Reaping the Fruits of And

July 2007

Reaping the Fruits of and

- A Special Edition July 2007 ISSN 1813-2839  MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT 3 When Investment is Not Just About Economics Editor-in-Chief Jean-Philippe Chauzy  MIGRANT TRAINING 10 A Mosaic of Talent Receives Business Training Editors Christopher Lom 13  ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY Jemini Pandya One Thousand Opportunities for the Niurka Piñeiro Land of the Thousand Hills

 DIASPORAS Layout 14 Carmelo Torres Dialogues with the Diasporas: Setting an Agenda for Development Cover Photo  REMITTANCES Jemini Pandya 17 Republic of Serbia – Remittances from Switzerland Help Migration is published twice Alleviate Poverty in Rural Areas a year in English, French and Spanish. All correspondence 19  LABOUR MIGRATION and inquiries concerning this Short-term Temporary Labour Migration publication should be sent to: Yields Long-term Results International Organization 22  RETURN OF QUALIFIED NATIONALS for Migration (IOM) Abbie Aryan Returns to Afghanistan PO Box 71 CH Geneva 19  MIGRATION RESOURCE CENTRE Switzerland 23 Tel: +41 22 717 91 11 Manila’s Old City Hosts New Migration Fax: + 22 798 61 50 Library and Centre for Returning Migrants E-mail: [email protected]  POST-CONFLICT DEVELOPMENT Migration is available online 26 Long Journey Home for Sudan’s Displaced on the IOM website:  INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT http://www.iom.int 30 Return and Reintegration of Qualified Sudanese Programme: A Teacher’s Interview

 ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY 31 Support for Economic Stabilization IOM is committed to the for Vulnerable Populations principle that humane and  COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT orderly migration benefits 33 IOM Eye Camps Restore Sight for Young and Old migrants and society. As an intergovernmental 34  IRREGULAR MIGRANTS organization, IOM acts An Irishman in New York: Irregular Irish with its partners in the Migrants in the United States international community  MIGRANT EDUCATION to: assist in meeting the 36 Indigenous Migrant Workers Begin Literacy Classes operational challenges of migration; advance  HUMAN TRAFFICKING 38 Time to Act and Stop the Modern Slave Trade understanding of migration issues; encourage social  HUMAN TRAFFICKING and economic development 40 Building Capacity and Raising Awareness on through migration; and Human Trafficking in the Carribean Region uphold the human dignity  CULTURAL ORIENTATION TRAINING and well-being of migrants. 42 From the Burma Border to a New Day in Finland MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

WHEN INVESTMENT IS NOT JUST ABOUT ECONOMICS Migrants making a difference in the development equation

By Jemini Pandya, IOM Geneva do their homework and now they can,” says a villager elder. noisy chatter cuts through the gloom as dusk settles on the As tonight’s class on human biology gets Aothe rwise sleepy village of underway, younger children get together Gomoa Simbrofo in Ghana’s Central and play in and out of the dim glare of Region. Children are rushing to the the lamps on a dirt patch that serves as one room with electricity in the village the school playground, though 70-year- school to attend evening class. But it is old Kofi Kum says their usual practice an evening class with a difference. is to sit and study under the light of a lamppost, six at a time. Situated in the country’s fourth poorest region, Gomoa Simbrofo and its inhabit- Soon, the electricity network will be ants are like many other villages in rural extended to other parts of the village, Ghana. Subsistence farming defines life much to the joy of the villagers who as does the absence of employment celebrated for two days when the solar opportunities and one of the most basic panels were first installed and who now utilities – electricity. envisage a much greater change to their lives. Caught up in their families’ daily battle to get food on the table, the children Another way of developing of Gomoa Simbrofo often run from classes during the day to help parents The establishment of a 250-acre pine- work on the farm or to carry back the apple farm on land lying fallow around day’s harvest. By the time they are free the village in the coming weeks could from chores, school is over and so are initially provide employment to about the daylight and the chance to catch up 60 of the villagers and a much brighter with their studies. future for their families.

Until September 2006, their learning Behind all this change bringing hope to was limited to a few precious hours in a village of 600 people is Ghanacoop, a the morning. With no electricity in the cooperative of Ghanaian migrants thou- village, homework was impossible – sands of miles away in the Italian city of some child’s dream possibly, but not that Modena with no ancestral links to the of the children of Gomoa Simbrofo. Gomoa Simbrofo, only a desire to help in the development of their country. Today, street lamps powered by solar panels line the road that divides the Created through IOM’s Migration for De- village in two and along the school velopment in Africa (MIDA) programme building. which supports migrant diasporas wish- ing to invest in their country through “It’s become a habit for the children skills transfer and new enterprises, to study every night and it has made a Ghanacoop is setting a stellar example difference to their school performance. that is already proving to be a model of Before the electricity, they could never diaspora initiative in Italy.

DecemberJuly 20072006 Migration IOM, the cooperative has the backing of the municipality of Modena, a local cooperative bank, AEmil Banca, and the Modena branch of the umbrella organization of Italian cooperatives, Confcooperative. By also teaming up with EmiliaFrutta, now merged into Agrintesa, Italy’s largest fresh produce group with partnerships in 55 countries, Ghanacoop has also roped in private sector support and with it the possibility of accessing markets across Europe as a whole.

Revealing an instinctive knowledge of how the modern business world oper- ates, Ghanacoop was fast off the marks on the marketing front, developing a sassy logo and identity by teaming up with Modena’s Ventura Art School.

“We don’t have the money for marketing, so we use all our energy and free time to make sure people know about us. It’s very tiring but it’s an investment in long-term relations,” says a weary Thomas. It’s midnight and the end of another pineapple tasting session at a community theatre some 30 kms from Modena.

Each week, a shipment of anywhere between 25 and 50 tonnes of pineapples arrive from Ghana on the outskirts of p Much to smile about for the children of Gomoa Simbrofo, now able to do their homework in the evenings thanks to the village’s solar lamps (Photo: © Jemini Pandya/IOM, 2007) Modena for distribution among a network of supermarket chains, including It is showing that by combining the Since its launch in March 2006 as a the COOP, GS Carrefour and Nordi knowledge, passion and commitment cooperative importing fair trade pine- Conad. Until now, sales have been of migrants with institutional and gov- apple from Ghana for sale in the super limited to nearby provinces and regions. ernment backing, migrants can make a markets of Modena and surrounding But now, through GS Carrefour, Ghana- life-changing difference at both a social areas, Ghanacoop has shown another coop’s fair trade Miss Ghananas pine and economic level to the development way of contributing to the development apples are appearing across Italy. of their country. of one’s country. “We started selling Ghanacoop pine Ghana needs that investment of its “At first we thought we’d do some kind apples last June and they are selling very diaspora. It ranks 136th in the human of social projects. But gradually we well. In the first four months we sold development index with 46.7 per cent realized that it is better to construct about 60 tonnes of pineapples and sales of its population living on one dollar or something strong, something economic are increasing all the time. They are less a day, according to official statistics. which will last long and which during even better when Ghanacoop come in It also has an estimated 3 million of its years, [will] help the economy of the person to promote them. It’s a very posi- people, representing 15 per cent of its country. Our hope is that we create job tive experience for our shoppers who population living abroad and the fifth opportunities for Ghanaians who re- learn more about where the fruit comes highest emigration rate in Africa. main in Ghana and who want to come from,” says Isa Sala, at a COOP hyper- to Europe so that we can combat the market on the outskirts of Modena. The upside of that emigration is the re- migration situation in our country,” says mittances being sent home. According Thomas McCarthy, president of Ghana- In a highly competitive pineapple mar- to the Bank of Ghana, private transfers coop and the Ghana Nationals Associ ket, particularly fruit from Costa Rica, from migrants abroad increased from ation of the Province of Modena which it is the fair trade component that has US$680 million in 2002 to US$1.4 created the cooperative. opened supermarket doors. Until their billion in 2004, representing a third of own farm is up and running and pro- the country’s GDP. However, this figure Investment through partnerships ducing fruit for export, Ghanacoop does not take into account unofficial has its pineapples supplied by a major transfers, Ghanaians much preferred Fundamental to its success so far is a fair trade producer, Bomarts. It pays mode of remitting. rainbow of partnerships. In addition to its workers 27,700 cedis (US$3) a day

Migration July 2007 nacoop to plough more money into so- which until a couple of years ago was cial projects like the solar panels than the pineapple of choice in Europe, have the current deal with Fair Trade allows. been virtually ruined by the change in “ MIDCO – Migrants for Development in preference for the more yellow, juicy At first we thought their Country of Origin – was developed and sweet MD2 pineapple created in a with the support of IOM in the second laboratory. we’d do some kind of phase of its MIDA programme for Gha- na, funded by the Italian government. One such producer, Sekoe Kwaku, now social projects. But only has one acre of Smooth Cayenne Ghanacoop is also exporting Italian wine in cultivation and is trying to make the such as lambrusco to Ghana and the co- transition to MD2 on another 12 acres gradually we realized operative is now working at teaming up with the kind support of Bomarts which with an organic fair trade fruit producer is providing the otherwise prohibitively that it is better to in Togo in order to import dried fruits expensive plants. The rest of his 250 such as mango, banana, pineapple and acre farm is lying fallow. papaya in small snack size bags for the construct something health conscious consumer in Italy. He would have entirely abandoned his stock of Smooth Cayenne plants if it strong, something “We have too many ideas because we were not for the glimmer of hope offered see endless possibilities,” says Charles by Ghanacoop. Seeing the plight of so economic which will Nkuah, Ghanacoop’s vice president, many producers like Sekoe, Ghanacoop currently on a two-month trip to Ghana has embarked on another ambitious to ensure plans are followed through. project. last long... Among these is the possibility of exporting papayas and mangoes as well. It is planning to buy the current Bomarts packing house and convert it into a What is particularly remarkable about pineapple processing plant. Here, there Ghanacoop is that behind each new will be a market for the Smooth Cayenne ” commercial idea is a socio-economic producers whose fruits will be canned hardship story and an instinct to help and turned into concentrate for export. instead of the national minimum wage small producers caught out by the of 19,200 cedis and provides them vagaries of the global market. AEmil Banca has already financed a with a free daily meal. Their families feasibility study on the factory and it, also benefit from improved water and The pineapple is a case in point. Ghana’s together with UniCredit, Europe’s sec- health care access and education facili- producers of the Smooth Cayenne ond largest bank, are now providing ties with the farm planning to provide full scholarships to the children in the near future. Its belief in corporate social q A positive reversal of fortune for Sekoe Kwaku who, through Ghanacoop, will again be able to responsibility resonates within Ghana- find a buyer for his Smooth Cayenne pineapples (Photo: © Jemini Pandya/IOM, 2007) coop and the two are now stakeholders in each other’s businesses.

Too many ideas

Although Ghanacoop operated at a loss between March and December 2006, the forecast for its 2007 turnover is 1.5 million euros with the first quarter already overtaking figures for 2006.

Its growth isn’t just a result of the ex- panding pineapple trade. Ghanacoop has ideas – plenty of them – for new products and new markets. In May, it imported yam from small, local produ cers in Ghana to sell in African shops in Italy. It was a resounding success. The contents of a 40-foot container sold out in two weeks and plans are to import more.

This trial represented more than just a new product. The yam was sold under a new trademark that will allow Gha-

July 2007 Migration Migration July 2007 Photos: © Jemini Pandya/IOM, 2007 Top row, from left to right: u Life is hard in the village in Ghana’s Central Region, the fourth poorest part of Ghana u About 9 tonnes of pineapples will be needed per hour to feed the new Ghanacoop pineapple processing plant Middle row, from left to right: u Much work to be done to prepare the land for pineapple planting on the 250-acre Ghanacoop farm u An evening class is a giant step forward in the children’s education at Goma Simbrofo u Thomas McCarthy inspects Miss ghananas pineapples upon their delivery in Italy u All of Ghanacoop members play their role in ensuring the Italian public knows their fruit and the cooperative Bottom row, from left to right: u Children in the village take part in celebrations as Ghanacoop provides new furniture and materials for their school u A worker at Bomarts plants a pineapple sucker. It will take more than a year before a fruit will be ready for harvesting u Family members are enlisted to Julyhelp 2007 spread Migration the Ghanacoop word an 8 million euro loan. This will allow Leaving no stone unturned Ghana Coop to employ 300 people at the factory due to be operational by Ghana’s government has acknowledged October 2008 and will not only prevent this unwillingness and even dislike of in- “ 75 Smooth Cayenne producers from vesting in small and medium enterprises ...behind each new going under, but will also keep hun- by Ghanaian banks is a problem, one dreds of their workers in a job. A perfect which is hindering its poverty reduc- commercial idea is example of the cascading benefits of tion strategy targeting human resource one investment. development and private sector growth. a socio-economic Key to both targets is the Ghanaian This development is also a critical step diaspora which the government sees as forward for other fundamental reasons. a dynamic source of potential investors. hardship story and an It has meant a much-need injection of funds into the Ghanacoop farm and the In a bid to encourage their investment, instinct to help small laying of a more secure entrepreneurial the government began a series of home- foundation on the migrants’ home soil. coming summits in 2001 during which producers caught out members of the diaspora and the gov- Thirty acres of the farm had already ernment meet on an annual basis to been tilled at the end of 2006 in antici- discuss these and other issues. In 2002, by the vagaries of the pation of funds coming through in time it also changed the law to allow Ghana- for planting. They didn’t and weeds have ians to hold dual nationality in another global market. reclaimed much of the land. The delay attempt to attract Ghanaian migrants in the start up has been excruciating for who have been granted the nationality the migrants, frustrated in their desire to of their host country, such as Thomas. make a social difference quickly. Gifty Ohene Konadu, Deputy Minister ” “We are moving at a very slow pace,” for Small and Medium Enterprises and need to follow the same procedures as says Charles, complaining of the dif- Technology at the Ministry of Trade, In- resident Ghanaians. ficulties Ghanacoop has had in getting dustry and Private Sector Development, capital investment for their projects. says the government has taken out a loan “We are leaving no stone unturned to “There has been a kind of mistrust be- of US$ 45 million from the World Bank ensure that this sector thrives and thrives cause it is not easy for a European insti- to train banks and their staff on why they sustainably,” she says, adding: “We are tution to give out a loan for investment need to lend to small and medium enter- calling for investment day in and day outside Europe.” And equally in Ghana, prises. They represent after all, she says, out and if we have our own people “it is very very difficult to get Ghanaian 75-80 per cent of businesses in Ghana. coming in to invest, then they will have institutions to collaborate because we Once that has taken place, money will no inhibitions at all. They have a critical are not local based and they have very be made available to the banks for lend- role to play.” high interest rates.” ing and Ghanaian migrants will just Encouraging news then for Ghanacoop q Charles Nkuah says if it is in the interests of Ghanacoop and the development of his country, and others following not only in their he is more than prepared to go back to Ghana (Photo: © Jemini Pandya/IOM, 2007) footsteps in the second phase of MIDA Ghana, but outside of it too.

