Sacha Gayama’s Post

🎉 Milestone Alert! We are absolutely thrilled to unveil the first-ever Impact Report from the RIF - Refugee Investment Facility! This isn’t just a report; it’s a testament to an exhilarating, challenging, and ultimately rewarding journey of connecting the realms of impact financing and humanitarian aid. Our report illuminates how Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp and iGravity have synergized to apply a unique refugee-centric #investment perspective. It meticulously outlines our investment process and the robust impact framework that underpins our work, which took flight in Uganda and Jordan. Moreover, it offers a sneak peek into some of our pioneering investments, with a promise of many more riveting stories to be featured in our future Impact Reports. Our journey is marked by continuous learning and inspiration drawn from businesses and change-makers who are relentlessly working towards improving conditions for #refugees and their host communities. By empowering them as customers, suppliers, or employees, we are breaking down the traditional aid-dependent models. In doing so, we are pioneering new pathways for investment professionals, businesses, and humanitarians to collaborate for creating a significant impact. In humanitarian settings, we believe this tripartite cooperation is not just beneficial, but absolutely essential. As we celebrate this milestone, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to our partners for their unwavering support and trust in this trailblazing initiative! 🎉 You can read/download the report here: https://lnkd.in/dzfwmpeH

Did you know that The Refugee Investment Network is the first impact investing and blended finance collaborative dedicated to creating long-term solutions to global forced migration?   What We Do: RIN moves private capital from commitment to active investment by sourcing, structuring, and supporting the financing of projects and companies that benefit refugees and host communities. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the untapped entrepreneurial potential of refugees and capital markets to spur economic growth, create jobs, and increase socio-economic stability among displaced people.   Why Refugees: The number of refugees has more than doubled to over 100M in the past 10 years. Unfortunately, existing systems for short-term emergency response and productive integration have not kept up with these evolving trends, leaving the dilemma as the defining social crisis of our time.   How We Do It: Through research, facilitation, and policy advocacy, we aim to create the first investor-centered knowledge hub targeting business opportunities that support refugee self-reliance, build a pipeline of bankable deals, and articulate investor needs to drive catalytic investments and policies.   By 2030, RIN aims to unlock at least $1billion in investment deals that produce over one million new jobs and measurably improve livelihood opportunities for refugees and their host communities.   Join us in our mission to create positive, sustainable change for displaced populations worldwide! #ImpactInvesting #RefugeeInvestment #ForcedMigration #SustainableDevelopment

On my impact investing radar: 🌱 Refugee Investment Network is unlocking refugee self-reliance by building the investment ecosystem for refugee-led and supporting ventures. 🤎 Impact potential: Today, more than 80 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide. Humanitarian crises last average of 17 years. Humanitarian aid are simply not enough - not only is there funding gap, it is also missing the opportunity to empower. I remember first hand talking to talented and resilient refugees, waiting indefinitely to be actively bringing value to the community through entrepreneurship. 🌍 This is where RIN comes in to unlock the enormous untapped potential, bridging the gap between refugee investments and capital that spans asset classes and geographies, as well as return and impact expectations. 🌍 Check out their investment opportunity map: https://lnkd.in/dFmXwt7u #impactinvesting #renewablefinancing #refugeeinvestments #empowerment

Sounds a lot better than some of the other plans.... Threatening to send people to Hotel Rwanda isn't going to stop desperate people getting on the boats, if there's a chance for a better life or to escape poverty and danger. And unless something drastic is done, there will be many more boats as #climatechange makes the situation worse. Addressing the root of the problem, rather than dealing with the effects, makes more sense. And that means creating better communities, jobs, opportunities, security, in the places the refugees are coming from. Isn't it better to invest there, to provide a better quality of life for the people, so that they don't want to leave? Creating housing and generating exports to the growing communities. Rather than spending the money housing, processing and exporting refugees?

There's no denying the importance of foreign aid. Unfortunately, aid delivery is often siloed, leading to a lack of evidence about its aggregate effectiveness. To help break down these silos, Abt Global has supported The British Embassy Kathmandu (BEK) in a range of thematic areas, including governance, social service delivery, climate change, and humanitarian response, to create a ‘big picture’ portfolio-level understanding of the effectiveness of aid programs. So far, our partnership has been able to: • Facilitate learning spaces and provide evidence to support strategic decision-making about design and the implementation of the portfolio to achieve Embassy-wide outcomes. • Improve systems and processes to generate better quality evidence or lessons. • Generate a wide range of knowledge products, including technical assistance analysis using a systems-change diagnostic tool, synthesis of lessons from annual reviews, synthesis of lessons from program completion reviews, a data visualization system, and stakeholder engagement analysis. • Produce evidence about the live portfolio to identify patterns that contribute to wider portfolio-level objectives. Learn more about our work in Nepal here: #ForeignAid #GlobalDevelopment #Aid

Available grants for underdeveloped communities in Africa. NGOs are encouraged to apply. These projects are really important for Southern and Eastern African regions; these are regions that are already in the grip of worsening food insecurity, debt distress, and devastating climate shocks, including the worst drought in the last four decades.

