Dr Somnoma Valerie Ouedraogo

Cross-National Grassroots Analysis of the Impact of Political Conflict on the Organisation and Delivery of Social Services

Burkina Faso is currently affected by political conflict which shapes the on-going need for social services. The country has a commitment to creating indigenous knowledge and practices in relation to social work and social services. However, such knowledge is currently mainly generated by international researchers and organisations involved in providing social services to the affected local populations.

The fellowship will facilitate collaboration between two social work scholars from conflict-affected countries, Burkina Faso and Bosnia and Herzegovina, now based in Canada and the UK respectively, to explore the organisation and delivery of adult social services in Burkina Faso. The study is organised as a country-based case study. The fellowship will also enable collaboration with social work scholars from other conflict-affected countries. Together we will consider the implications of this study’s findings for other conflict-affected contexts and the nature of international collaboration in knowledge generation on these topics.