Two-way benefits

In Italy also, Ghanacoop is developing apace. Through Confcooperative Mode- na, which believes Ghanacoop to be the best existing model for integrating migrant communities in Italy while at the same time allowing them to contribute to the socio-economic development of their home country, Ghanacoop was given some start-up costs, essential training on management, accounting and computer skills.

Confidence is now being expressed through a 75,000 euro investment in Ghanacoop from Fondo Sviluppo, a development foundation which is part of the national Confcooperative. This investment allows it to be a member of Ghanacoop while an additional 100,000 euro loan at a low rate will help the mi-

Migration July 2007 grant cooperative develop its business in Italy and take it to new heights as a national enterprise.

Although the focus of IOM’s MIDA programme is on the development of the migrant’s country of origin, there is no denying the significant knock-on benefits for the host country as well.

For Agrintesa, the relationship with Ghanacoop means also being able to place Italian agricultural products such as fruit juices on the Ghanaian market and a potentially big business opportunity in a country where religious faith is strong.

“We didn’t know the African market. We haven’t penetrated it. We thought that it was a reciprocal knowledge, helping them with their product in Eur ope, them helping us to access their market. We started this adventure. I call it adventure but I am sure it is going to p A rare moment with the family for Thomas McCarthy (Photo: © Jemini Pandya/IOM, 2007) be a sustainable project economically,” says Giuseppe Termanani, in charge of per cent of the population is made up of ownership to the migrants and gives foreign markets at Agrintesa. migrants and where until now, engage- benefits to governments. It also makes ment between the two has been limited the link between private enterprise, gov- For AEmil Banca, the support for Ghana to the provision of social services. ernments and migrants and is a much coop has resulted in a positive new wiser way of investing remittances into image for the bank among the mi- “The visibility of Ghanacoop products the growth of one’s country.” grant community in Modena province in the Modenese supermarkets has and many more bank accounts being changed the way that people look at For Thomas, in Italy now for 19 years opened, particularly by Ghanaians. migrants. Now you don’t see migrants and at first an irregular migrant living For a small provincial bank, migrant as someone who needs services but on the fringes of society trying to find business is as important as Italian busi- someone who brings services and new whatever work he could, key to the ness. As a result, they are employing a initiatives. This experience has helped Ghanacoop success is that it is a com- Ghanaian woman to work for them with us to discover another level of coopera- munity creation and investment, not just the role of attracting more migrant action with them, especially at an entre- an individual’s. counts. And by getting to know some of preneurial level,” says Alberto Caldana, the migrants through Ghanacoop, the formerly responsible for social policies “I think we have learned a lot and other bank has also given mortgages to them. at the Municipality of Modena and now people can learn from us. You have to No surer sign of laying down roots than working for the Province of Modena. be very, very serious and smart and also owning a home. capable and with these three things you A model to follow? can make it. This is what others need For the authorities in Modena, Ghana- to learn from us otherwise it would be coop has made a significant impact on Both the Modenese authorities and very very difficult to compete with the the community in the province where 10 Confcooperative now want to apply the Europeans,” he adds. Ghana Coop model to other migrant communities from sub-Saharan Africa Working seven days a week early morn- and Albania living in the province. ing to late night with very little time for his wife and two daughters, is it worth it? IOM sees Ghanacoop as a model that “ can be replicated all around the world if “I believe it is worth it. It has improved I think we have one stumbling block can be overcome. my life. It has improved the lives of many migrants here, not just Ghana- learned a lot and “The problem that we find and which ians. I believe in what I am doing, what forces us to approach the donors is that I am investing, has a very good and other people can migrants often have problems finding the bright future, not just for me but for the start up capital to launch themselves into Ghanaian community and for the next such ventures,” says Davide Terzi, IOM’s generation.” M learn from us. Chief of Mission in Ghana. “There is a lot of potential out there so it’s import A video on Ghanacoop is available on ant to us to find this funding. The other the IOM website for viewing and broad- ” bonus is that the MIDA approach gives cast use – www.iom.int July 2007 Migration MIGRANT TRAINING

Italy-Morocco: A Mosaic of Talent Receives Business Training

Eighty skilled Moroccan migrants living in Italy are currently The trainees, who have been selected taking part in a comprehensive training course that aims to on the basis of applications outlining provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to help their entrepreneurial goals in Morocco, are all keen to share their hopes for the them successfully invest in the socio-economic development of future. their home country. With a strong background as a social The course, part of IOM’s MigResources programme, aims to mediator in Italy, where he has lived and create favourable investment conditions in Italy and Morocco for worked for more than 20 years, Malayo expatriates to invest at home, either through temporary or vir- Abderrazak has decided to set up a fi- tual returns programmes, targeted investments of remittances or nancial intermediation venture. through the creation of trans-national networks of firms, migrants’ “The idea is to build on the valuable associations and public administrations in both countries. experience I have acquired as a social mediator to set up a structure that would IOM’s Jean-Philippe Chauzy has met some of the expatriates mobilize funds from Italian businesses taking part in this unique programme, which is funded by the and migrant communities to invest Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. in promising, but often cash-starved start-ups in Morocco,” says Abderra- By Jean-Philippe Chauzy, IOM Geneva zak. “Businesses that are sponsoring or benefiting from this scheme would espite the constant rumble with the appropriate training to help them also employ, train and support young coming from the ancient and successfully invest at home. professionals in Morocco and Italy to Dcongested Via Nomentana, ultimately help them come up with there’s a quiet, studious atmosphere “Our first task is to listen and - iden viable business plans to set up their own at the University of Malta campus in tify some of the obstacles that could small enterprises.” Rome. jeopardize their business plans,” says Bormioli. “This is paramount to defin- Abderrazak, who also heads ATLAS, a In a couple of high-ceilinged rooms, some ing their training needs and to establish vibrant NGO for Moroccans residing 40 Moroccan expatriates and budding a realistic level of expectations for all in Italy, believes twinning mechanisms entrepreneurs are outlining their nascent involved. Once this is done, the pro- between NGOs and small businesses on business plans to Simonetta Bormioli, a gramme will provide the migrants with both sides of the Mediterranean would sociologist and researcher who works for the right technical baggage, contacts help promote sustainable development CERFE, a non-profit organization that has and skills to help them undertake a de- and reduce the incentive for many thou- teamed up with IOM to provide migrants tailed feasibility study as part of their sands of young Moroccans to emigrate business plan.” at all costs.

10 Migration July 2007 Migrants“ will only become successful agents of development if they are provided with the necessary financial and management skills and if they benefit from strong support networks...

p Bouhrim Said dreams of creating a clothing designer brand (Photo: © Jean-Philippe Chauzy/IOM, 2007) “My work as a social mediator has ” taken me inside Italian prisons where q Fatima Chegri seeks to establish a family business in Rabat (Photo: © Jean-Philippe Chauzy/ I have helped fellow compatriots who IOM, 2007) have fallen on the wrong side of law. This has made me realize how many human tragedies and economic opportunities are wasted through irregular migration.”

Abderrazak sees himself as a true transnational who intends to make the most out of his unique background to encourage a greater mobility of people, skills and capital.

“The Moroccan community in Italy is ready to invest at home but many expatriates who have business ideas do not know how to carry them out. This training is also crucial because it will allow us to confront our dreams with the harsh realities of the business world.”

Also taking part in the training is Fatima Chegri who wants to develop a business plan with the active support of several family members who are currently living and working in Italy and Morocco.

“I have two brothers who are employed as skilled technicians in a chroming plant in Venice and another brother who works as a senior accountant in Rabat,” says Chegri, who adds her family is ready to mobilize some of the capital for the enterprise. “Over the past 20 years,

July 2007 Migration 11 p Malayo Abderrazak wants to set up a financial intermediation venture (Photo: © Jean-Philippe Chauzy/IOM, 2007)

we have bought land in and around Bouhrim Said has spent most of his IOM’s Ugo Melchionda, who manages the seaside resort of Temara, which we professional life working in the textile MigResources, is fully aware of the many could sell to invest in the venture.” industry in Morocco. Last year, his wife, pitfalls that lie on the way to successful a consular officer, was posted in Rome, entrepreneurship. “Migrants will only be- Chegri says her brothers have already the capital of fashion in Said’s eyes. come successful agents of development carried out a limited feasibility survey in if they are provided with the necessary the region of Rabat and have identified “I took a leave of absence from my financial and management skills and if what they believe to be a niche market. Moroccan employer because I wanted they benefit from strong support networks But the family also realizes they might to develop a business plan that would among migrants’ associations, public ad- not be able to set up this business with- make best use of my knowledge and ministrations and the private sector.” out some strong backing. contacts in the textile industry to help aspiring Moroccan and Italian designers As part of the programme, a similar course “Ideally, we’d like to set up this business in their bid to create new brands,” he was launched in May in Casablanca for with the technical and logistical support explains. 30 qualified Moroccans who wish to ac- of the Venetian firm,” says Chegri. “A quire new skills through on-the-job train- form of partnership would certainly kick Said firmly believes that the future for ings in Italian businesses. The course, start the venture and make it more sus- young designers lies in finished, high which is carried out in partnership with tainable in the short to medium term.” quality goods produced in small quan- the Rabat-based Centre d’Etudes et de tities. He says he wants to work with Recherches Démographiques, provides Chegri, who works full time for ARCI, an designers and textile manufacturers in practical guidance on how best to access NGO that provides support for refugees Italy and Morocco to position his coun- the Italian job market with the aim of ac- and migrants, says she’s only too famil- try’s unique cultural heritage as a strong quiring skills. iar with the consequences of exile. selling point for the European fashion industry. “Circular migration can be achieved “Moroccan expatriates have a collective through partnerships that promote mo- duty to invest in Morocco to provide our “Fashion can be a wonderful cross- bility through job-training or job-match- brothers and sisters with viable economic cultural mediator,” says Said who ing services,” explains Melchionda. “This alternatives,” adds Chegri who believes believes his project could also promote programme is a first step to show that this training and her family’s support are new cultural synergies between young circular migration promotes skills trans- her best guarantees for success. Italians and Moroccans. fer, investment and ultimately economic growth for all countries involved.” M

12 Migration July 2007 ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

What do a ginger-based drink, a solar cooker, a card game and a vacation camp have in common? One Thousand They can help in the development of a small east African country. All Opportunities four are project ideas developed by Rwandans living in Germany and for the Land of the Austria to improve living conditions in the country of the thousand hills. Thousand Hills

By Silke Oppermann young man’s career. Ernest Nkusi and The Genocide of 1994 sparked a mass his friends are hard at work on their exodus to neighbouring African coun- ometimes, a flash of genius for a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering tries. Today there are large Rwandan great development idea can strike in Darmstadt. Together they are develop- diasporas in Canada, Belgium, the coun- Syou in the kitchen. ing a solar cooker, which can be easily try’s colonial ruler, and in the United and cheaply produced. “We hope that States. Although only a little more than Providence Tuyisabe was struck by this the solar cooker will solve our country’s 800 Rwandans live in Germany, the flash three years ago when he was ex- energy problems,” he says. “There are community is very active in helping perimenting at home with different fruit only two power plants in the country. in the development of their home juices and ginger, a spice that is an That is not sufficient for 24/7-power country. integral part of Rwandan dishes. “My supply and firewood is getting rare.” friends and colleagues loved the drink The Rwandan Diaspora in Germany and asked for it every time they visited Tuyisabe and Nkusi are two of the (RDD by its German acronym), which me,” Tuyisabe recalls. 6 million Rwandans who live outside was founded in 2002, is still in their their country; that is about the same early stages. But the beginning of a new So he decided to produce the drink, number as those living in the country. era for Rwanda is on its way. which he called Yambusi, in his spare Continued on page 16 time in a small brewery with the help of a professional master brewer. q Diaspora gathering in Mainz (Photo: © Silke Oppermann)

Today, marketing agent Tuyisabe organizes the brewing process of 200-300 bottles a week after work. He and his partners, from Rwanda and Germany, have invested some 30,000 Euros, which they have yet to recoup. Once his consumer base grows and production becomes more cost-effective, Tuyisabe wants to import all ingredients from Rwanda. “For Rwandan farmers, who grow pineapples and other fruit, it would be a great help and we would have a great feeling to be able to help our country.”

