Student: Ragub Mikayilov Faculty: Culturology Subject

History of social work in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is located in the South Caucasus, in the shore of the Caspian Sea and borders with Turkey, Russia, Iran, Georgia, and Armenia. The country regained its independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan declared its first democracy back in 1918 and was democratically governed until 1920 when Communists took over. Azerbaijan is one of the oldest oil-producing countries in the world, dating back to the early 19^th century. The country is a major energy player in Europe and developing its natural gas sector rapidly over the past decade.
The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, indigenous charity efforts based on the national philosophy of philanthropy started to be systematized in Azerbaijan. Local political and economic elites and scholars including their wives established local philanthropic organizations such as such as Nashri Maarif (1906), Shafa Society (1912), Baku Muslim Women’s Charity Foundation (1914), Saadat Society (1907), and Nijat Jemiyyeti (1906) not in only in the capital cities but also in other small cities of Azerbaijan. The main purpose of these organizations was to help vulnerable groups such as low-income families, widowed women, women-headed households, children, migrants and their families and veterans or families of deceased soldiers of wars and conflicts, elderly, and people with disabilities
Another group of philanthropists belonged to one of the leading sectors of the economy, to the oil sector. Oil millionaires or barons invested in activities through organized effort such as “Jemiyyeti-Xeyriyye” (The Charity Society) or through individual efforts (Huseynli, 2007). They opened schools for girls and provided full scholarships for children from poor families to get an equal education as other children. In 1900 oil baron Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev opened the first school for girls which called “Girls Seminary” and financed education of all students at this school. This was the first school for girls in the Muslim World. All expenses of the seminary were covered by Taghiyev. Students from poor families consisted of more than half the total students and they were exempted from the education fee. In addition, Taghiyev and other oil barons established shelters for homeless and poor people, child institutions to take care of orphans, abandoned children, and children who worked and lived on the streets (Azerbaijan NGO Alliance for Children’s Rights, 2005). As Suleymanov (1987) noted, the “Jemiyyeti-Xeyriyye” played an important role in coordinating services and helping in the distribution of financial resources for maintaining these shelters, child institutions and other charity activities (Huseynli, 2007). Workers in those shelters and child institutions were trained in the “Girls Seminary”.
In 1920, Communism was established in Azerbaijan. During Soviet time all individual charities were abolished. Communists considered that the life in Soviet time was the best in the world and getting better all the time and therefore, severe social problems were denied and did not get enough attention. In addition, as the social work profession was also seen as a capitalist idea it was oppressed and did not get enough attention. Functions of social workers were carried out by the workers of trade unions, party, teachers, and workers of personnel departments. These people did not receive any specialized social work education. All social services and benefits were delivered to target groups by different professionals but social workers. People who worked for these services came from different background and education. The personnel who were working for these social services also did not have a special job title. Only personal were called social assistant who delivered social service for old, disabled and lonely people. These social assistants did not have any higher education and they were graduates of secondary schools.
Since the nature of social services was about helping old, lonely and disabled people with household chores such as cleaning, shopping, and bathing, it did not require higher education. They did not have any relevant training before entering the jobs. This personnel was considered “social workers” during and after Soviet times. Due to this history, there is still a misconception about social work. There is also a general understanding that everyone can do social work without getting a right education since it is all about cleaning, washing and shopping food for vulnerable people.
In 1991 Communist system in Azerbaijan collapsed. With no prior history of social work nor even a philanthropic tradition under the Soviet domination for 70 years, the majority of the Azerbaijan population had no understanding of what social work was or how this newly introduced profession could contribute to the society. Yet, in just few years from 1991 to today, a profession itself has been established within various international organizations. Every international organization trained its local employees on the different aspect of social work to work with target vulnerable groups. However, performing partial roles of social workers, these people do not have the professional background in social work which does not allow them to solve the problems from the root.
In order to have the professional and scientific approach to social problems, Open Society Foundation (OSF) started to establish social work education in several post-soviet countries including Azerbaijan. Efforts made to establish social work education began in 2000 when OSF announced social work fellowship for eight post-soviet countries.
REFERENCE:

1. 
   Azerbaijan Social Work Public Union (2015) Research: Achievements and challenges in social work education, p. 12-15
   
2. 
   European Commission. (2011). Social Protection and Social Inclusion in Azerbaijan.
   
3. 
   International Labor Organization. (1999). Preliminary assessment of social protection system in Azerbaijan