SIXTEENTH (2020) ANNUAL CONFERENCE of ESSSWA

Conference Theme

The sixteenth Annual Conference of the Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers and Anthropologists (ESSSWA) is planned to be held for two days, from March 27 to 28, 2020. In line with its mission, vision and strategic objectives, ESSSWA, in its previous annual conferences has given adequate emphasis and focuses on vulnerabilities, social change, social protection, social and behavioral problems, and other related thematic areas. This Sixteenth Annual Conference came up with a new conference theme: ‘‘Sociocultural issues and practices in conflict resolution and peace buildings.” The theme is brand new for ESSSWA Conferences, it is timely and magnifies the contribution of ESSSWA in informing and empowering the public and the government to become resilient in conflict prevention and management, ensure durable societal transformation and thereby strengthening social cohesion. 

Concept of the Conference

Ethiopian ethnic and religious fragmentation index (0.70 for ethnic and 0.61 for religion) signifies high levels of ethnic and religious divisions[1]. As a result of these fragmentations Ethiopia, like many other African countries had to accommodate mild and serious religious and ethnic cleavages. It is also undeniable fact that there are growing signs of ethnic and religious divides and associated conflicts.

Several studies identified ethnic, religious and other collective identities and economic diversities as the underlying causes of conflict in different parts of the country. These divides along ethnic, religious and other lines of identities highlight the complexity of conflicts.

Scholars have increasingly attributed conflicts to socio-cultural factors. Therefore, conflicts must be understood in the context of social and cultural affairs which determines behavior, and is also critical to resolving conflicts and building peace. This means that socio cultural approaches are useful not only to identify the sources of conflict, but also to offer effective means to resolve conflicts and build long lasting peace and security. 

Experiences have shown that there are causal interconnections between ethnicity and conflict as well as religion and conflict. However, there is also a body of evidence that ethnic groups have well tested indigenous conflict prevention and management mechanisms and religious forces and leaders also have inherent ability to provide positive contributions to conflict resolution and peace-building.

Agenda for professional debate

The underlying causes of intrastate conflicts in Ethiopia need to be examined and the roles indigenous sociocultural institutions and religious leaders can play in conflict prevention and management also need to be carefully investigated.

The papers to be discussed in the upcoming conference will provide overviews of both underlying causes of conflicts and the roles religious individuals, faith based organizations, indigenous systems and practices, women and youth can play in conflict resolution, peacemaking and peace building in the current Ethiopian context.

Hence, the 16th ESSSWA’s Annual Conference is expected to provide members and participants with a wealth of knowledge and information in the following sub themes:

• The roles of Civil Societies in conflict resolution and peace building efforts
• Indigenous Conflict Resolution Mechanisms: relevance and practicability in present Ethiopia
• The potential for integrating formal and informal (traditional and modern) systems of conflict resolution mechanisms in urban and rural settings
• Conflict and conflict resolution: The roles of Religion in Ethiopia-Sharing best practices
• Collective Identities and Conflict in present Ethiopia
• Peacemaking experiences of youths in Ethiopian society.
• Cases of women’s roles in peacemaking efforts among Ethiopian Cultural groups.
• Lessons from other countries’ experiences (E.g. Rwanda and South Africa) in reconciliation and peace building

ESSSWA is therefore, looking for related research abstracts and/or research papers from professionals in the fields of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology or other related fields.

 Time Frame:

 Abstracts with title should be submitted to ESSSWA by 15, February 2020.

• Writers of selected abstracts will be notified to prepare a draft paper and slide presentation starting from February 25, 2020.
• Deadline for submitting draft paper and power point presentation to ESSSWA is by 15 March 2020.

 Your abstract/paper should be formatted as follows:

• Title of Paper
• Author(s): List each author’s Full name
• Institution(s)
• Email Address, Telephone (include all corresponding authors)
• Text: Maximum 250 words prepared in 12-point Times New Roman font

Please send your title and abstract in soft copies via: Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and /or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For any clarifications please call- 111 223 450 Mob: 0911365944, 0912059528 and/or 0912 011057

1. Introduction

In collaboration with UNICEF-Ethiopia, ESSSWA is implementing a project entitled “Strengthening Capacities of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, Occupational Competency Assessment and Certification Centres (OCCAC) and service providing institutions for training and deployment of skilled social service workforce’’.One of the activities of this project is to conduct training on coaching, mentoring and supportive supervision to the supervisors of BoWCA, BoLSA, BoJ, Regional Supreme Court, One Stop Centre and border and law enforcement officials.

