A new foundation is encouraging the Caribbean diaspora to ‘give back’

A new foundation is encouraging Carib-bean diaspora citizens to be part of a ‘Give-Back campaign’ and is promising persons an avenue for them to give back “virtually or physically to their country of birth or the county of their parents’ birth.”
The Caribbean Return-ing Nationals Foundation Inc (CRNF) was founded last year and is headquartered in Maryland. Accord-ing to its President Arlene Graham, the organisation will act as an opportunity creator “for returning nationals and a resource for organizations in the Caribbean seeking a different perspective.”

She told the Sunday Stabroek via email that since the launch the interest shown has been very  positive so far, especially since they launched their LinkedIn presence.

“We are hooking up with a lot of extra-nationals who are telling us they have been waiting for something like this for a long time,” she revealed.
She said the foundation is a social networking one, aiming at integrating Caribbean expats who share an interest in giving back to the region. They also provide support to each member transitioning after living abroad for an extended period.

According to Graham persons have offered their support because the organization is not linked to any government, country or political party, and because they have the best interest of the Caribbean and its development at heart.

“This is at the core of our work ethic. It is all about giving back to the region of our birth in small ways, in big ways, in any way possible,” she stated.

Arlene Graham
Arlene Graham

Asked what method would be used to ‘give back’ and who decides what goes where, Graham said they are currently organizing some interventions in Haiti on which she will speak in the near future. Additionally, she said they are looking at helping some homes for orphaned and displaced children.
“Right now we are doing due diligence on the points of contact and interest. When this is done
we will have big news to announce,” she promised.

Explaining the process further, Graham told this newspaper that they would first invite people who have projects which they feel need focusing on to send their information, and then the board would decide what resources from within its database could be brought to the table.

Apart from that,  she said that they have a dedicated team of professionals who have the Caribbean at heart and they are always looking for areas where they can participate.

“It is not about giving money to a situation. That is just a temporary fix. We have a network of returning nationals who want to get their hands dirty and be there on the ground to give back what they have learned over the years in foreign lands,” Graham disclosed.

She said that the foundation is about pushing good practice and best practice, because they believe that good practice is a template that can be improved continually and on which excellence can be built. Further, they have forms on their website for persons interested in giving back and for parties interested in the organisation  giving them assistance.

Questioned about how the group would ensure transparency in its work, Graham reiterated that  due diligence is key to everything they do and they would not “jump in because you say so. We take our time to ensure we are not being given a raw deal. Also as a NGO by law we have to make certain declarations so transparency is built in to our business DNA.”

The foundation, she said is seeking to not only reverse the brain drain of the ’80s but also keep economies safe from the global downturn.

“Giving back, because we care,” is the motto Graham said, stating that her passion for the region is one of the driving forces behind CRNF.

She said, “The Caribbean Returning Nationals Foundation, Inc is an organization established to engage Caribbean expatriates and their families in the global diaspora with the community back in the region.”

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Graham said she believes that one of the ways they can all make a positive difference is to give back to the communities and people who nurtured and made them the productive citizens they are today. This was her motivation to start the organisation.
“My goal, with the help of CRNF members and sponsors, is to engage and inspire the global diaspora to give back to the Caribbean,” she said.

She said the idea for the organization came after visiting the Caribbean and realising that there is not a one-stop organisation where Caribbean citizens living in the global diaspora can join and together give back physically and virtually to the Caribbean She said the CRNF group consists of professionals who bring a wealth of experience to the foundation and region from living and working in the global arena for decades. These experts, she said, managed projects ranging from 1 million to 500 million, and they have worked with many countries including Greece, Turkey, South Africa, Romania, Poland, Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Angola, Guatemala, Colombia and Haiti.  Some of them are inventors, linguists, business people, educators, realtors, students,
specialists who have worked with White House personnel on projects, who all share a common goal of giving back to the region.

She said that the foundation was created to inspire the community living abroad to reinvest in and give back to the land they love through community outreach programmes, local investment opportunities, and other forms of philanthropy.

“Acting as a think tank, business network, talent and mentoring resource, it will initiate dialogue to unite and mobilize its membership through social and professional networking events in the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.”

For more information on the group persons can visit www.caribbeanreturningnationals.org.