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Diaspora organizations and their humanitarian response in Tunisia Real-Time Review

Países
Túnez
+ 4
Fuentes
DEMAC
Fecha de publicación

This Real-Time Report is part of the Diaspora Emergency Action & Coordination Initiative (DEMAC) "Research study on diaspora humanitarian response and engagement".

The review focuses on the COVID-19 situation in Tunisia from July 2021 to September 2021 and assesses the humanitarian response of 24 Tunisian diaspora organizations to the fourth and most severe wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report aims at finding out how COVID-19 has affected the engagement of diaspora organizations and how they (re-)organized themselves to support the most vulnerable during this pandemic.

Together with a team of consultants, DEMAC conducted an initial desk review to map the structures and activities of 24 diaspora organizations involved in the COVID-19 response. This was followed by semi-structured interviews with representatives of diaspora organizations, the Tunisian Red Crescent Society, national authorities, and a hospital, totaling 15 people in all. Of the 24 diaspora organizations mapped for this review that carried out a COVID-19 response, the majority were based in Europe.

Who are the Tunisian diaspora?

An estimated 6.9% (813,213) of the Tunisian population live abroad, with 77% living in Europe. The main countries of residence are France, the USA, Italy and Israel. Since its independence in 1956, Tunisians have emigrated for work or educational reasons, with a strong surge in the 1960s and 1970s as the economic situation improved in France, the main destination for diaspora.

Tunisian diaspora engagement during COVID-19

In response to the fourth wave, the diaspora organizations were mainly focused on the urgent medical requirements of hospitals and other health services in Tunisia, setting up fundraising campaigns, often in coalitions, to fund the purchase of medical equipment and supplies for the COVID-19 response. Several organizations were also active in supporting vulnerable groups in Tunisia, via distributing food and hygiene kits for example, while others focused on informing and educating Tunisians about COVID-19. Diaspora organizations also sought to contribute to the COVID-19 recovery of Tunisia.

Coordination challenges

The Ministry of Health asked in November 2020 some 3,000 Tunisian doctors living abroad to consider returning to the country temporarily to help with the response and initiated coordination. In July 2021, The Tunisian Embassy in Paris launched a direct appeal to diaspora asking them to contribute financial donations or in-kind medical equipment and materials.

However, the diaspora mobilized their own staff, volunteers and/or partnered with local civil society organizations for their COVID-19 responses. No diaspora organization reported collaborating with any UN agency or any other institutional humanitarian organization working in Tunisia, as they saw the Tunisian Ministry of Health, hospitals, and local civil society organizations as the most well-situated partners for their COVID-19 response.

Find out more on demac.org or directly here https://www.demac.org/stories/tunisian-diaspora-humanitarianism-in-times-of-covid-19

Who is DEMAC -- Diaspora Emergency Action & Coordination?

DEMAC is a global initiative aiming at enhancing mutual knowledge and coordination, communication and coherence between diaspora humanitarian actors and the institutional humanitarian system. DEMAC initiative is hosted by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and funded by USAID (BHA).