A social worker is a qualified professional who assists individuals, communities, and groups in learning how to lead better lives. They frequently assist groups of people of all ages who may be facing difficulties as a result of social injustices like poverty or discrimination.
According to the World Poverty Clock 2021, the number of people living in poverty in India is 83,068,597 (83 million), or roughly 6% of the total population. There are around 45,301,124 females and 37,767,473 males affected by poverty, making women more affected than men.
Social workers play a crucial role in fighting poverty and providing assistance to the poor in any society. These are a few of the ways they assist those in need.
- Help with addressing basic needs
One of the major roles of social workers is to look after the basic requirements of the poor. This could also involve giving them access to social benefits, health care, or childcare in addition to providing them with food, clothing, and shelter. They frequently assist them by directing them to the proper resources, or directly giving them goods through charity donations, or even helping with the paperwork needed for specific social benefits.
They primarily collaborate with NGOs, community service organisations, and social service providers in order to offer these.
- Take a stand for their cause
The most challenging role that a social worker has is advocating for and getting things done on behalf of people living in poverty.
It includes evaluating the problem and addressing any social issues that may exist. These people occasionally struggle to speak up for themselves to get the resources they require. It might be because of a physical or mental impairment, or because of other circumstances that make it difficult or impossible for them to speak up for their needs.
Social workers assist the underprivileged by providing advocacy services, such as serving as mediators or directly contacting governmental or social service organisations.
- Help in the creation of social policies
A little-known fact is that these social workers’ heroic efforts are what allow for the majority of social policies and laws to be passed.
They frequently participate in committee work or collaborate directly with elected officials to talk about local needs or propose potential adjustments to particular social policies that have an impact on the poor.
- Educate communities
Providing community education on poverty and related issues is another crucial function of social workers. Poor communities, for instance, are frequently impacted by problems like violence, drug and alcohol abuse, a lack of child care options, or educational barriers.
Social workers assist in educating communities on how to prevent or reduce these issues. In order to give children a basic education from a young age and prevent any further problems, there are also specific NGOs for poor child’s education across the country.
One such project, the Gareeb Parivar Yojna, was launched by Narayan Seva Sansthan, the biggest NGO in India, and it deals with giving rations, medical supplies, and donating food to the poor.
