Bio:

Dr. Ssewamala is an Associate Professor of Social Work and International Affairs at Columbia University School of Social Work; a Global Thought Fellow with Columbia University; and a Senior Research Fellow with New America Foundation. Dr. Ssewamala has several years of practice in the International Social Development field. His practice experience includes serving at the Red Cross (Uganda), where he acted in several programmatic positions related to designing projects and programs for poverty alleviation and community development, and at Justine Petersen Housing and Reinvestment Corporation a 501(c) (3) Missouri (USA) not-for-profit corporation that assists low-to-moderate income individuals and families become homeowners, access financial institutions, start their own micro-businesses, and accumulate assets.

His current research on Africa is funded by a consortium of organizations, including the National Institute of Health, and New America Foundation. This research focuses on asset-ownership development and creating life options through economic empowerment models for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in sub-Saharan Africa. Professor Ssewamala is also currently researching the acceptability and feasibility of economic empowerment interventions in poor African immigrant communities in the urban U.S.

Research Interests:

• International Social and Economic Development
• Comparative Social Welfare Policy
• Anti-Poverty Policies [with emphasis on asset-building and asset-based policies, such as microentrepreneurship, homeownership, children's educational savings accounts & individual development accounts(IDAs)].
• Creating Asset Ownership Opportunities among orphaned children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Gender and Development
• Civil Society, Civic Participation, and Social Networks
• Evaluative Research

Awards and Honors:

• Ford Foundation Research Fellow
• Recipient of George Warren Brown School of Social Work Dissertation Scholarship
• Social Development Scholar, Washington University in St. Louis
• Recipient of the Paulo Freire Scholarship, Washington University in St. Louis
  

Current Grants & Projects:

• The SUUBI Program: Creating Asset-Ownership Opportunities and Health Promotion Among Orphaned Children in Uganda
• SEED Uganda: Asset-Ownership Development Among Orphaned Children in Uganda
• Asset-Ownership Programs and Policies in Africa
• Integrating Savings and Credit.
• Institutional Determinants of Saving Behavior in an Individual Development Account (IDA) Program.
• SUUBI MAKA (“Hope for Families”): A Family-Based Economic Empowerment Model for Orphaned Children in Uganda

Recent Publications & Presentations:

Journal Articles
Ssewamala, Fred M., Alicea, Stacey, Bannon, Wiliam, and Ismayilova, Leyla (2008). A Novel Economic Intervention to Reduce HIV Risks among School-going AIDS-Orphaned Children in Rural Uganda. Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(1), 102-104.

Lombe, Margaret and Ssewamala, Fred. M.  (2007) The role of Informal Social Networks in Micro-Savings Mobilization. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, XXXIV (3), 37-51

Ssewamala, F.M., Lombe, M. and Curley, J. (2006). Using Individual Development Accounts for Microenterprise Development in the United States. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 11(2), 117-131

Ssewamala, F.M. and Curley, J (2006). Asset ownership and School Attendance of Orphaned Children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Social Development Issues, 28(2), 84-105

Grinstein-Weiss, M., Wagner, K., and Ssewamala, F.M. (2006). Saving and Asset Accumulation among Low-Income Families with Children in IDAS. Children and Youth Services Review, 28 (2), 193-211

Ssewamala, F.M. & Sherraden, M. (2004). Integrating Savings into Microenterprise Programs for the Poor: Do Institutions Matter? Social Service Review, 78 (3), 404-428.

Ssewamala, F.M. (2004). Expanding Women's Opportunities: the Potential of Heifer Projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Development in Practice, 14 (4), 550-559.

Sherraden, M.S., Ssewamala, F.M. & Sanders, C.K. (2003). Microenterprise Performance: A Comparison of Experiences in the United States and Uganda. Social Development Issues, 25 (1-2), 219-234.

Book Chapters
Ssewamala, Fred M. and Ismayilove, Leyla (In press). Faith-based Institutions as Project Implementers: An Innovative Economic Empowerment Intervention for Care and Support of AIDS-Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in Rural Uganda. In an edited volume, Compendium of Papers for the White House FBO Conference. Forthcoming, June 2008.

Ssewamala, Fred M., and Sperber, Elizabeth (In press). International Work: Power, Knowledge and Social Interventions in the Globalized World.  Book Chapter under review to appear in an academic book titled Guide to Writing in 21st Century Social Work. Simon, Barbara and Green, Warren (Eds.). Columbia University Press.

Sherraden, M.S.; Sanders, C.K.; Sherraden. M. & Ssewamala, F.M. (2004). Resources for Microenterprise. In Kitchen Capitalism: Microenterprise in Low-Income Households. Sherraden, Margaret. S., C. K. Sanders & M. Sherraden. (Eds.). SUNY Press.

Manuscripts Under Review
Curley, Jami, Ssewamala, Fred M and Sherraden, Michael. Institutions and Saving in Low Income Families.

