Hundreds of migrants come home for Diaspora Days to contribute to the prosperity of their home communities

As the mayors mentioned, the organization of events dedicated to Diaspora Days is a perfect occasion to attract migrants and to get them interested in developing local infrastructure, creating services for children and the elderly, launching businesses. The local authorities are organizing these activities jointly with the Natives’ Associations that were created recently as part of the MiDL Project, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Recently, they have organized a number of meetings with the natives in Carpineni. “We were so glad to discuss with over 80 migrants who returned home for short holidays. We have very productive meetings and discussions on local development as, on one hand, our peers who have migrated have innovative viewpoints, and on the other hand, the mayoralty knows the real problems of the community. Hence, we build a synergy of efforts that is so necessary at the local level”, says Ion Carpineanu, the mayor of the locality.

Open Door Days in public institutions, exchange of experience between migrants and local people, gastronomic fests with participation of migrants and local people, open-air photo exhibitions, the hora of the village, excursions, exhibitions of fruits and vegetables cultivated in the locality – these are only some of the activities planned by local authorities for enhancing the link with the natives and to get them familiarized with local problems.

“All these activities are meant to enhance the partnership relations between the citizens who have left and the local public authorities. Hence, the migrants and the natives who have left the locality are informed about the community problems, are consulted on local priorities, and some may contribute financially or with expertise in solving these problems. Only in this way migration can serve for the benefit of local development”, notes Olesea Cazacu, Manager of Migration and Local Development Project.

The link with the natives who have left the community is constantly maintained. With the support of MiDL, web pages and social media accounts were created for those 25 Natives’ Associations, as well as platforms for online broadcasting of local authorities’ activities.

“We did not forget about our co-villagers, who will not be able to be present in the meeting room. The meetings during which we discuss about local development with those who returned home are broadcasted online on the web page of the mayoralty and may be followed by the natives from any corner of the world. The experience shows that this is a very efficient tool and we envisage using it as much as possible so as to involve the natives who have left the village and to develop the locality with their help”, mentions Silvia Turcanu, Mayor of Chiscareni, Singerei rayon.

It is for the first time when the local authorities participate in the Diaspora Congress, and the beneficiaries and partners of the Migration and Local Development Project take part in the Diaspora Business Forum and Diaspora Economic Forum organized by the Bureau for Diaspora Relations. All these activities are meant to foster cooperation between local authorities and the natives who have left the locality, with the goal to develop the villages and towns from Moldova.