other, and attendees also had a chance to meet with Tanzanian nongovernmental organizations involved in the partnership.
“This was the first time TASWO was able to bring together their regional leaders for training, and the opportunity to enhance ideas,” Rubin said.
Rubin and Lopez also traveled to the city of Bagamoyo to conduct a series of training seminars on leadership. They highlighted key aspects of bringing an effective organization together, such as recognizing leadership obstacles, organizing committee members, developing communications training, and building a brand for the organization. TASWO leaders received informational sessions on leadership principles and styles, leadership structures, staff and volunteer roles, membership expansion and communication strategies.
The training also focused on TASWO membership enhancement, Rubin said, and applying ideas to improve TASWO’s membership database to better serve its members.
NASW is working with TASWO executives to develop a work plan for the upcoming year, Rubin said.
A delegation from TASWO visited NASW’s national office in Washington, D.C., in November, to exchange information and make site visits to aid the annual work plan.
The Social Work Partnership is funded by the HIV/AIDS Twinning Center, a program of the American International Health Alliance, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.
NASW and the NASW Foundation are involved in a series of partnership programs that help develop and support the social work field.