Tuyisabe’s long-term perspective is to produce the drink in Rwanda for the local market. “Rwanda will join the East African Community soon, so the consumer market will be large.”

Sometimes, an idea to improve the kitchen equipment can be part of a

July 2007 Migration 13 DIASPORAS

programme, IOM has for the past year and a half brought together via video conference Africa’s many multi-faceted professional expatriate communities to The word “diaspora” refers to any engage in a positive and constructive people or ethnic population forced or dialogue with home and host govern- induced to leave their traditional and ments to sponsor partnerships at a grass- ethnic homelands and the ensuing root level, sector by sector. By Mame Diene, IOM Geneva developments in their dispersal and culture. The word originally referred in the IOM’s on-going dialogues between t is now accepted that migration and ancient Greek world to a scattering or African diasporas, governments and de- development issues call upon at least sowing of seeds. velopment partners in home and host Itwo types of capital: financial capital, countries is based on the conviction that mainly in the form of remittances and This definition is particularly perti- the pool of knowledge, skill and expert direct investments, which remain key to nent in the context of the brain-drain, ise that thrives in expatriate communities worldwide can usefully contribute to the development of their country of origin.

The dialogues have so far covered a variety of topics, including health, agri culture and private sector investment in Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Tanzania as well as education in sub-Saharan Africa.

Each dialogue has gathered representatives from diaspora associations, governmental partners and their counterparts from international organizations in home and host countries to better define the demand side for skills in the country of origin, outline the existing pool of ex- p Members of the Association of Tanzanian Community and the Foundation for Democracy in pertise abroad and identify some of the Africa meet in the IOM office in Washington, DC. (Photo: © IOM, 2007) obstacles that prevent diasporas from promoting development strategies; and which continues to deprive the de investing at home. a human, social and cultural capital, veloping world, and Africa in particular, which until now has been overlooked of its most precious qualified human One of the most common obstacles by many policymakers. resources with a disastrous impact on identified in all dialogues is the scarcity development efforts. of professional opportunities for African Both are now increasingly perceived graduates, including PhD students and as being important, if not more, than With some 70 million migrants and health workers as well as the lack of natural non-renewable capitals, such their families working both inside and adequate research and development as oil and minerals, when is comes to outside of the continent, the develop- opportunities at home. This partly ex- successful development. ment potential of the African diaspora plains why so many African profession- is considerable, providing its scattered als continue to emigrate in search of Without the catalyst of human and social seeds can grow in the right policy and new professional challenges abroad. capital, there can be no comprehensive programmatic environment. development strategy. And in today’s A strategy to mitigate the impact of increasingly mobile world, this essential In the broader context of its Migration this loss of skills was clearly outlined capital has a name: the diaspora. and Development in Africa (MIDA) throughout the dialogues: it implies

14 Migration July 2007 finding ways to facilitate the mobility of professional expatriates who all recog- nised the importance and value of various types of circular migration.

Participants also agreed that this could successfully be achieved through a transfer of skills to bolster capacities at home, either through temporary phys ical returns or by bridging the digital divide so as to promote e-learning.

The dialogues revealed that these approaches had already been adopted in an ad-hoc fashion by some individuals and migrants’ associations. The main challenge remains to unite all those informal initiatives into a comprehensive migration and development policy framework in home and host countries.

Information exchanged during the dia- p Information exchange during the Sudanese diaspora dialogue in IOM London office (Photo: © IOM, 2007) logues also outlined further steps that need to be taken to sustain diaspora in- aspora would provide the ministry with But perhaps more importantly, the dia- volvement in development programmes a database of Tanzanians residing in the logues bridged crucial communication and policies. United States in return for the Minister gaps between diaspora associations, pushing the diaspora’s agenda forward home and host governments and a var An important step to turn the brain- in terms of land ownership for citizens iety of development stakeholders. drain into a brain-gain would be for abroad and dual citizenship. governments and concerned institutions By nurturing such dialogues, IOM has to know who migrates, where and for Similar follow-up meetings are also crucially opened communication chan- which reasons. planned between the Senegalese dias nels that allow for dynamic interaction pora involved in education and agri and collaboration in the field of migra- For this reason, diaspora associations in culture later this summer. tion and development. M partnership with governmental stakeholders agreed on the need to establish databases listing the qualified human DIALOGUES TO DATE resources and skills available among expatriate communities throughout Eur ope and elsewhere. London, March 2006: Mobilizing the Africa Diaspora Healthcare Professionals and Resources for Capacity Building in Africa These databases, currently being de veloped with the assistance of IOM, will Brussels, October 2006: Engaging the Diaspora in the Rebuilding the be used to successfully match specific Health Sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo needs outlined by ministries in home countries with skills, knowledge and Washington, DC, March 2007: Business and Development: the expertise available in the diaspora. Tanzanian Dialogue

Another tangible result of the dialogues London, April 2007: Mobilizing Sudanese Healthcare Professionals in has been the direct involvement of mem- the United Kingdom bers of the Congolese and Sudanese diaspora who have already travelled to Geneva, May 2007: Engaging the Diaspora for Sustainable Agricultural their respective capitals to meet with Development in the Sahel ministers to discuss common strategies aimed at rebuilding shattered health Geneva, May 2007: Education in Africa: Bridging the Gap between systems not just in the capitals but also Diasporas, Governments and Private Institutions in rural areas, where needs are often most acute. Geneva, May 2007: Mobilizing Beninese Healthcare Professionals in Switzerland On one occasion, the Tanzanian Minis- ter of Planning, Economy and Empower Rome, June 2007: Promoting Diaspora Investment in the Senegalese ment, Dr Juma Alifa Ngasongwa, met Private Sector the country’s diaspora in Washington, DC. All participants agreed that the di-

July 2007 Migration 15 Rwanda” which aims at bringing to Dativa Kraus is also thinking of ways to gether all who want to help Rwanda keep the Rwandan culture alive. The – the diaspora, non-Rwandans and mother of three realized that her chil- cooperation partners. dren had lost touch with their parents’ culture. They prefer to speak German The diaspora is not alone in its attempt instead of Kiniarwanda and they are to help. The Gesellschaft für Technische not familiar with our history,” Kraus Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), an international says. “They don’t understand what cooperation agency for sustainable happened in Rwanda, but they need to development funded by the German know about the Genocide to make sure government, provided funding for a this never happens again.” At the same meeting of some 50 Rwandans in May time, Kraus sees a big advantage in the in Mainz and wants to provide finan- children’s innocence. “They don’t have cial support for diaspora projects. Irina the problems that we had. They don’t Kausch, manager of the GTZ project Mi- divide our people into Hutu and Tutsi gration and Development, says, “Some anymore.” of the projects seem very promising and I think we will find a way to work So Kraus, who lives in Austria, wants to together.” arrange summer camps for Rwandan kids to teach them about their culture, p Gaspard Ngarambe noting names during The German Federal State Rhineland- history and language. In Belgium, she the election for the positions of the diaspora organization (Photo: © Silke Oppermann) Palatinate, of which Mainz is the says, the diaspora arranged similar capital, established a grassroots partner- vacation activities amongst the Belgian- Continued from page 13 ship organization 25 years ago. The gov- Rwandan community and have offered ernment and the University of Mainz to help her. “Our kids need to continue Gaspard Ngarambe, Secretary of the organize exchanges and the local our efforts to develop our home country. RDD, is writing his dissertation at the media keeps Rwanda alive in the minds They are our future.” University of Mainz about the develop- of southwest Germans. mental potential of the diaspora in the Gaspard Ngarambe also has a vision Great Lakes region. “Rwandans in the Ngarambe says that connections with for the future. “We have been labeled diaspora know best what their country other diaspora groups can be helpful as the ‘country of the thousand problems, needs and how to achieve those needs well. One day, Ngarambe was having an allusion to Rwanda’s appellation le in the country. They are able to trans- lunch after a lecture on migration. pays des mille collines or the land of fer new ideas from the industrialized Across the table sat Kim Singh, who was the thousand hills,” the PhD student world to the African reality,” Ngarambe born and raised in India but had lived explains. “But after the Genocide we explains with certainty. The diaspora in Germany for many years. Singh told want a new image. We want to be the can be more effective than official him about a card game he developed country of the thousand opportunities development aid.” to teach adults how to read and write. – and the diaspora can help us achieve “The adults prefer to learn at home be- this goal.” In theory, everything is very simple: cause many are embarrassed to sit in a Young Rwandans study in Europe or the school. After two months they are able Gaspard Ngarambe invites Rwandans United States and take the knowledge to read a newspaper.” Singh says he residing in Germany and worldwide, home. Rwandans who are well integ tested the game for years in Indian com- friends of Rwanda, and development rated in industrialized countries help munities and encouraged adults to write partners to cooperate with the “Re-Dis- through direct investment and remit- their own little newspapers. Ngarambe Covering Rwanda Initiative”. M tances. believes this project can improve adult literacy in Rwanda. Silke Oppermann is a German freelance But the reality is not that simple, and journalist who reports for Deutsche Ngarambe knows. Many Rwandans All of these ideas may be the beginning Welle Radio, ARD Radio affiliates, and don’t study the subjects Rwanda needs of a new future for Rwanda. other media outlets. because they don’t want to work in those fields; for example agriculture. q Providence Tuyisabe drinking his Yambusi q Rwandan Students studying together (Photo: © Silke Oppermann) (Photo: © Silke Oppermann) Others are well integrated into German society, have lost touch with Africa, and are not motivated to reach out.

Ngarambe’s ambition is to bring Rwan- dans, scattered all over Germany, together and motivate them to use their abilities to help their home country. “If we arrange more meetings, we can exchange ideas and competences and achieve more together.” He is also active in the initiative “Re-Dis-Covering

16 Migration July 2007 REMITTANCES

Republic of Serbia – Remittances from Switzerland Help Alleviate Poverty in Rural Areas

By IOM Geneva because of the absence of working-age basic needs such as water, electricity, relatives. gas, food, medicine, healthcare and, he Serbian diaspora in Switzer- to a lesser extent, children’s education. land is one of the largest foreign At the same time, the report clearly About 8 per cent of respondents said Tpopulations in the country. The establishes that long-standing trans they invested part of their remittances in migration of Serbian nationals to Switz national relationships between these small to medium-sized enterprises. erland is largely rooted in Swiss labour households and their migrant relatives in migration policies of the 1960s, 70s and Switzerland have facilitated the flow of At the micro-economic level, the im- 80s when short-term “guest worker” remittances and other forms of material pact of remittance flows to rural Serbia permits were offered to thousands of support, which today play an important is confirmed by the fact that more than Serbian nationals. role in poverty alleviation, especially 90 per cent of the surveyed households among older, rural households with low receive remittances, which on average Over the years, increasing economic levels of education and an income of total CHF 4,800 per year. The report hardship remained the key factor mo- less than 1,000 Swiss francs per month. shows that households also receive tivating Serbian men and women to goods such as household equipment, migrate to Switzerland, and ultimately Data collected by IOM among 343 mobile phones and televisions, as well to remain there permanently. By the households in Petrovac na Mlavi and as machinery for agricultural activities. time the Swiss government phased out Cuprija, two rural migrant-sending re- the seasonal guest-worker programme gions of Central and Eastern Serbia, finds Remittances, which can account for in the 1990s, a large Serbian population that remittances sent by the Serbian dias 40 per cent of household income, are had established permanent residency pora in Switzerland contribute mainly mostly sent informally on a monthly in Switzerland, a status which allowed to the acquisition of housing or are used basis. They are either hand-carried by for family reunification, resulting in the to support recurring living costs and migrants, friends or acquaintances or present-day Serbian diaspora of approxi mately 200,000 people. q Household use of remittances from Switzerland (numbers represent % of households reporting partial or full use of remittances for this purpose) This labour migration has had both positive and negative effects on migrant- sending households and communities in Serbia, according to a recently published IOM report.

On the one hand, migration to Switz erland has contributed to a significant depletion of the working-age population in many migrant-sending communities and has left behind many households mostly composed of children and eld- erly people who are increasingly unable of meeting their daily economic needs through traditional agricultural activities

July 2007 Migration 17 q Distribution of annual remittance inflow at the household level

sent via a vast network of bus drivers who shuttle between Switzerland and Serbia on a daily basis.