🎉Today, Estonia celebrates 25 years as a donor country! On December 15, 1998, Estonia allocated ca 500,000 Estonian kroons to send food aid to flood victims in Western Ukraine. Throughout the past 25 years, Estonia has transitioned from a project- or crisis-based approach to cooperative relationships with partner countries, with long-term goals rather than short-term achievements. Estonia is well positioned to share its reform experience and expertise in building successful digital societies. 🔹 Ambassador Priit Turk, former director of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at the MFA, said, "In Estonia's development cooperation, the skills and knowledge exchange has been important from the very beginning.” 🔹 Mariin Ratnik, undersecretary for Foreign Economy and Development Cooperation at the MFA, said, “We are not talking about development aid anymore but rather development cooperation. And we do it first and foremost with countries interested in it themselves.” This year, the anniversary was extra special as Estonia became a member of the OECD Development Aid Committee (OECD-DAC). 🔹 “Now we can better lobby for various partnerships with major donors. Before, Estonia was not so well known, but now we are much more visible," said Kadi Metsandi, the deputy permanent representative of the Estonian Mission to the OECD. 👉 Read more about Estonia’s transition from recipient to donor: https://lnkd.in/dv6FcxcC #FromThePeopleOfEstonia #StrongerTogether

WORKING TOGETHER TO UNLOCK SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND HUMANITARIAN PROGRESS The recent meeting between the SDG Zamfara State coordinator and Switzerland's First Secretary for Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation presents a pivotal opportunity for collaboration. In today's interconnected world, partnership is crucial for tackling complex global challenges.   By joining forces, we can leverage our collective strengths, diverse perspectives, and pooled resources for greater impact. Collaboration bridges gaps, facilitates shared learning, and fosters mutual understanding across cultures.   Open communication, shared responsibility and an adaptable mindset are key to realizing collaboration's full potential. Together, we can create lasting positive change through sustainable development and effective humanitarian solutions.   Though the path has challenges, our unified efforts can achieve remarkable feats impossible alone. Let's forge ahead to build a brighter, more prosperous future for all. As we embark on this proposed journey of collaboration between Zamfara State and Switzerland, let us be guided by a common vision of growth – growth in knowledge, growth in capacity, and growth in the well-being of our communities. Let us seize this opportunity to create lasting positive change, fostering sustainable development and addressing humanitarian challenges with renewed vigor and determination.

What are the migration-related programmes my team and I have the chance to cover? 🌍 The Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (#MigrationMPTF) is financing 20 operations, implemented by 13 UN Agencies, covering all regions, aimed at supporting the pursuit of safe, orderly and regular #migration. These Joint Programmes are the product of collaborative work by members of the United Nations Network on Migration, with proposals submitted by 21 UN organizations working with various government partners (both national and local) as well as stakeholders, including those representing migrants and communities. With USD 42 million already disbursed, the Fund is a visible demonstration of the commitment to international cooperation that underpins the Global Compact for Migration (#GCM). The portfolio of activities financed by the Fund is very diverse: addressing issues such as #inclusion, #integration and #protection of migrants, #countertrafficking, resilience to #climatechange, #policy evidence and engagement of #diaspora. An additional 31 programmes have been identified as priorities, ready to be launched when financing becomes available. 

Delighted to observe NRC, a former employer of mine, taking the lead in this initiative. As a former Field Security Manager, I am acutely aware of the myriad challenges associated with fuel-based energy systems for sites, including issues such as fuel security, procurement challenges, fluctuations in costs, and the disruptive impact on communities due to noise and pollution. I wished to see large refugee and IDP camps equipped with permanent solar farms strategically positioned nearby (when feasible). This approach would not only address the challenges of fuel-based systems but also contribute to sustainable solutions. Furthermore, the energy generated could be seamlessly integrated into the national grid, fostering acceptance for large-scale camps and facilitating long-term cost reductions.