The initiative, which is a three-year programme, was rolled out in 2008 and is aimed at supporting civil-society organisations and local authorities seeking to contribute to linking migration and development. It was launched last week at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew.

The first project is an outreach of the Diaspora Foundation. It will be hosted at the Mona School of Business at the University of the West Indies. It will produce a database of skilled members of the Jamaican diaspora in the United Kingdom to benefit local community-based organisations, learning institutions, diaspora organisations and policymakers.

Protection of families

The second project will see the Hope for Children Development Company Limited and HelpAge International collaborating to increase the protection and social inclusion of migrants and their families, in particular, through improved access of the families left behind.

The third project seeks to build the capacity of deported migrants through skills training. The project will also have an emphasis on the protection of the children of deported migrants and those incarcerated overseas.

It also proposes a panel study to track and observe a select number of deported subjects to see what they do over a four-year period.