Community Engagement Directirate
MESSAGE FROM COMMUNITY
SERVICES AND ENGAGEMENT DIRECTORATE
The Community Services and
Engagement Directorate was established in 2015 to provide diverse community
services and engagement projects to the local community in the catchment areas.
In the last nine years, considerable community engagement work has been done at
Wolaita Sodo University (WSU). This has led to the buildup of a strong base of
expertise in knowledge and technology generation and dissemination. This
stimulated WSU to build on this base and tap into the strengths that emerged
from past investments in areas directly linked to current and future economic
and societal needs.
Regarding this, scholars at WSU
have been dedicating their time and energy to working with national, regional,
zonal, as well as international communities to address community needs. We have
been applying this through community engagement projects that have made an
impact on the local community in terms of creating sustainable development and
job creation. Therefore, our community engagement prioritises the needs of
society in a systematised manner. With limited resources, our office has worked
on more than 350 community service and engagement projects, with an emphasis on
capacity-building training, development, consulting, and other professional
duties.
We also expect more community
engagement projects that understand the current changes at local and national
levels and consider our centres of excellence: agriculture, health, humanities,
geology, and tourism. In this regard, based on the direction given by the
Ministry of Education (MoE), we gave due attention to the demands of the
community. In the coming 10 years, we envision building a resilient community
through strong university-community engagement in identified core areas under
applied science universities. This vision, despite its challenge, can be
achieved by mobilising resources and enhancing our staff capacity in tune with
the changes in demand paradigms, technologies, and emerging trends in the world
of variabilities.
Striving for the realisation of this vision, we have a great
responsibility for creating strong linkages with institutions and organisations
that provide a conducive environment that stimulates development. Finally, I
call upon individuals and regional, national, and international organisations
to collaborate with Wolaita Sodo University to work together and bring about
societal development.
Dawit Dalga Wakalto (PhD, Associate Professor)
Director, Community Services and Engagement Directorate
Email:dawitdalga9@gmial.com
Phone: +251933165432