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In this article we discuss the links between emancipatory social work education and community empowerment. Based on Freirian-Gramscian-Althusserian theoretical analyses and praxis, we argue that the development of critical consciousness has the potential to contribute to radical and empowering social action. In doing so, we draw on the voices of students who have had the benefit of emancipatory social work education, and on our experiences in working in communities. Emancipatory social work education, rooted in critical and radical theories, highlights the iterative relationship between the personal and political dimensions of life, thus rendering the micro-macro dichotomy a false one. It thus brings into sharp focus the complex interrelationship between agency and structure. Emancipatory social work is directed at heightening awareness of external sources of oppression and/or privilege that hold the possibility of increasing self-esteem and courage to confront structural sources of marginalization, oppression and exclusion.

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This article presents a qualitative study conducted in Gulu district, northern Uganda, in 2018 and 2019 on peacebuilding through early childhood care and education. The aim of the study was to understand the roles played by the parents and early childhood development institutions in promoting peacebuilding traits in children, which is not the norm in evidence-based studies and literature. The study was framed by the ecology-of-peace framework, the root causes or justice theory and the sociocultural theory. The study was exploratory, cross-sectional and descriptive in nature and adopted two non-probability sampling techniques, namely purposive and convenience sampling. Semi-structured primary source data were collected through key informant interviews. Other sources of data were four non-participatory observations of children in three centres and document reviews of the Ugandan National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy and its action plan, lesson plans and the curriculum. The findings indicate that many of the core parental roles fulfil the requirements for successful peacebuilding through early childhood care and education approaches, yet have gone unnoticed in peacebuilding and early childhood care and education. The role of early childhood care and education complement that of parents in preparing children to be better citizens. Recommendations are directed to stakeholders to support early childhood care and education.