4th Day of the African Child Students Conference 2026: Invitation to all students interested in children and development to attend on 16 June

On 16 June 2026, students and educators across the continent will gather online to confront one of childhood’s most persistent injustices.

The Day of the African Child Students Conference (DACC) was started in 2023. Its main aim is to mould our future leaders, and mentor them to be able to organise events to promote social work and development on our continent. The conference is organised by students, and most presenters and chairs are students. It is a relaxed environment to present and mentor both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Presentations are short, about 10-15 minutes, and any topic could be suitable, as long as it relates to the theme. For you to get a chance to present, you will need to submit an abstract. An abstract is a statement that introduces a report, article or research in a summarised way. All abstracts and presentations will be published in African and globally indexed peer reviewed journals so that you can be cited and contribute to research, education and learning.The conference is organised by students on 16 June which is the Day of the African Child (DAC) and also South African Youth Day. All students are invited to take part – Diploma, Associate or Bachelor degree, Master Degree and Doctoral Degree. An elected organising committee made up of students will select a theme, design materials, make a call for presenters, invite speakers, review abstracts, create the schedule, moderate, chair and report.

The conference is an important opportunity to prepare students for future leadership, academic and research roles to advance social work and development, not only in Africa but globally.

Event at a glance

Conference theme: A call to action: strengthening universal access to clean water and sanitation to foster child dignity and development.

• Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2026
• Time (WAT): 08:00 — 12:00
• Time (CAT/SAT): 09:00 — 13:00
• Time (EAT): 10:00 — 14:00
• Format: Online conference
• Host: Mtandao, Africa Social Work and Development Network (ASWDNet)
• Organisers: student led DACC organising Committee
• Register: https://africasocialwork.net/dacc

Each year on 16 June, Africa marks the Day of the African Child, a date that carries the weight of history and the urgency of the present. The 2026 Students’ Conference, organised by the Africa Social Work Development Network, centres on a theme that links the two directly: strengthening universal access to clean water and sanitation to foster child dignity and development.

The conference brings together students, practitioners and academics from across the continent for a morning of engagement, reflection and action-oriented thinking in the field of social work and development. It is a space built by students, for students, with the explicit aim of connecting academic learning to the realities children face every day.

Why water and sanitation, why now

Access to clean water and adequate sanitation remains one of the most consequential determinants of a child’s life chances. Where it is absent, the effects compound: girls miss school to fetch water, children drink from contaminated sources, and families are locked into cycles of illness that health systems in under-resourced settings struggle to absorb.

These are not abstract figures. They describe classrooms where children arrive dehydrated or absent, communities where girls carry the burden of water collection before and after school, and households where a child’s dignity is compromised daily by the absence of safe, private sanitation. Social work as a profession sits at the intersection of all of it.

What the conference offers

The Day of the African Child Students’ Conference is designed as an active forum rather than a passive one. Participants engage with research, lived experience and policy debates in ways that reinforce the role of social work in advancing children’s rights. The format spans presentations, discussions and the kind of cross-border exchange that a continent-wide online gathering makes possible.

For students in particular, the conference offers a rare opportunity to see their field working at scale, to hear from peers across different national and institutional contexts, and to situate their own studies within a broader continental movement for child welfare.

Who is behind it

The conference is convened by the Africa Social Work Development Network and draws support from a wide range of universities and institutions across the continent. Partner organisations include the University of Eswatini, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Midlands State University, Makerere University, the University of Zimbabwe, the University of the Free State, Eswatini Medical Christian University, and the Health and Ageing Research Centre, among others. The African Journal of Social Work and ZIVO Publishing are partners, reflecting a commitment to grounding the event in rigorous scholarship.

How to register

Registration is open and free. Participants can sign up using the link below. Given the multiple time zones served, the organisers have structured the programme to run across a four-hour window, with entry points that suit West, Central/Southern and East African participants.

Register at africasocialwork.net/dacc