Vietnamese diaspora give back to home country to “reconnect” and “re-establish ties”
In the over 30 years since the last Vietnamese migration wave of 1975, Vietnamese from all over the world have seen a steady progression in their overseas settlement, their careers, and their family lives, enabling them to look back home and find ways of helping their old communities. According to the APPC report authored by Truong thi Kim Chuyen, Ivan Small, and Diep Vuong, the 3 million-strong Vietnamese diaspora population sends back an estimated US$6.8 billion in remittances annually, most of them coming from the United States, France, Australia, and Canada.
Filipino organizations highlight potentials of strategic philanthropy
Much has been written about philanthropy, including diaspora philanthropy, in the Philippines, considering that migration has been a part of Filipino life since the 1900s. Today, around 10% of the country’s 90 million citizens are based abroad either temporarily or permanently, contributing around US$14 billion—or approximately 15% of the Philippines’s gross economic product. This, indeed, shows the tremendous potentials for diaspora philanthropy in the country.
Indonesia report shows trend for diaspora giving among Muslims
In their report for APPC’s May conference on diaspora giving, Dede Rusdiana and Zaim Saidi cite well-entrenched religious beliefs as key drivers for philanthropy in Indonesia. The Muslim practices of zakat, infaq, sadaqa, and wakaf are either voluntary or obligatory giving practices that offer monetary and non-monetary contributions for the benefit of the less privileged or of the larger Islamic community.
China’s rise shows new, non-financial opportunities for diaspora philanthropy
Author Nick Young’s report on diaspora philanthropy in China points out that the country’s rise as a global superpower has contributed greatly to the dwindling inflow of official development aid to the country. “Voters in donor countries are more inclined to reason that any fraction of their tax contributions spent on overseas aid should go to poorer countries than China,” he writes—and for good reason. As the Western world experiences a financial meltdown, China seems to be the only economy that remains unaffected and that is still poised to post respectable growth figures.
Study on Pakistan shows hope for strategic philanthropy
Zubair Bhatti’s conference paper for the APPC Hanoi Conference shows many optimistic signs for the future of strategic philanthropy in Pakistan. Of the estimated six million Pakistanis living outside Pakistan, around 3.9 million sent home a total of US$5.5 billion from 2006 to 2007—through formal banking channels. The Ministry of Labor and Overseas Pakistanis even placed the estimated remittances at some US$8 billion—contributed by around 7 million persons “of Pakistani origin.”
Research on Indian diaspora reveals potentials and challenges for not-for-profits and other organised causes in Asia
Of all the countries in Asia and the Pacific, India and the Philippines stand out for having the most available data on non-profit organisations, philanthropy, and the interplay of these with diaspora groups. In her paper for the APPC Conference in Hanoi, Shyamala Shiveshwarkar likened the Indian diaspora to “a great Banyan tree” that has changed dramatically since the beginnings of Indian migration during the 19th century—a tree whose “secondary trunks have established roots in over 133 countries...
Bangladesh study on diaspora philanthropy shows need for closer collaboration between governments and not-for-profits
In his paper for APPC’s Hanoi Conference, Safi Rahman Khan identified several factors that were crucial to the development of diaspora philanthropy in Bangladesh. One was the shifting profile of Bangladeshi migrants—who were once comprised of professionals and skilled workers but who are now largely made up of temporary migrant workers. Another was the very low involvement of diaspora communities in social development in Bangladesh. Khan also cites major hindrances related to the lack of an enabling environment for philanthropy and the country’s unstable political condition.
OVERVIEW: Sidel cites achievements over a decade of research in Asian philanthropy; offers recommendations for moving forward
Mark Sidel, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Iowa and an eminent author and researcher on philanthropy and the not-for-profit sector, cited achievements in philanthropic research in Asia in Diaspora Giving: An Agent of Change in Asia Pacific Communities?, the conference report of APPC’s May 2008 Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam. Looking at the patterns and trends over the past ten years, he also offered recommendations for addressing research gaps in the region.