According to the report, the use of infor mal channels can be explained by a lack of trust in Serbian financial institutions and by high remitting costs. To increase the flow of remittances through formal channels, the report underlines the need to reduce remitting costs. This could be done by setting up new partnerships between financial service providers in Switzerland and Serbia, by improving banking provisions to bring more people into the formal banking system and by setting up special savings to encourage investments in small to medium-sized enterprises to create employment in Serbia and help the country retain its Cash Remittances Received in the Past 12 Months (CHF) skilled young professionals. building of a school for special needs Remittances from Switzerland are part Other measures, including new banking children in the municipality of Petrovac of larger flows estimated by the Interna- policies and financial legislation that na Mlavi, which was funded by Serbian tional Monetary Fund in 2004 to have allow expatriates to hold foreign cur- expatriates living in the north-eastern reached US$ 4.1 billion, or 17 per cent rency accounts in Serbian banks could city of St. Gallen. of Serbia’s GDP, placing Serbia in the further encourage expatriates to invest top 11 remittance-receiving countries in remittances in enterprises that would Measures to back efforts by the Serbian the world. M benefit Serbia’s poorer regions. Ministry for Diaspora to encourage collective donations from migrant This survey, which was funded by the The report notes that the impact of col- associations in Switzerland that wish Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs lective donations from migrant associ to support community infrastructures, (SECO) is one of a three-part investi- ations in Switzerland remains limited. such as roads, water systems or schools gation of migration and remittances At a local level, donations can make for special needs children should be linking Switzerland to Serbia carried out a big difference, as illustrated by the encouraged. Other measures, such as by IOM, the Swiss Forum for Migration setting up of matching fund schemes and Population Studies (SFM) and the should also be encouraged. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The full survey is available at www.iom.int

p A school for children with special needs in Ranovac (Petrovac na Mlavi) built with collective donations from a migrant association in St. Gallen, Switzerland

18 Migration July 2007 LABOUR MIGRATION Short-term Temporary Labour Migration Yields Long-term Results By Sonia Pellecer, IOM Guatemala

n 2003, IOM kicked off a two-year For the past three years Santa has traveled between IOM and the Fondation des pilot project that involved 125 to Canada to harvest strawberries. Her entreprises en recrutement de main- IGuatemalan workers selected for sons, nine-year-old William and five- d’œuvre agricole étrangère or FERME, temporary agricultural work in Canada. year-old Pablo, stay at home with their a Canadian Foundation based in Four years later the programme has father and grandmother. “Leaving my Quebec that deals with the recruitment gained momentum and more than sons and my husband for four months of foreign agricultural labour. FERME 2,000 men and women will travel this every year is hard; the months turn represents more than 350 employers and year to Canada. into what seems an eternity. But I do coordinates the seasonal hiring of some it because the sacrifice is worthwhile; it 4,000 temporary migrant workers, of “It was so difficult for me to become a allows me to provide a better life for my which 1,600 are Guatemalans who have temporary migrant worker. When I told family today and a bright future for my been hired by 160 Canadian farms. my husband that there was an IOM children.” programme that would allow me to go Although the agreement was carried out to Canada for a few months to work on The project “Temporary Agricultural with the approval of the Department a farm, he did not want me to go. But Workers to Canada” was created by of Human Resources and Social after I explained the benefits this would IOM and the Guatemalan Ministries Development of Canada, it is not bring to our family, he reluctantly gave of Foreign Affairs and of Labour and a bilateral agreement but one that me permission to go,” recalls Santa Pic Social Affairs, following the signing works directly between the employers de Ticú. of a Memorandum of Understanding represented by FERME and the workers.

q Guatemalan women harvesting strawberries in Quebec, Canada (Photo: © IOM, 2006)

July 2007 Migration 19 TOTAL MEN WOMEN 1400 1323 1200 1229 1000 800 675 600 611 320 400 215 200 270 180 64 94 NUMBER OF WORKERS 35 50 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 YEAR OF TRAVEL

Günther Müssig, IOM Chief of Mission requirements for travel to Canada, and His Canadian earnings have allowed in Guatemala, says the project has arranges their flights. Mr López to send his six children to become a successful model for school, to build a home for his family, and temporary labour migration and that The agreement stipulates that all to purchase land where he plans to grow it is the only solution offered to avoid migrants must return to their country potatoes, cauliflower and avocados. irregular migration. “The past four years of origin at the end of their contracts, have proven that it is possible to carry which range between four and six “It’s very difficult to be without my out a safe, dignified and orderly flow of months, and provide coverage under family, but I have to do it because it is migrant workers, thereby contributing Canadian labour laws. the only way to forge ahead,” López to better management of migration adds. “I focus on the benefits and this flows. The project provides benefits all Carlos Enrique López also has gives me the energy I need. And I tell around – to the countries of origin and participated in the past three seasons. my wife and children, ‘don’t be sad destination and to the migrants and “Going to work in Canada has changed because I’ll be gone for a while, this their families.” many things in my life. Now my children is a great opportunity for our family to have corn flakes and milk before they go prosper’.” IOM provides technical assistance to the to school in the morning. We can afford Guatemalan government, participates in to eat meat every day, while before we The wages received by temporary the selection of workers, advises those did not have money for bread, let alone migrant workers are higher than the selected on travel documents and other corn flakes.” minimum salary in Canada. Additional

q Carlos Enrique López says this project is a q Santa Pic de Ticú at home in Guatemala. q Carlos Humberto García says he will continue blessing for the families of small farmers (Photo: © IOM, 2006) to participate in the programme to provide a (Photo: © IOM, 2007) better life for his family (Photo: © IOM, 2007)

20 Migration July 2007 benefits for the migrants include the new skills they learn, which range from new planting and harvesting techniques to classifying and packing the produce, and which are transferred to Guatemala Maple Leaf Foods of Canada when they return. to Hire Colombians A recent household survey on expenditures confirmed that the earnings for their Manitoba Plant these temporary migrant workers are bringing back to their places of origin are having a positive impact on their quality of life. IOM Colombia is working with Maple Leaf Foods of Canada to recruit workers for its pork processing plant in Manitoba, How earnings are spent Percentage Canada. Total 100.0 Maple Leaf Foods is a leading Construction of Home 45.3 global food processing com- Debt Repayment 10.8 pany that employs more than 24,000 persons at its operations Basic Needs (food, beverages, etc.) 9.8 in Canada, the United States, Home Improvement 7.8 Europe and Asia. Clothing and Shoes 5.5 p One of the applicants being Under the new labour migration interviewed by a Maple Leaf Furniture and other Equipment 4.5 scheme, those selected will representant (Photo: © IOM Education 3.8 travel to Canada in late summer Colombia, 2007) and early autumn. Land Purchase 3.4 Savings 3.1 IOM worked with the em- Health Care 3.1 ployer, the Embassy of Canada, Colombia’s Servicio Nacional Purchase of Agricultural Tools 0.1 de Aprendizaje (National Other 2.8 Training Service), and three local mayors. And in just three “Thanks to this job we have no debts,” weeks, 172 workers were se- p Applicants getting induction/ says Santa. “The first year we man- lected to participate in the training on labour conditions by aged to pay back the loan for the land programme. an IOM officer (Photo: © IOM Colombia, 2007) we had bought, and installed proper floors in my home. With the earnings IOM Colombia also administered tests to all applicants, carried from my second season in Canada we out medical examinations and has set up a 120-hour English added a second floor to the house, course that the selected candidates must take before traveling to and the third year we put money into Canada. IOM will also obtain visas and provide logistical support a savings account so we can buy more for the workers’ trip to Manitoba. land.” Maple Leaf Foods also recruits workers from El Salvador, Ukraine, Carlos Humberto García also says it Germany and China, amongst others, and has contacted IOM was difficult to be away from his wife missions in Mauritius, Armenia and Georgia. and children. “But when I received my first salary I felt energized; I had never The migrant workers will earned that much money in a week.” receive support from Maple Leaf Foods for Like the vast majority of the project’s family reunification and participants, Mr García has managed to the possibility of obtaining build a home for his family. “I thank God permanent residence after because I have made new friends and I two years of employment have a good boss in Canada who even with the company. speaks a little Spanish, so I have no problem following her instructions.” Maple Leaf Foods is con- sidering IOM as its main p Applicants p Applicants in And Santa adds a woman’s perspective, performing the meat cutting test partner on a worldwide “This project is a great opportunity for meat cut proof (Photo: © IOM level for similar labour women to contribute to the future of their (Photo: © IOM Colombia, 2007) migration schemes. M families. Although it requires immense Colombia, 2007) sacrifices, seeing your children and family prosper is the best reward.” M

July 2007 Migration 21 RETURN OF QUALIFIED NATIONALS Abbie Aryan Returns to Afghanistan

By Katsui Kaya, IOM Kabul “We have to implement alternative haps I could explore this and do some- livelihood projects and build bridges, thing about it,” he observes. bbie Aryan, a UK civil servant of roads, irrigation channels and so on to Afghan origin, was overwhelmed give farmers a chance to switch from Driven by this urge to help, Abbie Ato see his motherland after 20 an illicit crop to something legal,” says returned to Afghanistan by himself. years. “When I started to see the mud Abbie. He still feels difficulty living in an houses from the plane, tears started fall environment with so many security ing from my eyes. I knew it was a poor Poppy producers also need to under- restrictions and misses his family. country, but I couldn’t help weeping stand that life will be better without the when I finally saw it myself,” he says. poppy and that those who stop the illicit But he is committed to his work and production will receive a lot of support one of his ambitions is to mainstream Abbie is one of the Afghan experts con- from the central government, he argues. Afghanistan’s National Drug Control tributing to Afghanistan’s development Strategy into the country’s National under the Professional Afghan Expatriate The Ministry of Counter-Narcotics has Development Strategy. Programme – EU (PAEP-EU), which IOM already created such a mechanism implements in close coordination with called the Good Performance Initiative, Counter-narcotics is a cross-cutting the Afghan Independent Administrative which awards development grants to issue across the Afghan government Reform and Civil Service Commission. provinces that stay narcotics free. The and therefore it is important for the gov mechanism is closely observed and co- ernment to build a counter-narcotics Funded by the European Commission, ordinated through Abbie’s office. component within each national pro- the project aims to contribute to the gramme, he says. long-term stability and development of Abbie was 14 when his family immi- the country through the deployment of grated to the UK during the Russian in- “One ministry working by itself cannot 17 highly qualified Afghan expatriates vasion of Afghanistan in the late 1980s. be successful. It requires the whole living in EU member states who will After completing a law degree in Lon- machine of the government to work on share their skills and expertise in various don, Abbie worked as a civil servant this issue. This is the only way it can ministries and public institutions during with the Immigration and Nationality succeed and this is my main priority for their assignments of up to one year in Directorate of the Home Office. now,” says Abbie. Afghanistan. His life was blessed with everything one “I think I owe this to Afghanistan. Abbie assumed his new post as Senior can hope for – a good job, four children, This is the country where I was born. Advisor at the Ministry of Counter- a home – but something was still miss- Whatever I do in the UK, it cannot Narcotics in April 2007. His primary ing, he says. be much because there are plenty of responsibility is to advise the Minister people there with better qualifications on a variety of policies and coordin “About 90 per cent of heroin in the UK and experience. But in a country like ation issues to achieve the ultimate goal comes from Afghanistan. I know how it this, even if I make a small contribution, of eradicating narcotics production in affects people’s lives and I thought per it will be big,” he smiles. M Afghanistan.

Abbie argues that the government needs to follow three steps – security, development and law enforcement – to stamp out the country’s thriving narcotics industry. t Abbie Aryan at his desk at the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics (Photo: © Katsui In Helmand province, classified as Kaya/IOM, 2007) an Extreme Risk/Hostile Environment by UN security officials, for example, 110,000 hectares of opium poppies are currently under cultivation – equivalent to roughly 40 per cent of the world’s opium production. The reason is lack of security, he observes.

After improving general security, development issues need to be addressed.

22 Migration July 2007 MIGRATION RESOURCE CENTRE

Manila’s Old City Hosts New Migration Library and Centre forfor ReturningReturning MigrantsMigrants

By Ricardo R. Casco, IOM Manila

n a beautiful, sunny day in the crowd, explaining the Philippines’ The MIRC, will function as a resource March, two long-neglected migration governance model and the centre for potential and returning mi- Onooks in Manila’s old, Spanish- development role of reintegration and grants, and will host a central migration walled Intramuros quarter became migration information systems. library. home to a critical new resource for tens of thousands of Filipino migrants. After cutting the ribbon, President Arroyo Secretary Brion expects the two bodies experimented with the user-friendly touch to develop into a forum for coordination A throng of spectators attended the screens at an information kiosk at the NRC, between government, industry and civil unveiling of the Migration Information posing as a returning nurse. “If I were a society, supported by a wide range of Resource Center (MIRC) and the Na- nurse returning to my country, what can public and private sector bodies. tional Reintegration Center for Overseas this computer do for me?” she asked. Filipino Workers (NRC) by Philippine In its initial stage, the NRC will be a first President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo The NRC is envisioned as a one-stop port of call for Filipino Labour Attachés and IOM Director General Brunson centre for reintegration counselling, and Welfare Officers returning home McKinley. training, information and venture project from overseas posts. As reintegration facilitation to create socio-economic counselors, they will be able to share Filipino Department Labor and Employ- reintegration that benefits the individ their wealth of experience with Filipino ment (DOLE) Secretary Arturo Brion, ual, the family, the community and the migrant workers. the man behind the idea, addressed country as a whole. q Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo cutting the ribbon with DOLE Secretary Arturo Brion and IOM Director General Brunson McKinley with IOM Manila Regional Representative Bruce Reed looking on (Photo: © IOM, 2007)

July 2007 Migration 23 p DOLE building facade where MIRC is p Director General Brunson McKinley and DOLE Secretary Arturo Brion unveiling the NRC located (Photo: © IOM, 2007) marker (Photo: © IOM, 2007) The government’s reintegration goals the centre to conduct a basic orienta- IOM librarians attending the workshop include the productive and develop- tion course on Library, Web, Publica- noted that libraries in the Philippines ment-oriented use of migrants’ foreign tion and Communication Management have struggled with limited resources, a earnings and the skills that they learnt on Migration. shortage of expertise and ever changing abroad. A National Reintegration Sum- terms of reference. Traditional libraries mit to discuss these issues is planned for This seminar was attended by librarians, continue to house much of the relevant later this year. website managers, publication and migration material, much of it gleaned communication specialists of six gov- from countless conferences and work- Filipino migration has been a hot top- ernment agencies under the DOLE. shops. ic for decades among politicians, the media, academia and experts, not just in “Sensitization is the first step needed to But there is a growing awareness of the the Philippines, but worldwide. But the pursue an ambitious project to build a need to start converting material to digit mass of data has always been difficult central migration library in the country. al format, particularly photographs and to track down from widely dispersed li- Training is scarce and librarians are part images. “It is our 25th year anniversary braries and internet sources. of the brain drain,” says the publication and we are hunting for images to tell chief of the Institute of Labor Studies, our institutional history,” says Salome In April, a month after the inauguration Katherine Brimon. Mendoza, Planning Director of the Phil- of the MIRC and following an agreement ippines Overseas Employment Agency signed with the DOLE, IOM sent experts Workshop participants conceded that (POEA). from Geneva, Bangkok and Manila to the creation of a migration library is in many ways an experimen- The MIRC and the NRC will also be tal venture that will force free to draw on the experience of IOM q President Arroyo tries the information stakeholders to think Migrant Resource Centres established kiosk at NRC (Photo: outside their customary in several countries, which also use ©IOM, 2007) boxes in order to create a libraries and websites to promote shared framework. knowledge of migration.

