The challenge of economic development in an African developing country: Social work in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a low-income developing country facing major development challenges. The country is poor, the majority of the population live and work in subsistence agriculture and unemployment is high. These problems have been exacerbated by drought, economic stagnation and the imposition of structural adjustment in recent years. The social work profession in Zimbabwe has been challenged to contribute to the country's development. To meet the challenge, the country's School of Social Work has adopted a social development approach in an attempt to educate social workers for development. These initiatives are described in some detail in the hope that other countries may learn from the Zimbabwean experience.