Why do children drop out of school? And how can older people become less lonely?

In Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania, parts of the social work curriculum are being moved out of lecture halls and into local communities.

There, students, researchers, and local residents work together to find solutions to specific problems.

They test the initiatives and adjust them along the way based on what works best.

Researchers refer to this method as community laboratories.

The idea is that local residents themselves should be involved in developing the solutions, rather than others deciding what needs to be done.

Working methods adapted to local conditions

Researchers in Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania initiated the project.

They invited researchers from the University of Agder to contribute.

"We were invited to help develop an updated curriculum and new teaching programmes adapted to local conditions," says Ann Christin E. Nilsen.

She is a professor at the University of Agder and head of the Resilient research project.

“The aim was to find out how social work can help solve some of the most pressing problems in local communities,” says researcher Cecilie Revheim.

The initiative is tailored to different countries

The researchers have examined various social problems in the three countries.

In Uganda, they have investigated why children drop out of school and how this is connected to neglect and poverty.

In Rwanda, the researchers have investigated youth unemployment, with a particular focus on young single mothers.

In Tanzania, the researchers have focused on older people. Many remain in rural areas when younger people move to the cities.

“The reason older people are a particularly vulnerable group is that young people move to the cities to find work, leaving older people behind in rural areas without a social safety net,” says Revheim.

The pupils started making sanitary towels themselves

The students discovered that many girls in Uganda were absent from school because they were having their periods and lacked sanitary towels.

The village girls suggested joining forces to produce sanitary towels, and so they set about sewing them themselves.

“This solution provided access to a product the pupils needed to attend school. At the same time, both boys and girls learnt about reproduction and girls’ health. The students live in the local community, engage in discussions with the local population, and find solutions that the community itself supports," says Nilsen.

Similar processes in other villages have led to the creation of kitchen gardens and encouraged parents to attend parents’ evenings at schools.

"The point is that the initiative comes from the grassroots," says Nilsen.

The method is used in several countries

According to the researchers, the method has yielded good results in all three countries.

Unemployed young people have found work, children have gained access to schooling, and older people have received greater attention as a vulnerable group.

The community laboratory approach is now being used in all three countries. But it costs money.

"There is a cost associated with students living in the village, and a cost involved in university supervisors following them up," says Nilsen.

Makerere University in Uganda has secured funding to continue the work. The university has also taken on a leading role in research and development within social work. Several African universities now wish to adopt the method.

However, the researchers are uncertain about what will happen when the project comes to an end.

“The major challenge is whether the solutions can be sustained over time. And whether the necessary shift in mindset will endure once the project period is over,” says Revheim.

The research project will conclude at the end of 2026. The researchers point out that it is difficult to secure funding to continue the work.

“It's difficult to secure new funding for research and cooperation projects with countries in the Global South. Most of the research funding from the EU and the Research Council helps to strengthen cooperation between Western countries, not countries in the Global South," says Nilsen.

Source:

Twikirize, J.M. & Nilsen, A.C.E. (Eds.) Community Social Labs and Social Work – Bridging Gaps Between Universities and Communities to Solve Social Problems, Routledge, 2026. ISBN: 9781032948829

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