Welcome to my personal website and blog
This is my evolving platform where I discuss topics related to diaspora, migration, activism and humanitarian policy. My particular focus over the last few years is on humanitarian actors operating outside the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) system, notably diaspora organisations and mutual aid groups who often provide the first response to crises in their countries of origin or local communities.
My objective is to go beyond academic echo chambers and provide a space where academic research can be discussed and shared by everyone—whether you work in the private sector, are a policymaker, work for a charity, are part of a diaspora organisation, or are simply a concerned citizen interested in how communities respond to humanitarian crises.
The themes of this website grew from my PhD research project titled ‘Reasons for Giving Back?: Motivations for Engaging in Transnational Political Activism by Adult Children of Migrants from the Horn of Africa’, as well as my broader professional work on humanitarian policy and diaspora engagement in crisis response. My study explored the drivers for engaging in activism by adult children of migrants from the Horn of Africa based in London (United Kingdom) and Washington, D.C. (United States). Through my work, I’ve also examined how diaspora communities and mutual aid networks mobilise resources and provide humanitarian assistance outside traditional frameworks. I’ll be sharing further details about these findings and ongoing research here on the website.
If you’re interested in collaborating or in conducting research on any of these topics—particularly around diaspora humanitarian responses, community-led crisis interventions, or policy frameworks for engaging non-traditional humanitarian actors—please do email me at BA470@sussex.ac.uk.
About me: I’m Dr Bashair Ahmed, a researcher and former CEO with over 20 years of experience in international development and humanitarian work.