“I don’t want them to turf Conversely, a European Commission- (war); the Philippines has funded IOM project on Regional led in migration man- Dialogue and Facilitating Legal and agement and must show Managed Migration from Asia to Europe a lead in establishing a is also interested in using the MIRC as central (migration) library a means to disseminate information system,” says Secretary modules and materials on irregular Brion. migration in the European Union.

The workshop proposed Synergies between the objectives of the the development of a cen- new DOLE centres and IOM’s global tral library, including the migration management objectives offer establishment of electron- a variety of avenues for constructive col- ic linkages for websites, laboration. And that is good news for the joint cataloguing systems tens of thousands of Filipino migrants and customer-driven sat- expected to benefit from the centres in ellite facilities. the coming months and years. M

24 Migration July 2007 FORTHCOMING PUBLICATION

A brief introduction policy options that might contribute to the development of a broad and The task of formulating a workable coherent global strategy to better match global approach to the management demand for migrant workers with supply of international migration remains a in safe, humane and orderly ways. formidable challenge for the community, one that will require both time and effort Part A of the Report explores the nature over the coming years. In what terms are and magnitude of this need for a global we to develop a comprehensive migration strategy through the observation and management strategy, one that will help analysis of a wide range of contemporary us achieve coherence of action? What migratory patterns linked to economic TheWorld Migration Report 2007 will organizing principles should be adopted? purposes while Part B discusses the be the fourth in IOM’s series of biennial Is there, in conceptual terms, a point of contours of possible policy responses. reports on international migration. leverage to move the debate forward? • Should migration be considered entirely Part of the problem lies in the difficulty “natural”, seen as a constituent part World Migration Report 2007: of coming to a consensus about the Managing Labour Mobility in of human behaviour, and occurring fundamental nature of migration and its throughout human history, or profoundly the Evolving Global Economy outcomes. Underlying the current and “unnatural” since it is about the (painful) welcome inclination to acknowledge uprooting of individuals from their places WMR 2007 will focus primarily on the the potentially beneficial outcomes of of birth and their (equally difficult) labour mobility of people in today’s migratory phenomena there is a discourse relocation in other countries? evolving global economy, providing that is still laden with doubt, with • Is it a process through which nations are policy findings and practical options inconsistencies and outright contradictions. built and strengthened or weakened and with a view to making labour migration torn apart? more effective and equitable and In the midst of that uncertainty there are • Does it lead to the enrichment of countries to maximize the benefits of labour suggestions worth exploring perhaps that of origin through the flow of remittances migration for all stakeholders concerned. contemporary migration – as opposed to and the transfer of skills and technology, whatever its historical antecedents may These findings and options will be drawn or to their impoverishment through loss of have been – is uniquely related to and from IOM’s policy and programme talent? defined by those processes of economic experience, the most recent work • Would migration management be more and social integration collectively of leading scholars and researchers, effective if priority of attention were given known as globalization. The argument Government immigration policy and to the maintenance of national sovereignty is that, whether by design or not, these practice, the private sector, and civil in migration or to the free play of market developments are largely responsible for society. The report will also update interests? the creation of an unprecedented context data and analyse migration flows, • Are migratory flows sustained essentially in which human mobility seeks to find stocks and trends since the last World by a complex interplay of economic expression on a genuinely global scale. Migration Report (2005) and survey push and pull factors, or by social current migration developments in The World Migration Report 2007 tackles communication networks? the major regions of the world. this issue directly and seeks to identify The World Migration Report series

The aim of the IOM’sWorld Migration Report series is to contribute to: • A more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of international migration; • Enhanced, longer-term capacity for the collection, analysis, use and sharing of migration information and experiences; • Better informed dialogue, cooperation and coordination in regions and countries of origin, transit and destination; and • The development of effective, pragmatic approaches and solutions to migration challenges.

July 2007 Migration 25 POST-CONFLICT DEVELOPMENT

Ready to go: Bus drivers waiting for the signal to start moving (Photos: © Frederic Noy/UNMIS PIO)

Long Journey Home For Sudan’s Displaced By Birgit Hussfeld, IOM Khartoum

ater is boiling for the morning Omar, his wife and five small children, Joint effort tea on small charcoal stoves are among the first group of 200 South Wset out on the ground. Women Sudanese leaving the camps and squat- Under the peace agreement, every and children are squatting around them ter areas that are still home to more Sudanese citizen has the right to choose in the cool morning hours before the than a million internally displaced per- where he or she wants to live. However, sun has fully come up and the heat gets sons (IDPs) around greater Khartoum. the states that form South Sudan are too oppressive. The men are still asleep More than 2 million South Sudanese encouraging their people to return now in the tents at an IOM temporary de- are estimated to have fled to the north- in time for a national census. The census parture centre in the Sudanese capital, ern states seeking refuge from the civil is being seen as a first step towards a Khartoum. Only a few are up, watching war that ravaged South Sudan until a referendum planned for 2011 that will the trucks that were loaded the night be- peace agreement was signed in January decide the future of South Sudan. fore. Two cubic metres of space for each 2005. family – prized possessions represent- Taking all these factors on board, ing a life left behind after close to two Two thirds of the displaced population is the two governments of Sudan – the decades of displacement. longing to return to the payams (districts) Government of National Unity (GoNU) and counties in the south they still call based in Khartoum, and the Government “It is time to go. I want to be among the home after so many years and rebuild of South Sudan (GoSS) based in Juba first back in southern Kordofan. I hear their lives, IOM discovered when carry- – together with the UN and IOM, have there are many international organiza- ing out a survey among the displaced. pledged to assist up to 198,000 IDPs to tions. Hopefully I find a job with them But it is the lack of transportation, fear return home in 2007. to feed my family,” says Omar Moussar of sickness and worry over food and wa- Kora, handing out his mobile phone ter for the trip that hold many back from However, organizing mass returns is a number. “Think of me when you hear of taking that first step for the long journey complex and challenging task further a job, any kind of job. Promise!” home. complicated by the fact that movements

26 Migration July 2007 by road can only take place during inheritance. Unlike Omar, who worked teenager. Almost 14 years later, the 30- the second half of the dry season and as a shop assistant, Hua also managed year-old mechanic says: “I see potential stop before the onset of the first rains. to start up his own business while for me and my family back there but if The time frame is narrow, a mere five displaced in the north. the circumstances are too dire, I come months each year. back to Khartoum. Besides, the school “I am not only a farmer, but also a year is not finished and I do not want Registration for voluntary return began trader. I will use my experience and my to take my son out of school without a in November 2006 after IOM was business connections up north to start certificate.” charged with all operational aspects of something new back home. My brothers the returns, including data management. and sister are all there and will help me. Lack of infrastructure Together with the Fellowship for They encouraged me to come back. African Relief (FAR) as implementing They already got the land back that has Joseph has a point. South Sudan is one of partner, more than 100,000 IDP been in our family for a long time,” he the world’s least-developed areas. Since households were registered by 35 fixed says. independence from British colonial and five mobile registration points in Khartoum.

Collected data was then processed and analysed in the Joint Operations Centre housed by the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), the humanitarian arm of the GoNU. Among that information is where people come from and where they want to go back to, and using such data, authorities in various states deemed safe for return such as south Kardofan, northern Bahr el Day of the Ghazal, Unity, Warrap, Jonglei, Upper departure: Omar carrying his family’s Nile and central Equatoria, identified hand luggage with payams with sufficient infrastructure all that is needed and capacity to absorb returnees. It is throughout the the responsibility of local authorities four-day journey to receive returnees until they move to the IOM bus onto their final destinations and to help at the departure them and host villages and towns to knit centre in El Salaam, Omdurman together into new communities. Khartoum

Plans for the future

Hua Gaily Kaafi has an advantage over Joseph, on the other hand, is playing rule in 1956, it has mainly experienced many others who return with little and it safe. He has left his wife and two conflict. rely on local authorities for assistance. small children in Khartoum for the time Land is a key issue as almost all being. He had heard rumours that the “The South of Sudan has a seen a prospective returnees said they were government was allocating land around prolonged period of war lasting half a going to depend on farming for their Khartoum to people regardless of their century, with only a decade of peace livelihood. Hua, his two wives and status as IDPs or local residents. He and relative stability between the 1970s five children signed up for voluntary wants his family to remain there should and 1980s,” explains Louis Hoffmann, return in order to claim the fields and this really happen. In the meantime, he IOM Head of Office for South Sudan. the property his father left him as an is returning to the village he left as a “Little development would have been achieved in so short a time frame and q Last farewell: reaching over the fence of the temporary departure centre for final well wishes not likely to have survived the war that followed.”

The consequence? Sudan ranks 141st out of 177 in terms of Human Development Indicators mainly due to the lack of development in the south. North Sudan is far more developed.

According to the New Sudan Centre for Statistics and Evaluation established in Juba by the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) shortly before the civil war ended, there is widespread

July 2007 Migration 27 food insecurity, inadequate access to return 75 teachers and their families potable water, a virtually non-existent to the south. But the programme has a health and education sector and military wider reach. insecurity in some areas. Although most of the more than 400 The war and a high fertility rate means displaced people who have registered South Sudan has the youngest popula- with IOM in Khartoum for job place- tion in the world. Infant mortality of un- ment in the south are teachers, other der five-year-olds is among the highest professions are also showing interest. globally (with 250 per 1,000), and chil- Among them, much needed health and dren in the south are three times more vocational workers. likely to die than in the rest of the country. By the time the peace agreement “The challenge is getting employers in was signed, there was, on average, one the south to commit to issuing an offer doctor for every 100,000 people and of employment to a qualified candidate one primary health care centre for every prior to the candidate’s return,” explains 80,000 people. Lindsay McMahon, IOM’s advisor on the programme. “We only facilitate Access to education is another impor- the return of those who have received tant issue. Formal school education is a firm job offer. By bringing back their highly prized and valued among south- know-how, these professionals will be erners who for the most part had been instrumental in the rebuilding of South deprived of even the most basic school- Sudan.” ing due to the war. The majority are illiterate so education for the children is Given that South Sudan has a very long a clear priority. way to go before it can boast of an adequate infrastructure for the people there, However, most IDP families have to pay IOM and the UN are providing vital in- First leg of the journey – burdensome school fees in the north formation to IDPs to help them decide from Khartoum to and the language of instruction is North whether they really want to go back or Kosti waystation Sudanese Arabic, unpopular among not, whether it’s now or later. Juba Arabic or tribal language-speaking displaced people. Instruction in most IOM-run information centres in IDP schools in the south, on the other hand, camps have material supplied by a va- is in English. riety of UN agencies and NGOs on the facilities and services to be found on the “In Khartoum I do not see how I can af- ground back home. They are also in- ford to send all my children to school. formed on safety issues including how I know that in my village near Kadugli, to identify and avoid landmines, unex- there is a school that teaches children ploded bombs or endemic diseases in in English at a fraction of the fees I pay certain areas. IOM also organizes Go- here,” explains Omar, a father of five. and-See visits allowing community representatives to travel back home to see The main difference with the north on for themselves what the conditions are this issue is that the education sector like and to question local authorities in the south is just starting to be devel- and humanitarian actors there before oped. A major challenge at hand is to reporting back to their people. find qualified teachers since many fled across borders or to the north during the The key to success of any return is how civil war. local communities and authorities will receive and assist the returnees. To In a bid to help improve the situation, support them in that effort, IOM has IOM is identifying qualified teachers already started work on some quick- among the IDP and refugee population impact community programmes by Long journey – new beginning and then liaising with education min- providing 25,000 people in two areas in istries in the southern states to place northern Bahr el Ghazal with safe drink- After a two-day journey that took the candidates into employment. ing water. With more funds, the Organ convoy headed for southern Kordofan to ization could do much more to develop way-stations in Kosti and Kadugli where It’s part of a Danish government-fund- basic infrastructure in the main areas of returnees rested for the night, the IDPs ed programme aimed at returning and return as it is the development of that embark on the final leg to their home reintegrating qualified Sudanese to infrastructure that will finally determine payams. Road conditions from Kadugli the south to help in the reconstruction the ability of authorities and host com- mean everyone has to change from of their society and economy. Since munities to accommodate large scale bus to heavy-duty trucks. Vulnerable November 2006, IOM has helped returns. people, such as pregnant women, sit in

28 Migration July 2007 communities and returnees face many challenges in the coming years.

“We knew it would not be easy,” says Omar. “But here is our home and our future.” How he will get to his village is still uncertain. There is no public transport. Private transport is a donkey cart, but even that is not as readily available as it was in Khartoum. Omar needs practical help, sound advice and some cash to reach his village where he will have to erect a makeshift shelter and later get the land and some material for a proper home. Only then can he think and worry about the longer term for him and his family.

