Africa: Rethinking Humanitarianism | Diaspora Aid - the Lifeline We Don't Talk About Enough

"For a long time, people in the diaspora have been neglected, but they play a critical role."

Every year, people in the diaspora send hundreds of billions of dollars home. It is one of the single most important streams of assistance, far outweighing all official foreign aid.

So why does it get less attention when it outpaces aid flows? And can it - or should it - better complement international humanitarian response?

"When we provide aid, it's not about ticking boxes, or meeting a certain type of criteria. What we do is we centre the voices of people in Gaza," says Hala Sabbah of The Sameer Project, a donations-based initiative led by Palestinians in the diaspora.

Sabbah and Daniel Manyang Mayen, a researcher with the Sudd Institute, join Tammam Aloudat to discuss the wide-reaching role of diaspora aid in Gaza, South Sudan, and beyond, its strengths and potential in crisis response, and its limitations.

Mayen, who was first displaced from South Sudan as a child in 1992, testifies to the lifesaving nature of remittances, while acknowledging its uneven distribution along ethnic lines: "They do what is in their interest, and their interest is to protect and provide for their loved one... For a long time, people in the diaspora have been neglected, but they play a critical role."

As cash-strapped international organisations increasingly turn their attention to new partners, Mayen calls on the UN and major donors to better support and leverage diaspora aid. Meanwhile, Sabbah sees diaspora-led initiatives as a form of resistance that inherently clashes with the sector's apolitical stance.

"International organisations aim to survive as international organisations. They provide aid as a way of numbing and as a way of maintaining power," argues Sabbah. "What we do is resistance through aid."

Guests:

Hala Sabbah, co-founder of The Sameer Project

Daniel Manyang Mayen, researcher at the Sudd Institute

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Read this report on The New Humanitarian. The New Humanitarian puts quality, independent journalism at the service of the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises around the world.