Ssewamala, Fred M., Bannon, Wiliam, Alicea, Stacey and Ismayilova, Leyla (under review). Promoting Health and Educational Opportunities for Orphaned Children through Children Savings Accounts: Does Gender Matter?

Working Papers and Reports
Ssewamala, F.M., Lombe, M. & Curley, J.C. (2006). Using Individual Development Accounts for Microenterprise Development. (CSD Working Paper 06-08). St. Louis: Washington University, Center for Social Development. Available here.

Ssewamala, F.M. (2005). Children Development Accounts in Africa : A Pilot Study. (Working paper No. 05-05). St. Louis : Washington University, Center for Social Development. Available here.

Ssewamala, J., & Curley, J. (2005). Increasing Life Chances for Orphaned Children in Africa : Testing an Asset-based Development Strategy (CSD Working Paper 05-01). St. Louis : Washington University, Center for Social Development. Available here.

Grinstein-Weiss, M., Wagner, K. & Ssewamala, F. (2005). Saving and Asset Accumulation among Low-Income Families with Children in IDAs (CSD Working Paper 05-09). St. Louis : Washington University, Center for Social Development. Available here.

Sherraden, M.S., McBride, A.M. Johnson, E., Hanson, S., Ssewamala, F.M., Shanks, T.R. (2005). Saving in Low-Income Households: Evidence from Interviews with Participants in the American Dream Demonstration. Research report. St. Louis : Washington University, Center for Social Development. Available here.

Sherraden, M.S., Williams, T. McBride, A.M., & Ssewamala, F.M. (2004) Overcoming poverty: Supported saving as a household development strategy (Working paper No. 04-13). St. Louis : Washington University, Center for Social Development. Available here.

Ssewamala, F.M. & Sherraden, M. (2004). Saving for Microenterprise in Individual Development Accounts: Lessons from the American Dream Demonstration. Research report. St. Louis: Center for Social Development, Washington University. Available here.

Ssewamala, F.M., & Sherraden, M. (2004). Integrating savings into microenterprise programs for the poor: Do institutions matter? (Working paper No. 04-05). St. Louis : Washington University, Center for Social Development. Available here.

Presentations
"Faith-based Institutions as Project Implementers: An Innovative Economic Empowerment Intervention for Care and Support of AIDS-Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in Rural Uganda”. Paper to be presented at the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiative's Innovations in Effective Compassion Conference, Washington, DC, June 26-27, 2008 (presented with Leyla Ismayilova).

“Exploring Mentorship as a Supplement Component to Interventions Targeting Orphans and Vulnerable Children.” Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), Washington DC, January 17-20, 2008 (presented with Alicea, Stacey & Nabunya, Proscovia).

“Integrating Savings into Care and Support of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in Uganda: Lessons from the SEED/SUUBI Research Program.” Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), Washington DC, January 17-20, 2008 (presented with Ismayilova, Leyla and Alicea, Stacey).

“The role of Family Relations in Sexual Risk Taking among Orphaned and Vulnerable Adolescents in Rural Uganda.” Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), Washington DC, January 17-20, 2008 (presented with Ismayilova, Leyla).

“The Global Symposium on Savings, Assets, and Financial Inclusion.” Round Table Discussion on Children and Savings presented at Marina Mandarin Hotel, Singapore, June 27-29, 2007. (Conference funded by Citigroup Foundation)

“Household Assets and Education and Health Outcomes of Children: A Comparative Study”, paper presented at the Inter-University Consortium for International Social Development (IUCISD), Hong Kong, China, July 16-19, 2007 (presented with Menon, Natasha and Ismayilova, Leyla).

“Role of Public and Individual Assets in Social Development Strategies: A Conceptual Framework”, paper presented at the Inter-University Consortium for International Social Development (IUCISD), Hong Kong, China, July 16-19, 2007 (presented with Menon, Natasha and Ismayilova, Leyla).

"The Impact of Children's Development Accounts on Health and Educational Outcomes of Orphaned Children in Uganda" presentation made at Save the Children, Washington DC, May 18th, 2007.

“A Novel Economic Intervention to Promote Health among Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa” paper presented at the Center for Health Administration Studies, University of Chicago, May 9, 2007. 

“A Novel Economic Intervention to Promote Health and Education Opportunities for Orphaned Children in Uganda” paper presented at the Sustainable International Development Program (SID), Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Boston, MA, February 2, 2007.
 
“The Impact of Children’s Development Accounts on Health Educational Outcomes of Orphaned Children in Uganda” paper presented at the United States Agency for International Development, Poverty Analysis & Social Safety Nets (USAID/EGAT/PR) Meeting, Washington DC, January 23, 2007.

“A Novel Economic Intervention to Reduce HIV Risks Among AIDS Orphans in Rural Uganda” paper presented at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies Rounds, New York, NY, January 18, 2007.

“Informal Social Networks and Micro Saving Mobilization” paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), San Francisco, CA, January 12, 2007 (presented with Lombe, Margaret).

Last updated August 08, 2008.