The impact of diaspora contributions goes far beyond remittances because they give affected communities a lifeline before, during, and after disasters by sending medical missions, sharing skills, strengthening infrastructure, providing medicine for sick family members, and coming up with creative solutions to close gaps in the responses of traditional humanitarian actors. Through their grasp of local cultural contexts and ability to meet urgent needs, diaspora organizations are uniquely positioned to empower local communities.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has created several tools, such as a Diaspora Mapping Toolkit and a diaspora repository, to strategically and effectively engage with diaspora communities worldwide to maximize their potential across the humanitarian-development nexus.
In this hands-on workshop, attendees will learn how to apply these tools to a particular scenario in preparation for a crisis. Participants will need to bring a laptop to actively participate in the exercise.
After the event, participants will have a comprehensive strategy and a set of useful tools to identify and collaborate with diaspora organizations within sectors, thematic areas, or contexts.
The overall scope of the session will be to:
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Introduce IOM’s Mapping Toolkit and other associated tools for diaspora engagement.
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Discuss lessons learned from the activity.
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Conduct a practical exercise to apply the tools and develop concrete mapping plans to reach out and engage diaspora humanitarian actors in a particular setting focusing on preparedness.
