Consultancy – Mapping Exercise Rwandan Diaspora in USA

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Consultancy Terms of Reference for Rwandan Diaspora Mapping Exercise in United States Of America (USA)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MINAFFET) and the Rwandan Embassy in the USA, is seeking to hire a consultant to design and carry out a mapping exercise of the Rwandan diaspora in the USA.

1. Background

For decades, Rwandans have been migrating to different parts of the world for political, social or economic reasons. These migration patterns date back to pre- colonial times, with increases during the colonial period and since the 1960s, including the large outflow as a result of the genocide against the Tutsi. As a result, Rwanda has significant diaspora communities in various countries across the world, with major concentrations in neighbouring countries, Western and Central Europe, as well as North America.

These Rwandan diaspora communities play an increasingly important role in the development of Rwanda through remittances, investing in various sectors of the economy, business and trade, as well as knowledge and skills transfers. On skills transfer, successful examples include the Transfer of Knowledge through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN-Rwanda) Programme and the Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) Programme, which helped build capacity in targeted institutions through short term diaspora assignments.

Based on the findings of the diaspora mapping exercises in four European countries (United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany), concluded in 2019, two diaspora engagement projects are being implemented in the Rwandan TVET and Health Sector.

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Realising the potential of the Rwandan diaspora in the development of the country, the Government of Rwanda published a diaspora policy in 2009 which sets out how the Government wishes to see the diaspora being integrated into national development frameworks, particularly in the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) and Vision 2050.

However, to date, a number of factors have hindered the maximum utilization of the Rwandan diaspora in the country’s development, including poor knowledge about the skills of diaspora communities by the Government (their socio- economic profile, patterns of engagement and others) and a lack of information among the diaspora about development opportunities in Rwanda.

To respond to this need, IOM is supporting the Government of Rwanda by coordinating diaspora mapping exercises in the United States. The findings of these exercise will guide the design of potential diaspora engagement programmes to enable the diaspora to participate and engage in the development process of the country.

2. Objectives

The main objective of the consultancy will be to carry out a mapping study of the Rwandan diaspora in the USA to gain insight into their socio-economic profile, professional skills and expertise, and to assess their capacity, interests and motivation to participate and engage in developmental activities in Rwanda, such as skills transfer and/or business and investment.

The specific objectives of the study will be to:

2.1. Provide an overview of the number and composition of the diaspora (education, training profession, gender, age, skills, numbers and geographical location) as well as existing diaspora networks, organisations or associations, with specific information on skilled diaspora members.

2.2. Outline the levels of awareness among the diaspora in the USA about available diaspora engagement opportunities in Rwanda.

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2.3. Present a clear picture of the gaps in the diaspora’s awareness and knowledge about Rwanda’s current economic and social development.

2.4. Provide an overview of the diaspora’s expectations from the Government of Rwanda that would allow them to engage in the country’s development.

2.5. Detail the level of interest among diaspora members in skills and knowledge transfer opportunities and their willingness to potentially participate in them.

2.6. Identify which other areas the diaspora wants to contribute to that can support the social-economic development of Rwanda and how they would want this to be facilitated.

2.7. Provide diaspora members with information about diaspora engagement opportunities.

3. Key deliverables

It is envisioned that this exercise will commence in March 2021 and be completed by June 2021 (assuming around 80 working days in this time).

Deliverable

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Submit an inception report outlining the proposed methodology and work plan (no longer than 6 pages).

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• Updating the research tools to gather information on all of the objectives noted above, including interview and/or survey questions and focus group discussion questions, as well as an appropriate sampling framework. These tools will be reviewed by the Steering Committee and relevant feedback incorporated.

• Conducting a desk-based review of existing information and sources, including secondary data and statistics, on the demographic and socio- economic composition of the Rwandan diaspora in the USA.

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• Facilitating virtual sensitization sessions for the diaspora to encourage diaspora members to participate in the study/research, in coordination with the Government of Rwanda.

• Conducting virtual interviews and/or surveys with Rwandan diaspora members and Rwandan Embassy officials in the USA.

• Conducting virtual focus group discussions with Rwandan professionals and diaspora associations.

4

• Analyzing key findings and drafting a clear and concise report outlining findings.

• Comparing the findings with the findings from the previous conducted diaspora mapping exercises in four European countries and provide a comparison report.

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• Organizing and hosting a validation workshop to present the draft report (findings of USA and comparison report with Europe) to Steering Committee and gather their feedback.

• Incorporating feedback from the relevant stakeholders and preparing a final report (no longer than 30 pages in total).

• Presenting the final report to the relevant stakeholders. The final report also includes the comparison report with the diaspora mapping exercises conducted in Europe.

4. Consultant Profile

This consultancy will be undertaken by an individual consultant with the following qualifications and expertise:

Education and experience:

• Master’s degree from an accredited academic institution in migration studies, political or social sciences, or other relevant subject;

• Minimum of five years of experience in conducting migration research or social research, including previous experience in diaspora studies;

• Knowledge and understanding of the relationship between migration and development;

• Knowledge of the Rwandan diaspora in the USA;

• Advanced experience in drafting research tools and sampling frameworks, as well as data management and analysis;

• Proven track record of drafting research reports, particularly in the USA context, for governments or international organizations.

Technical competencies:

• Delivers on set objectives within required timeframe;

• Works effectively with stakeholders;

• Necessary professional skills to strive towards the common goal and find solutions to work with different stakeholders and different data sets;

• General understanding of migration issues.

Languages:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required.

• Basic skills in Kinyarwanda are an advantage.