October Update

This month we share updates regarding our participants, CD4D videos and the conference.

Number of assignments

For the month of October, seven CD4D participants started their assignments. One went to Ethiopia, one to Afghanistan and five to Somalia. We also welcomed back six of our participants, of whom one is from Ethiopia, two from Sierra Leone and three from Somalia.

Meet the Community: Said Hassan

Ms. Hassan is both Dutch and Somali. She is an experienced human resources manager and worked with various government offices, and currently lives in Hargeisa (Somaliland). She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Management at Leiden University, which was followed by a Bachelor of Business in European Studies. Later she received a Master of Science diploma for International Relations at Amsterdam University. In Hargeisa, she has been involved with the Ministry of Interior to improve human resources processes.

‘Diaspora in Action’ Conference 

IOM The Netherlands organized the ‘Diaspora in Action’ conference on 30 October 2018 to highlight the contributions of diaspora to their countries of origin. Our three keynote speeches were held by Marit Maij, Josette Dijkhuizen and Melissa Siegel. Panel topics revolved around diaspora contributions to the SDG’s and the Dutch policy paper on foreign trade and development cooperation. To showcase the experiences of CD4D participants, one representative from each target country was invited to discuss and show a video. These videos are also available on YouTube (see below). In the afternoon four workshops were held on different innovative ways for future diaspora engagement. The conference report is available here.

CD4D Country Showcase Videos on YouTube

Throughout the year of 2018, partners and friends helped to visualize CD4D assignments in the form of videos. The Dutch Embassy in Afghanistan produced our “CD4D in Afghanistan Documentary” video, a participant’s friend produced “CD4D in Somalia”, Omroep Tilburg produced “CD4D in Sierra Leone” and IOM The Netherlands produced “CD4D in Ethiopia”.

Success Story: Dawit Tadesse & Mesfin Gebremikael

Dawit and Mesfin completed three CD4D assignments together in their native country Ethiopia. Both have been academically trained in the field of soil management in the Netherlands and Belgium. Their long-term friendship and common expertise enabled the two to complement each other’s goals in Ethiopia. Recently, they were also the CD4D Ethiopia representatives during the Diaspora in Action conference in which they discussed their experiences. Click here to view their story.