Omar and others nevertheless receive food rations from the Word Food Programme (WFP) and Care International to tide them over until harvest time. Then, the organizations will be back to assess the needs of all those who did not manage to plant their fields in time. They also receive the driver’s cabin or in the four-wheel mats, blankets, mosquito nets, plastic First leg of the journey – IOM vehicles escorting the convoy. An sheeting and other basic items to help from Khartoum to IOM doctor with a nurse or midwife them get started by the UN’s Joint Kosti waystation stays with the returnees until all drop-off Logistics Centre (UNJLC). points in Kadugli County are reached. Returns in full swing The trip takes longer than expected. Everyone is covered in dust. Tired, they About 64,000 people like Omar, Joseph, finally arrive at the first drop-off point. Hua and their families will be directly Some receive a warm welcome from assisted by IOM by the end of this year relatives and friends they had not seen through a process that begins with pre- in more than a decade. departure information and continues with registration, medical screening and Others, such as Omar and his family, care, escorted transportation to home stand alone amidst their belongings, destinations and reintegration assistance discussing with the local reception upon arrival. People of southern origin committee where to spend the night currently displaced in south Darfur and and how to transport their possessions within South Sudan are being helped as to their home villages nearby. A school well. building is opened to provide shelter for the night. Someone brings water. Eve- But IOM’s involvement doesn’t stop rything else will have to wait until the there. Working with the UN’s High next morning. It’s clear – both receiving Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), IOM is helping tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees return home from neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Although the onset of the rainy season in May brings an end to all road movements, it won’t stop IOM taking people home. Air and river transport will be used to get IDPs and refugees home where possible. It’s been a long wait and people are impatient to embrace their future – even if it may be a challenging one. M

July 2007 Migration 29 Internal Displacement

Return and Reintegration of Qualified Sudanese Programme (RQS) A Teacher’s Interview

The Return and Reintegration of am from eastern Equatoria, from Lopaw Payam in Qualified Sudanese Programme Torit county, South Sudan. A long way from here… “I I came to Khartoum in 1996, after fleeing from my (RQS) aims to meet some of the village in 1993. I was eleven years old at the time. I had critical gaps in knowledge and the chance to go to school in Khartoum and later studied skills that the Government of to become a pre-school teacher. I also did teacher training courses in community development, physical educa- South Sudan (GoSS) Ministries tion, child protection, early childhood development, music and other employing institutions and movement and a variety of other subjects. My aim is face as they rebuild and develop to bring this knowledge to the Torit area where my family comes from but first of all I hope to be offered a job as a South Sudan. Luca George Kidi is pre-school teacher there. I lodged my application with IOM an IDP and a teacher who wants to join the Return of Qualified Sudanese Programme and to return home. Here is his story. they forwarded the list to the Ministry of Education in eastern Equatoria. I understand, that the ministry has indicated that they will offer jobs to all of us who meet the qualifica- tion requirements. So, I am going to fly back to Torit via Juba with members of my family.

Apart from teaching, I see myself assisting in improving pre- school education in the Torit area, because early childhood learning is very important. I have experience. I have already been involved in setting up a school in the El Salaam camp for internally displaced persons near Khartoum, where we live. The Episcopal Church of Sudan together with the Sudan Development and Relief Agency (SUDRA) have assisted us. Non-governmental organizations such as World Vision and CARE Sudan are giving some funds. I receive a small financial incentive for my work as a teacher at that school.

SUDRA sent me on an assessment mission to the Torit area in November last year, to see what is to be done there and where non-governmental organizations could help. There had been a fierce attack on the area by the Lord Resistance’s Army just shortly before the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. Since then school buildings have not been properly repaired, there is hardly any teaching material and… there are very few teachers. I can help. I have the teaching material and the know-how and also the experience with getting funds from non-governmental organizations. I can do my share to improve the situation in Torit. I keep telling my colleagues in the camps in Khar- toum. ‘What are you still doing here? Let’s go and build up something for future generations in our home areas in the south’.”

30 Migration July 2007 ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY Support for Economic Stabilization for Vulnerable Populations Two stories show how income generation is a key tool for overcoming the vulnerable situation in which thousands of Colombians live.

By Juliana Quintero, IOM Colombia funding from USAID. Since then, Raúl of productive initiatives that are part has tried to improve the quality of life of income-generation projects carried t is difficult to believe that not long and income of those who have knocked out within the framework of diverse ago, Raúl Fernando and his employ- on his door in search of opportunity after IOM programmes in Colombia. These Iees were forcibly displaced from being forcibly displaced. “I try never to include Assistance for Displaced Per- their places of origin, as has happened give up when it comes to my company sons and Vulnerable Groups, Human to more than 2 million Colombians over because I have to work and provide Trafficking, and Minors Demobilized the last 11 years, according to the latest employment to these people who need from the Illegal Armed Groups, among government figures. it so badly,” says Raúl. others. Projects benefiting from this initiative have received economic support Raúl founded the RAFERLO company But Raúl’s successes do not end there. from USAID, Italian Cooperation and six years ago after being displaced from He recently received some of the best the Dutch and Canadian embassies in the city of Florencia (department of news he had ever gotten in his life: the Colombia. Caquetá). Since then, and with great ef- products he makes with his six employ- fort, he has given all of his time to the ees will not only be sold at small Co- RAFERLO’s exports to Holland accounted company. “With little money but lots of lombian handicrafts fairs but will also for 12 per cent of the company’s total drive,” he says. He and his employees, be commercialized in Europe. Thanks annual sales. “Exporting is our biggest also internally displaced, make hand- to support from IOM’s Social Market- achievement; it means fulfilling our goal crafted tables, chairs, coat racks and ing Strategy, RAFERLO began exporting while working side-by-side with my vases in native woods such as guadua 49 products to Holland at the end of April. people, because it is an achievement and bamboo. The RAFERLO products were bought by that came out of the effort they have put Hedi Meubelen, a Dutch home furnish- into this,” adds Raúl. RAFERLO became a reality thanks to a ings and accessories company. micro-credit that he received in 2001 From a rifle to a sewing machine through the Post-Emergency Programme IOM implemented the Social Marketing for Displaced, Vulnerable and Host Strategy in response to the need to im- In Soacha, just south of Bogotá, a Populations implemented by IOM with prove the economic sustainability levels 25-year-old man works intently on his q An employee at RAFERLO workshop (Photo: © IOM, 2007)

July 2007 Migration 31 p RAFERLO owner Raúl at work (Photo: © IOM, 2007) sewing machine. His hands caress the With projects such as this, and with cloth with such delicacy that it is dif- financial support from the Governments ficult to believe that just a few months of the United States, Canada, Holland ago those same hands held a rifle. and Spain, IOM supplements the efforts of the Presidential Counsellor for the Gabriel Torres is one of 75 persons Reintegration of Ex-combatants, to taking part in an income-generation successfully complete the process of project that is providing training in the reintegration into civil life of some textile sector to ex-combatants. The 35,000 ex-combatants who have been programme is supported by IOM with individually or collectively demobilized funding from USAID, and implemented from different illegal armed groups in partnership with the Colombian as part of the peace processes being foundation Compartir. implemented by the Colombian government. “I was encouraged by the great demand for employees in this sector,” says Thanks to the training and support Gabriel. “I know that not everyone gets that he receives, Gabriel’s self-esteem an opportunity like this.” is constantly on the rise and he has become aware of his many talents and From the time he was 15, Gabriel had abilities, that will open doors in the been a member of the Autodefensas near future. “I would like to have my Unidas de Colombia – AUC (United own textile business, to have my own Self-defense Forces of Colombia), and machinery and create jobs,” Gabriel he now acknowledges the importance says with conviction. of this change in his life. At the same time that he receives training that will Speaking of his personal goals, help him earn a living without the need Gabriel cannot forget the many of a weapon; he also gets a transpor- people who are working to provide tation subsidy, food stamps and daily him with this opportunity. “My snacks. This enables him to use eco- colleagues and I are very grateful to nomic assistance from the Colombian IOM and its donors. What we are government as part of the demobiliza- learning is exactly what we need to tion process to help support his mother help us make our own way in the and three younger sisters. world in the future.” M

t RAFERLO employee at work (Photo: © IOM, 2007)

32 Migration July 2007 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IOM Eye Camps Restore Sight for Young and Old By Passanna Gunasekera, IOM Sri Lanka

anaki Fernando, a grade eight student Janaki is one of the many beneficiaries even provided my medicine after the from a tsunami-battered village in of an IOM Eye Camp programme funded operation, which would have been too Jthe Kalutara north district south of by the Australian Red Cross. Under expensive for me,” she adds. Colombo, was distraught when she the programme, over 100,000 people realized that her vision was blurred and were screened for sight problems. Clara is now happy to be able to help that she could not properly study for More than 80,000 beneficiaries were her daughter and her family, with whom her year-end school exams. A visit to provided with spectacles and around she is living, with their daily chores. Her a nearby eye clinic confirmed that she 6,000 were referred to the national daughter and son-in-law both work until needed to wear spectacles. eye hospitals for further evaluation and late in the evening. Before her operation management, including cataract surgery she could not be of much help. “I hated and implants. to sit by while everybody else worked hard. I did not want to be a burden to Clara Perera, a 76-year-old from them,” she says. Katukurunda in the western province of Sri Lanka, was worried when an “According to my religion giving some- ophthalmologist told her that she had to body back their eyesight is a meritorious undergo cataract surgery. “I had already deed. I hope IOM can continue this undergone a cataract operation in one kind of work for many more years. Now, eye ten years ago. But that was when I I feel as if I am doing something worth- was working, accompanying children to while… as if I am contributing in my school in one of the school buses in the own little way,” she says. p Distribution of spectacles (Photo: © IOM, 2007) neighbourhood.” To ensure the sustainability of the Her mother, a single parent, provides for “Even then, it was expensive, especially programme, IOM trained over 600 local both Janaki and her 8-year-old brother the intraocular lenses. But now I have to health personnel including primary eye Gayan Pushpakumara from a meagre depend on my three married daughters care workers, ophthalmologic nurses income earned working as a domestic. and I see how they struggle to cope, and operating theatre personnel in the “I knew that my mother could not afford to rebuild what they lost during the early detection and handling of eye a pair of spectacles for me. She has tsunami. How could I ask them to pay for ailments, maintaining and sterilizing more important priorities like feeding the operation and replace the spectacles surgical equipment and assisting in and clothing us,” says Janaki. I am already wearing?” she asks. cataract surgery.

Then her 72-year-old grandfather who She then heard about IOM’s eye Since January 2006 IOM has also lives with the family, heard from fellow camps from a neighbour who had just donated medical equipment for eye fishermen about an IOM eye camp undergone a cataract surgery. “The IOM care valued at US$125,500 to the eye to be held in the village temple. “I people were very helpful. They helped care units of hospitals in six tsunami- was screened at the camp and then a me right along, from sight screening, affected districts in southern and eastern few weeks later asked to come for my to making an appointment with the Sri Lanka, including Kalutara, Galle, spectacles,” explains Janaki. hospital for the surgery and making sure Matara, Hambantota, Ampara and that the implant was done right. They Batticaloa. M “I can now read the small print in the q Sight screening ni Kalatura (Photo: © IOM, 2007) school text books and that is such a blessing… my school marks are also much better than previously. My family and I are grateful to IOM for all what they have done. More than anything they helped me to continue my studies successfully… I can now work towards my ambition of becoming a teacher,” she beams, preparing to do her homework.