With the complexity of the work and the high demands on social service workers, we should not expect them to do it alone. Coaching, mentoring and supportive supervision is essential in order to provide the social service workers the necessary support to consider children’s best interests throughout the case management process and cope with the daily stressors of the work. Therefore, we conducted training on coaching, mentoring and supportive supervision to the supervisors of Community service workers enable them to give a better service for their client for 5 days in Adama town.

2.      Objective of the workshop

To equip the supervisors of Community service workers, who are involved in CM supervision with the necessary knowledge and skills to support and supervise case workers.

3.      Major Activities and Accomplishments

The training was provided to the supervisors of Community service workers, who are involved in CM supervision with coaching and supervision skills to accelerate and add quality of social service provision in order to enhance the children wellbeing and make sure the best interest of children.

Through five days training the following session’s contents have been covered.

• Defining Supervision and Coaching within CP Case Management
• Supervision Practices and Tool
• Supervision and Coaching Skills
• Staff Care and Well-being

During the training session side by side we have been discussed intensely on the current challenges they are facing in their region as well as the strategies and actions have to be taken. The major challenges they are facing and the actions have been and to be taken has been pin pointed as follow.

• Poor qualities of documentation and records
• Lack of technical capacity and commitments due poor professional capacity and motivation.
• Lack of resources and shortage of funds (human, financial and materials/Logistics (vehicles, stationery, furniture’s etc.))
• Distance b/n implementer office and where the case worker s located
• Lack of stakeholder commitment and/or coordination
• Work load of supervisors and Overload  cases on case workers (high ratio)
• Absence of office and other logistics – case workers use their own money to finance transportation for case management meetings and case conferencing.
• Sometime attitude of case workers affect the service negatively
• Informal structure of supervision
• Lack of guidance materials to guide training of supervisors
• Absence of safe space for supervision
• Complexity of cases
• Low capacity of supervisors
• Absence of SWs/Case workers in some regions
• Lack of peace, stability and security

Strategies to overcome the above situation

• Strengthen collaboration of partners (e.g. cluster meeting ) and Strengthening the coordination among stakeholders
• Strengthening the relationship with stakeholder – e.g. review meetings with Government and NGOs is a good example.
• Strengthen capacity building of gov’t agencies and multi-sectorial actors
• Increase number supervisors equivalent of with caseworker’s ratio and increase the number of case worker with equivalent of the client ratio.
• Visiting case workers twice in a month and monitor their activities
• Allocate appropriate resource and funds for supervision and case workers to enable them to provide service with quality(including material and availability office for discussion also to place document s)
• In order to enhance SW’S and supervisors Capacity conducting experience sharing among SWs and implementers, it will creates an opportunity for SWs to support each other and
• Strengthen lobbying to formalize the informal structure of supervision and over all service provision system to enhance the quality service.
• Efficient utilization of resource and coordination with others stakeholder will reduce duplication of efforts and enhance quality of services to address to safeguard children wellbeing.
• Apply case conference at sustainable manner efficiently and effectively.
• Capacitate supervisors through mentoring and coaching to enhance professional capacity of supervisor.
• Improve responsibility and accountability of supervisors through standardized and framed structure.
• Hire trained SWs in all Woredas is very important to address the problems and to sustain quality service also to strength referrals and linkage among stakeholders and concerned bodies.
• Fulfill the financial and human resources at all levels.
• Provide formal training and capacity building to supervisors.

An output expected from the training was to sum up knowledge and share their experience and to let them think critically as well as observe better option to implement with the context of their region. Based on the pre and post assessment result as well as trainees feedback   we meet our expectations as per plan.

 4.      Closing

At the end of the training, Mr. Sinatyehu the Executive Director of ESSSWA handed certificates and acknowledges all participants for finalizing the training and their active participation and devotion during the training sessions.

The participants on their side provide us feedback through written at the end the training also at the end of each training session we have been discussed about the overall session and received feedback every day. Most of participant underline that the training was very helpful and it’s very important to cascade at all level.

5.   Participants

 The participant was approached from key stakeholders/partners who are from social service sectors  and titled in their organization as  ; Child protection officer, Supervisors, monitors of Community service workers, those are participated in CM supervision from Oromia and SNNP BoWCY, social workers from Supreme Court, Trainers from ESSSWA, UNICEF, MoWCY, MoLSA, Supreme Court and  Retrack.

Totally 9 trainees, 3 observer and 24 trainees was participated.

ESSSWA expresses its deepest appreciation for USAID and the American People’s generous contribution in funding ESSSWA’s project on “Strengthening Social Service System in Ethiopia (SSSSE)”.

The fourteenth Annual Conference of the Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers and Anthropologists (ESSSWA) was held onFebruary23 and 24, 2018.Previousannual conferences of