What we do

The Diaspora Volunteering Alliance (‘DVA’) aims to support and promote the mobilisation of Diaspora communities to actively contribute to international development through volunteering, fighting poverty and disadvantage.

Diaspora Volunteering

Diaspora Volunteering Programme (DVP) as we recognise there are many Diaspora communities in the UK that offer financial and professional support to their countries ‘back home’. These communities have a particular interest in using their skills and commitment in their countries or continents of heritage and have their own contacts, programmes and ideas.

DFID and VSO believe in supporting Diaspora communities in the UK to volunteer their skills in their countries or continents of heritage. Through DVP, we hope that volunteers will bring back knowledge and experience to promote development awareness in communities in the UK and overseas.

Our volunteers work alongside local colleagues to share their skills and expertise. However, many local colleagues subsequently migrate from the developing to the developed world creating a ‘brain drain’ in their community. However by encouraging Diaspora to return as volunteers, we are addressing some of the negative effects of this 'brain drain' and contributing to 'brain circulation' that is Diaspora volunteers transferring knowledge and skills back to their country or continent of heritage.

Programmes

Short term placements ranging from 3 – 8 weeks and sometimes return placements.

Return volunteers impact continues in the UK as they carry on development awareness or sharing their newly gained knowledge and skills with friends, family, colleagues in the wider community.