July 2007 Migration 33 IRREGULAR MIGRANTS An Irishman in New York: Irregular Irish Migrants

By Silke Oppermann in the United States ermot is an Irish businessman all of his employees who are irregular for Brian and pay US$ 20 per month. in New York. The 36-year-old migrants from Latin America. “At the very least, I want my son to be Druns a construction company covered,” says Dermot. and employs five workers. Dermot, his Dermot completed high school in wife Eileen, their five-year-old son Brian Ireland and although he did not Brian has one big wish: “I want to play and two cats, live on the first floor of continue any formal education, he with my cousins and my grandparents.” a three-storey multi-family house in taught himself how to lay tiles and do But even though he could travel freely all Yonkers, a city located two miles north electrical work. Four years ago, when over the world, his parents do not want of Manhattan. his former boss announced he was to accompany him. If they leave the US, going back to Ireland, Dermot took over they will be banned from reentry for ten At first sight, they seem like an ordinary the construction business. He applied years. This practice has been in place happy, peaceful family. But there is for and received a tax number and a for decades but wasn’t entirely enforced something that few would think of when business license. And he pays his taxes until increased security concerns talking to an English native speaker in like every American, but as an irregular following 9/11. the US – Dermot and Eileen are irregular migrant he does not have access to all migrants. Their son Brian was born in the benefits of a citizen or a permanent “Brian knows his grandparents only the US and is thus automatically an resident. over the telephone,” says Eileen. “They American citizen. would love to see him, but they are too When Eileen was pregnant she worried old to travel overseas.” Even though they “I didn’t think of myself as an irregular about the day of her son’s birth. “When speak to relatives in Ireland every week migrant until my driver’s license expired we went to the emergency room I was over the telephone and the Internet, the in April of 2006,” says Dermot. After scared that they might ask for some sort ties loosen, but Dermot and Eileen are 9/11, a Social Security Number is re- of document that I could not provide,” scared to go back. “People say it’s hard quired to acquire or renew a driver’s li- Eileen remembers. At the hospital she to fit into a society after being away for cense. In the State of New York, a driver’s showed her bank account to prove that so long,” Eileen worries. license is used as proof of identification she would be able to pay for the medical since that state does not issue identity expenses without insurance, and was They say Ireland has changed cards. A driver’s license is sufficient admitted. In the US, irregular migrants tremendously since they left 11 years identification to open a bank account, receive medical treatment in case of an ago. At that time, Dermot and most of rent an apartment and establish util- emergency; childbirth is considered an his friends were unemployed and living ity services. For irregular migrants, the emergency. off the dole. But in recent years Ireland’s loss of a driver’s license has been the economy has boomed. Now, eastern most important and life-changing event Little Brian received full health care European migrants flock to the “Celtic change after 9/11. for one year. Dermot and his wife Tiger” to try their luck. cannot buy private health insurance Dermot is now forced to drive without because they have no documents, but A recent IOM report, Managing Migra- a license to visit his customers, like they decided to buy health insurance tion in Ireland: A Social and Economic

34 Migration July 2007 p Irregular Irish march on Capitol Hill Analysis, compiled on behalf of Ireland’s National Economic and Social Council, confirms that although Ireland was tra- ditionally a country of emigration, it has become a country of immigration in less than ten years.

The report found that migrants helped increase economic growth, eased labour market shortages, improved output and contributed to reducing earnings inequality. p Senator Kennedy at March 7 rally p Senator Clinton with T-shirt with the message “Legalize the Irish.org” Between April 2004 and April 2005, Ire- land recorded its highest level of immi- T-shirts emblazoned with the message Diana Pardue, Chief of Museum Serv- gration – 70,000 persons, and the lowest “Legalize the Irish.org” many passers- ices at Ellis Island, noticed that in recent level of emigration – 16,600 since cur- by thought it was a joke. “Illegal Irish in years an increasing number of Amer rent records began. This net migration America? That’s funny.” icans are asking for copies of their Irish made Ireland the country most affected ancestors’ passports which the families by migration in relation to size than any The Irish are well-liked in the US be- had donated to the museum. “They need other European Union member state cause many Americans are able to trace them to apply for Irish citizenship,” she since the EU enlargement of May 2004. back their roots to Irish immigrants. explains. St. Patrick’s Day is an important part Notwithstanding the economic boom in of the American cultural heritage, and Anyone who can prove that at least one their home country, Dermot and Eileen every year parades take place in large of their grandparents or great-grandpar- would do almost anything to stay in the cities to celebrate this Irish tradition. ents was Irish is eligible to apply for Irish US. So they joined the Irish Lobby for citizenship. This is attractive for Amer Immigration Reform (ILIR), an advocacy In the second half of the 19th century, icans of Irish descent for many reasons; group that meets every Wednesday in hundreds of thousands of Irish fleeing one of them is that Irish citizens are al- New York City. crop failures and famine migrated to the lowed to live and work in all 27 coun- US. And in late 20th century the Irish tries of the European Union. Mary Brennan organizes the weekly continued to migrate to the US. meetings. “We write letters to senators Mary Brennan knows for sure that she and congressmen, and we’ve held ral- “It was a tradition for many years for would never build a life in the under- lies in San Francisco and Washington, Irish to come to the United States to ground again: “Last year one of my little DC,” she says. work when they were young,” says Neil brothers, who is still in college, came to O’Dowd, founder of ILIR. “We estimate visit me. He wanted to stay but I urged The last rally took place in March 2007 there are about 50,000 illegal Irish in him not to. I’m glad he went back to in a hotel on Capitol Hill, with several the US.” Ireland.” M senators present, among them Hillary Rodham Clinton and Edward Kennedy. In recent years, migration in the opposite Silke Oppermann is a freelance jour- direction has begun: As the economy nalist who reports for Deutsche Welle As the 3,000 Irish assembled in front of improves, Ireland becomes a more attrac- Radio, ARD Radio affiliates, and other the US Capitol wearing green and white tive destination for young Americans. media outlets. July 2007 Migration 35 MIGRANT EDUCATION

Photos: Programa Salud y Trabajo en America Central (SALTRA by its Spanish acronym) of the Universidad Nacional of Costa Rica.

Photos: © Programa Salud y Trabajo en Ameri- ca Central (SALTRA by its Spanish acronym) of the Universidad Nacional of Costa Rica, 2007. Indigenous Migrant Workers Begin Literacy Classes

By Rosilyne Borland, IOM San José migrants who are willing to do this difficult work. They know their hard t’s coffee-picking season in the ...many of“ the them work will allow them to take home some lush green valley of San Marcos de US$ 500 at the end of the season. ITarrazú. Although the rich smell of can’t even sign their roasted coffee beans coming from the IOM joined representatives of the mi local cooperative is the olfactory sign grant population, the National Univer- name, and that after that the coffee harvest has begun, the ar sity and two local coffee cooperatives rival of migrant workers is another sure (CoopeTarrazú and Coopedota), to cele these classes, they sign. brate a small effort to improve the lives of migrant workers through literacy. will be able to do so. Every year the estimated 12,000 men, women, and children of the indigenous IOM is providing support to the Building That will be a huge Ngäbe-Buglé tribe who travel from Bridges project, part of an ongoing Panama to Costa Rica start working the programme managed by the National change in their coffee harvests in southern Costa Rica University aimed at improving the around the month of August. health of temporary migrant workers in lives. The goal is to Los Santos. The Ngäbe-Buglé live on the farms in ce empower people and ment rooms in widely varied conditions Rosilyne Borland of IOM San José said, – some have rows of sinks, showers and “At the inauguration, one of the migrants latrines, others only one faucet and one gave a very moving speech about how begin to give them outhouse for all of the workers. many of them can’t even sign their name, and that after these classes, they some literacy skills. Years ago the coffee was harvested by will be able to do so. That will be a local residents, but recently it is only huge change in their lives. The goal is ” 36 Migration July 2007 u Ngäbe-Buglé migrant workers at the recent inauguration of the Building Bridges project. to empower people and begin to give them some literacy skills.”

The classes, which ended in early March, when the migrants headed back to Panama, included a handbook in Ngäbe-Buglé, created by a professor who has been working with the population for years. The classes also included information on health and human rights.

According to Panama’s 2000 census, 110,080 Ngäbe-Buglé live in Panama,

making up 63.6 per cent of the national indigenous population. Ngäbe-Buglé representatives lauded the literacy effort but said much more must be done.

IOM is lending its support, with funding from the US Department of State Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration.

IOM signed a memorandum of under standing with Costa Rica’s National University to support this project and for future cooperation. One of the results of this new partnership was the joint development of an innovative proposal to build health capacity within the migrant Ngäbe-Buglé population in Costa Rica.

Following several visits to the Health Area of Coto Brus, near the southern border with Panama, IOM, SALTRA and the regional health authorities designed the Finca Sana (Healthy Farm) project, which was recently awarded US$199,842 by the World Bank’s De- velopment Marketplace.

Finca Sana is based on building the capacity of curanderos and parte- ras (healers and midwives) within the highly mobile population. Through targeted training and the establishment of a telehealth communication system linking the new health promoters with the local clinic, the programme will improve the health of members of the Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous tribe whose health is among the worst in the hemi- sphere. Local farm owners have already expressed interest in this project, which will get underway later this year. M

July 2007 Migration 37 HUMAN TRAFFICKING

By Rebecca Wynn, IOM Pretoria

or Letty – a young woman in her Assistance Programme (SACTAP). But alien environment, they are most often twenties from Gauteng – the offer her story is a poignant reminder that, as forced into prostitution or bonded la- Fwas irresistible. Forced to drop the world marks the 200th anniversary of bour to earn profits for their traffickers. out of college because of financial con the abolition of transatlantic slave trade, straints at home and struggling to find a modern form of slavery – human traf- Violence, threats of violence, and con- paid work in South Africa, her friend ficking – is happening in our midst. fiscation of identity documents and pass- Angela’s call seemed a lifeline. ports are used to prevent escape. The Human trafficking is one of the most fact that trafficked persons find - them Effusive and convincing, Angela told tragic aspects of contemporary migra selves in an unfamiliar environment Letty that in Ireland she could com tion, with 1 million people estimated to compounds their plight. Away from their plete her studies in less than a year have been trafficked across borders an- families and social networks, it is diffi- and – better still – would not necessar- nually. The trade is now considered the cult to know who to turn to for help. ily have to pay. There was a tradition in third largest source of profits for transna- Ireland, her friend claimed, of wealthy tional criminal organizations, with only Having carried out research in the region families offering to pay for the educa- drug trafficking and weapons smuggling since 2002, IOM believes that traffick tion of people from disadvantaged back- more lucrative. ing in persons is flourishing in Southern grounds, and plenty of opportunities to Africa, with South Africa and its expand- work part-time to earn extra cash. She’d Lured by false promises of well-paying ing sex industry the main destination for see whether she could find Letty such jobs and other opportunities, many vic trafficked women in the region. a family. tims willingly accept the services offered by human traffickers without realizing IOM estimates that at least 1,000 wom- Angela contacted Letty again some the full nature of their future employ- en are trafficked from Mozambique weeks later. She was told to meet ment or the conditions in which they each year into South Africa, with pov Danny, a Nigerian national who lived will work. Once firmly trapped in an erty a huge factor in their susceptibil- in Pretoria, and whom Angela claimed was her boyfriend. He would make all the travel arrangements. A family had been found.

But what awaited Letty in Dublin was neither education nor employment, but something much more sinister. She had fallen victim to a human trafficking syn dicate. Her so-called benefactors had no intention of assisting her in obtaining an education, but had brought her over from South Africa to provide cheap domestic labour. She found herself locked up in a family home by day and forced to work as a caregiver for the family’s children. Her passport was taken.

Letty managed to escape and is now back in South Africa and recovering from her ordeal with support from the In SACTAP streamer at Park Station, Johannesburg (Photo: © IOM, 2007) ternational Organization for Migration’s Southern African Counter-Trafficking

38 Migration July 2007 p SACTAP poster ity. After being promised jobs as wait- trafficking can also personally affect the sider human trafficking a problem in resses, they commonly find themselves lives of individual South Africans. South Africa, and that only 9 per cent of working in Johannesburg’s sex industry people feel that trafficking is a problem or sold in mining areas as “wives” and Letty returned to South Africa with two in their own community or suburb. forced to act as domestic servants and other young women who were also sex slaves. forced to undertake domestic work in When asked why they thought traf Ireland and claims to have met several ficking was a problem in South IOM is also aware of women trafficked other South African women in a simi Africa, respondents’ answers ranged to South Africa from Southeast Asia, lar predicament at a church in Ireland from worries about illegal migration Eastern Europe and other African coun attended by her employers. IOM has also to concern about trafficking victims’ tries. And as Letty’s experience reveals, assisted two South Africans trafficked to human rights. No one identified traf- the Middle East. ficking as a threat to them or their family. South Africa is waking up to the threat “ of human trafficking. In 2004, South IOM is responding to this by mounting But, to truly combat Africa signed the UN protocol to Pre public information campaigns to raise vent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking awareness of human trafficking. It is human trafficking, in Persons. This committed South Africa also embarking on a project to train civil to criminalize trafficking and develop society activists in South Africa to raise legislation against it. awareness of trafficking in their commu individuals and nities from the ground up. Trafficking thrives in part because communities need it offers traffickers high profits with Human trafficking is happening. We relatively low risks. South Africa’s anti- need to wake up, as individuals and to be actively aware trafficking legislation will help change as communities, to the reality of the this opportunity structure as it will add threat. Only then can we suppress – and to the arsenal that law enforcement can ultimately eradicate – this modern slave of the phenomenon use to prosecute traffickers. trade altogether. M

and what they can But, to truly combat human trafficking, Readers can call IOM’s Human Traffick individuals and communities need to be ing Help Line – 0800 555 999 – for in- do to tackle it. actively aware of the phenomenon and formation and assistance on combating what they can do to tackle it. trafficking.

