Kina Diaspora Engagement by Preeti Adhikari & Sajan Gautam

On 11 th July, Embark College organised a very interactive and mind-opening discussion on the topic of Kina Diaspora Engagement by Ms. Preeti Adhikari and Mr. Sajan Gautam who are the co-founders of the Kina initiative. The event was one of various events held by Embark knowledge series to invite any new thinkers and social entrepreneurs to the university to engage with the students and enlarge their worldview and civics.
The session focused on learning the students the role of diaspora in the development of nations and how such platforms as Kina are building bridges between the Nepalee diaspora like people and their mother country. As globalization redefined migration patterns and identity politics, the session discussed how there are meaningful possibilities to mobilize the collective strength, knowledge and capital of the diaspora as a source of development in Nepal.
The college started the program by giving a warm welcome to all then introduced the speakers. Ms. Social activist and policy researcher Preeti Adhikari and development practitioner Mr. Sajan Gautam, who has a long tenure working with diaspora and youth empowerment, discussed their personal experiences and careers that resulted in establishing Kina.
Kina as a platform that was to bring the community entrepreneurs of the Nepali diaspora together to collaborate with local changemakers in Nepal were introduced by the speakers. Kina aims at transforming Nepal through stories, collaboration, and intentional giving in which the diaspora members can play a key role in efforts that support education, innovation, social change, and sustainable development.
During the lesson, the students have been presented with the following major concepts:
• The past and present place of the Nepali diaspora
• Impact investment Diaspora philanthropy
The emotional and cultural associations behind diaspora activity
The structural problems in integrating diaspora in national development
• The Potential of networks, narratives, and technology towards mobilization of diaspora action

Ms. Adhikari pointed out that most diaspora communities are billed as purely benefiting the country of origin with the inflow of money, but there is so much more that can be done in relation to knowledge transfer, advocacy, innovation, and community empowerment. She also gave examples of the success stories of the diaspora donor funded projects that have been carried out successfully through Kina in Nepal.
Mr. Gautam addressed the issue of youth inclusivity in creating positive narratives and policy discourse, asking students to consider themselves not only learners, but also connectors and change agents to the rest of the global Nepali society. He emphasized on purposeful donations and trust between members of the diaspora and local organizations.
Communicative format of the session involved an active engagement of students. People told about their relations living overseas and wondered how engagement in diaspora might be used positively in their communities. Some of the students had questions about operational model of Kina, conditions of partnership, and how the Nepalese youth could participate.
One of the group options was to design an imaginary diaspora outreach plan, in one of the three areas: education, health, or innovation, and propose how they would reach out to diaspora stakeholders. The exercise elicited the creativity of the students and their perceptions of the challenging nature of relations among migration and identity and national development.
The vote of thanks by the college was a moving close to the event with the appreciation of the speakers due to their enthusiasm, vision and ability to motivate students to think about the potential of the global Nepali community. The college showed interest in having future collaboration with the Kina team as well.
The Kina Diaspora Engagement session was not only informative but a very inspirational one. It has given the students a new understanding of the Nepali identity known to the world and all the opportunities available when people across nations can make a collective stand together.
Embark College will continue to provide platforms that would enable the students to have a global awareness and community-based leadership.