Social workers' associations have been formed in many countries around the world to benefit and support their members – i.e. professionally trained and qualified social workers. Their mandate is to provide the necessary professional expertise and networking capability to assist in building and develop their members' skill base and to protect and strengthen the profession generally. As social work is very closely linked to social development in the developing world, social workers also have an important societal and national role to play in this respect However, one of the critical problems facing the rather weak social workers' associations within Africa, is how they can sustain the interest of their members and build their organisational base in such a way that they can contribute in a positive way to social development. This article examines the situation of the National Association of Social Workers (Zimbabwe) and outlines an organisational development strategy which aims to mobilise and educate members of the Association in order to bring them more fully into the mainstream of the country's development.
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