But recent IOM research reveals that •Names have been changed to protect ” only 31 per cent of South Africans con identities. July 2007 Migration 39 HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Building Capacity and Raising Awareness

By Chissey Mueller, IOM Washington

articipants from governments and Trafficking Coalition in Barbados and drama performances, and distribution civil society expressed a need to a member of the Business and Profes- of IOM’s materials advertising the local Pknow more about how to prevent sional Women’s Club, a local NGO hotline number were held to reach a and combat human trafficking at IOM’s providing services to women and inter- wide cross section of the community. seminar on “Mixed Migratory Flows in vening in crises. “In all the locations, persons were com- the Caribbean” in 2003. ing and going, although some people IOM’s Exploratory Assessment on Traf- stayed for the duration. Considerable Channeling this momentum, IOM’s re- ficking in Persons in the Caribbean Re- interest was shown in the topic, a situ- gional office in Washington designed gion identified some level of human ation new to many,” remarked Patricia the Caribbean Counter-Trafficking Initia trafficking in the areas of forced labour, Seale. tive (CCTI) to provide the technical tools sexual exploitation, and domestic servi- to better understand and respond at the tude. The victims – men, women, boys, At the IOM Caribbean Regional Meet- local, national, and regional levels. and girls – were found to be trafficked ing on Counter-Trafficking Strategies in through legal methods, such as work per- 2006, participants had a lively discus- With support from the US State Depart- mits and visas, and illegal methods, such sion about tactics to expand the cam- ment’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, as smuggling or fraudulent documents. paign in 2007. Seizing opportunities to and Migration (PRM) and the Dutch increase understanding and awareness Ministry of Justice, activities have ranged IOM’s research findings also detected a of human trafficking can have tremen- from trainings and research to small lack of awareness about the crime lo- dous impact; the Cricket World Cup grants and awareness-raising initiatives. cally, prompting the need to conduct held in the Caribbean during March and a regional information campaign that April 2007 seemed opportune. Since 2004, IOM has worked through the reaches the general public. Informal CCTI to partner with governments and sources such as taxi drivers, clients, Kelly Ryan, US Deputy Assistant Secre- civil society throughout the region and, shopkeepers, and neighbours can iden tary of State PRM said, “The Caribbean most closely, with the Bahamas, Barba- tify potential victims in the community. Regional Information Campaign is an dos, Guyana, Jamaica, the Netherlands effective, preventative tool to combat Antilles, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Ongoing since fall 2005 in nine coun- trafficking. For the Cricket World Cup, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. tries, local coalitions used IOM’s small it would be beneficial to raise awareness grants to customize campaign posters regionally in a collaborative manner.” To build national capacity, IOM con- and brochures and organize events. ducts a one-day seminar to first intro- To reach a wider audience, IOM devel- duce the issue and then conducts IOM’s In Barbados, for example, a series of oped new campaign materials – public Counter-Trafficking Training Modules, open air, public rallies that had multi- service announcements (PSAs) for tele developed with PRM support. So far media presentations, poetry readings, vision and radio, and a new version of more than 500 persons representing government, NGOs, and law enforce- q Special closed-door session for Caribbean embassies in Washington, DC (Photo: © IOM, 2007) ment have been trained, ranging from the modules’ topic on information campaigns to direct assistance. In turn, these partners have lead sensitization sessions for their colleagues locally.

“In addition to the difference between human trafficking and smuggling, ser vices available to victims and how certain pieces of legislation, such as the Sexual Offences Act and Immigra- tion Act, are available to authorities for prosecuting traffickers were explained at the sensitization workshops,” said Patricia Seale, Chair of the Counter-

40 Migration July 2007 its Caribbean regional poster for airlines’ tinue towards our final goal of eliminat- the last four years. National coalitions in-flight magazines. ing this scourge from our society.” have been formed in seven countries; victim assistance networks are being The PSA series addresses the region’s Javed Shadick is the Technical Officer established; and an anti-trafficking le three primary forms of trafficking present. for the Counter-Trafficking Unit within gislation is being enacted nationally. Some partners began broadcasting the Guyana’s Ministry of Human Services Working with our partners, we have PSAs on TV and radio in March. The and Social Security and one of IOM’s built a strong foundation that we will Caribbean Airlines’ Caribbean Beat partners who have been combating continue to expand.” and Air Jamaica’s SkyWritings in-flight human trafficking in the Caribbean for magazines are featuring the newest the past four years. As the project approaches its fifth version of IOM’s poster, targeting year, IOM and its partners are eager regional and international travelers Shadick says the campaign in Guyana is to achieve the next steps, including during the height of summer. In already yielding results, “Although there directly assisting identified victims of preparation for an expected increase in is no real way of measuring the impact of trafficking, establishing national referral calls to hotlines advertised on the PSAs the campaign’s messages, I can say that mechanisms, prosecuting the traffickers, and poster, IOM created a guide for in 2006 between January and April we and developing Regional Model Anti- hotline management in the trafficking received 25 calls, and in the same period Trafficking Legislation. context for its Caribbean partners. in 2007, we received at least 50 calls.” Shadick says Guyana’s national anti- IOM’s partners were an essential part of To fortify the link between partners in- trafficking legislation may soon be used the campaign’s creative process, from country and their embassies abroad, to prosecute a case that came in through conceptualization to the final product. IOM convened a special closed-door the hotline,“ A female caller told our Partners in the Bahamas, Barbados, session for Caribbean embassies in operators that her employers were not Guyana, Jamaica, the Netherlands Washington, DC in April. Embassy paying her what they had promised. They Antilles, and St. Lucia also devised their officials can serve multiple roles, as said she would work as a baby-sitter, but own strategy to broadcast the PSAs and to they transfer from post to post, such was forced to work in a bar. Then they ensure that their local hotline operations as identifying and assisting potential told her money was missing, so she felt were equipped to handle calls. Much of victims who may be their citizens, as that she was in a debt bondage situation. the logistical work partners undertake is well as spreading the word about the And she knew this because she had done “in-kind,” and outside of the scope issue. Representatives from 12 countries seen the TV PSAs. We determined she of their regular duties. received a programme update, viewed was a victim, got her out of the situation the PSAs, and discussed collaborative and now she is in a shelter. When she “The awareness-raising programmes that options for the future. spoke to the authorities she said three our Counter-Trafficking Unit has carried other girls were in the same situation. out, coupled with the IOM TV and radio Richard E. Scott, IOM Regional Repre So the authorities are planning a rescue spots, have made people much more sentative said, “Counter-trafficking -ef operation and will determine if legal aware. They’re encouraging us to con- forts in the region have progressed in action is warranted.” M

July 2007 Migration 41 to a CULTURAL ORIENTATION TRAINING

From the Burma Border to a NEW DAY in FINLAND By Saed Guled and Raqib Wahabzada, 378 Myanmar quota refugees, including it is. In Helsinki, the Finnish capital, IOM Helsinki minors. the temperature can drop to minus 40 degrees celcius in winter, causing the he sun was setting behind the Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp opened in sea to freeze. In Thailand and Myanmar, mountains when IOM Helsinki’s 1996 and accommodates almost 17,538 the temperature rarely drops below Tcultural orientation trainers Saed refugees. Guled and Wahabzada are 20 degrees. Guled and Raqib Wahabzada, arrived met at the front gate of the camp by the in the Thai town of Mae Hong Son, first group of refugees. Training begins Cultural orientation training helps some two kilometres from the Myanmar the next morning, amid the noise of prepare refugees for life in Finland, in border. motorcycles and generators and laughing particular by dispelling some of their barefoot children playing outside. unrealistic or inaccurate expectations The pair had traveled from Helsinki to about the country. provide cultural orientation training “Are there any Burmese or Thai shops for refugees from Myanmar selected in Finland?” Starting a new life in a Kyaw Kyaw Oo and his wife Ms Day for resettlement in Finland. Since country where the culture, traditions Meh have spent 18 years in Mae Hong 2005, IOM has provided around 200 and practices are different from your Son refugee camp. He was involved in refugees in Thailand with practical own is always difficult. It is even more human rights work in Myanmar, pro- information and skills to help facilitate challenging for refugees who have been viding support to an ethnic minority their smooth integration into Finnish living in camp for so long, that they group. society. can hardly imagine life outside of the perimeter, let alone life in a new country When the village he was working in The training is part of IOM’s Compre– that many have never heard of. burned down, he was forced to flee to hensive Cultural Orientation (CO) Ban Pang Tractor camp. There he met Programme for Finland-Bound Refugees, Many of the refugees in the Ban Mai his wife and her family for the first funded by the Finnish Ministry of Nai Soi refugee camp have never seen time and helped them. A year later the Labour. This year, Finland will receive snow and some do not even know what couple married and they now have five children. q Cultural orientation is just one aspect of the complex process of interviews, medical screening and travel arrangements leading to resettlement abroad (Photo: © Chris Lom/IOM) Kyaw Kyaw Oo feels that after all the hardships he has faced, he is very lucky to have a wife and family. He continued his human rights activities and set up a system in the camp to ensure that all minorities have equal rights and representation in camp committees.

He heard about Finland’s education system from the media and decided to apply for Finland’s 2006 resettlement programme. His decision was based on his children’s future. He knew that there would be little chance for them to get a good education in the camp. But the deciding factor was the issue of citizenship. If his children stayed in the camp, they would always be stateless.

When Kyaw Kyaw Oo received the news that he and his family had been selected

42 Migration July 2007 for resettlement in Finland in February 2007, he was very happy and excited but, at the same time, anxious about the climate, the time it would take to become a Finnish citizen, and his children’s educational opportunities.

He was reassured by the cultural orientation training session shown by the Finnish CO trainers. They showed a video following the daily routine of a former refugee from Myanmar who was resettled in Finland in 2006.

The man can be seen walking along a snowy street wearing a heavy winter coat, hat, gloves and scarf. He explains about winter in Finland in his own language. The trainers also highlight other important information about life in Fin- land, the law, the right to vote, access to education and the principle of equality.

After taking part in the training, Kyaw Kyaw Oo had a clearer picture of life in Finland and was more confident that opting for a new life in Scandinavia was the right decision.

When he received his cultural orientation training certificate, he told the IOM trainers about his hopes for himself and his family.

He wants to obtain computer skills. His wife, who has been teaching Karenni language for more than 20 years, wants to continue her profession and work as a teacher in Finland where she hopes to encourage Bur- mese children to retain their identi- t Apples are one of the novelty fruits ty through their language and cul- introduced in a cultural orientation class ture. He is also convinced that his (Photo: © Chris Lom/IOM) children will eventually become Finnish citizens. M q For many of the refugees, who lead a hand- to-mouth existence in the border camps, q Children born in the camps usually adapt easily to life in resettlement countries (Photo: © strange foods in resettlement countries are Chris Lom/IOM) a fascinating topic (Photo: Chris Lom/IOM)

July 2007 Migration 43 New titles

China has achieved remarkable progress The trafficking of women for the purpose of in poverty alleviation since the start of sexual exploitation received considerable the reforms. Calculated according to attention prior to the 2006 World Cup in the official poverty line, rural poverty Germany. It was widely suggested that this has dropped dramatically from 30.7 per sporting event would contribute to a sharp cent in 1978 to 2.6 per cent in 2005. increase in the number of women trafficked Empirical evidence shows that while to Germany for sexual exploitation. the vast rural to urban migration does This report investigates whether there is not significantly increase urban income any evidence to suggest an increase in the poverty, labour market discrimination number of women trafficked to Germany for and social exclusion expose rural the purpose of sexual exploitation during migrants to many risks and vulnerabilities the 2006 World Cup. It further examines in the cities, where the poor are the measures taken by the authorities and becoming increasingly marginalized. non-governmental organizations to counter trafficking in Germany during the event. Softcover/English MRS N° 27 – ISSN 1607-338X MRS N° 29 – Trafficking Softcover/English Migration, and Poverty 2007 – 44 pages in Human Beings and ISSN 1607-338X Alleviation in China US$ 16.00 the 2006 World Cup in 2007 – 54 pages Germany US$ 16.00

Recognizing the important impact When natural disasters strike populated that these remittance flows can have areas, the toll in human lives, infrastructure on poverty alleviation and economic and economic activities can be devastating development in Serbia at the household, and long-lasting. But, adversity also brings regional and national level, the Swiss forth the strongest and best in human Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the beings, and reveals initiatives, capacities Government of Switzerland (SECO) and courage not perceived before. How commissioned an investigation of this is development undermined by natural migration and remittances corridor. disasters, what is the effect on migrants This work was carried out by IOM and and migratory flows and what is the role two other institutional partners – the of migration in mitigating some of the European Bank for Reconstruction and worst effects of natural calamities? This Development (EBRD) and the Swiss Forum paper explores how the advent of a natural for Migration (SFM). IOM’s contribution disaster interplays with the migration- focused on measuring the flows, transfer development nexus by reviewing the patterns, use and impact of remittances impact of the Indian Ocean Tsunami on MRS N° 28 – A Study from Switzerland on migrant-sending MRS N° 30 – Migration, migration issues in three affected countries; of Migrant-Sending households in Serbia. Development and Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Households in Serbia Natural Disasters: Softcover/English Softcover/English Receiving Remittances ISSN 1607-338X Insights from the Indian ISSN 1607-338X from Switzerland 2007 – 92 pages Ocean Tsunami 2007 – 94 pages US$ 16.00 US$ 16.00

This book encapsulates the law of With a growing number of organizations, international migration by examining especially local NGOs, now providing or developments first addressed in the intending to provide assistance to victims volume on Migration and International of trafficking, IOM would like to share its Legal Norms and by discussing wholly experience and lessons learned. This Handbook new themes. In this regard, the book summarizes and systematizes this experience. considers emerging issues, such as the IOM recognizes that each victim is unique challenges posed by migration to State and requires and desires different assistance. sovereignity and the protection of human As well, the nature of trafficking is different rights as a result of the increasing tensions around the world and is ever evolving, between anti-terrorism or security requiring changing responses. Therefore this legislation and immigration measures, Handbook is not meant to provide a single the impact of the use of biometrics methodology for the provision of assistance to technology, and enhanced cooperation on victims of trafficking, but to offer suggestions the European Union external border. and guidance, based on IOM’s many years of experience. International Softcover/English The IOM Handbook – Migration Law ISBN 978 90 6704 232 1 Direct Assistance for Softcover/English 2007 – 530 pages Victims of Trafficking ISBN 978 92 9068 371 1 US$ 120.00 2007 – 356 pages

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