Social Worker Training Intensified [Archives:1998/22/Law & Diplomacy]

A special training course for social workers from all over Yemen was held during 24-28 May in Sanaa. “This course is in conforming with the directives by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to limit poverty according to the Social Care Law,” said Mr. Ahmed Y. Al-Qashar, the General Director of the Insurance and Social Affairs Office in Sanaa.
The goals of the course is to train social workers on the following:
1- Taking part in providing financial help and moral support to needy families.
2- Securing social care and protection for needy families.
3- Providing social and psychological stability.
4- Developing human resources to reduce unemployment.
5- consolidating the values of social solidarity.
6- Providing help for families in cases of general disasters or personal grieving.
7- Collecting demographic, economic and social data regarding the population.
Mr. Hassan H. Qadhi, a consultant at the Ministry of Insurance and Social affairs, said: “Of the 70 people that took part in course, 43 were able to pass the written and oral examinations. This number is sufficient for Sanaa.
“I call on all tribal elders and community leaders to cooperate with and facilitate the tasks of the social workers, especially in remote and inaccessible areas,” he said.
“Since the beginning of 1998, the Social Affairs Office in Sanaa started to document the numbers of needy people such as orphans, widows, divorcees, the disabled, families with an absent breadwinner, etc,” announced Mr. Al-Qashar. In addition to 17,500 cases that are already registered in Sanaa, there are now about 7,500 more documented cases that are eligible for social security assistance, according to the Social Care Law. “A total of YR 43 million has been allocated for these people. In the rest of the governorates, there are about 206,000 cases for which an annual YR 6 billion has been allocated. Each family will receive a monthly benefit ranging between YR 1,000 and YR 2,000.”Ms. Lateefa Al-Anisi, the Director of the Mother and Child Directorate at the Social Affairs Office, said: “For example, a simple public employee with a family may get YR 5,000 a month only! Such a family is eligible for any assistance, but social security. Those who a have a monthly salary exceeding YR 2,000 are not eligible for social security.”Ms. Jameela Nasser, a secondary-school student, is responsible for documenting the case of a widow with five children and no tangible source of income. She gets YR 2,000 a month. “I think this is just not enough,” said Jameela.
Ms. Hanaa A. Al-Areeqi, a teacher at the Halaly Institute for the Disabled, is responsible for documenting the case of an old widow with a mental illness who lives with her daughter and her husband. Also in the family, is a disabled person. “Each social worker has generally ten cases to deal with, which is not very easy,” said Hanaa.
Mr. Fouad Al-Hamadani, a social worker, is responsible for an elderly man with a paralyzed wife and an older son, who works as a porter to support the family. They have no other source of income. “Such difficult and urgent cases must have the priority in getting social security,” said Fouad.
Mr. Khalid Alwan, a social worker, said: “It is very important to collect accurate information about each case. The media must take part in raising public awareness concerning this issue, otherwise, we’ll get misleading information.”
Ms. Aziza Noman, the Director of the Follow-Up Department at the Social Care Fund in Sanaa, said: “There about 38 social workers, most of whom are females. Female social workers tend to concentrate in Sanaa because they do not like to go to remote areas. Intensive training courses are liable to produce more social workers in Sanaa and other governorates.”
Ahlam Al-Mutawakil,
Yemen Times
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