Behind the research: Priya Deshingkar

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium. 

Priya is Professor of Migration and Development at the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex. She has worked full time with the programme since the launch of the consortium in 2010. She was the Principal Investigator from 2017 to 2019 and prior to that, the Research Director in charge of overall intellectual leadership and oversight. She led the Migration Industry theme and jointly conducted research on migration brokerage and smuggling with partners in Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Bangladesh and Singapore.

Working with the Migrating out of Poverty programme has been my dream job. It gave me the opportunity to work with experts in African and Asian countries on the kinds of migration that matter to the poor. 

Together we were able to work on unpacking the blackbox of migration among historically disadvantaged communities and in marginalised regions through rigorous comparative research. 

It has been extremely rewarding to see the programme’s work having a real impact on policy change and building up a community of researchers with shared interests and capacities to study the links between migration, poverty and development. I have worked with wonderful partners and built strong bonds of friendship and collaborative research which I will do my best to carry on beyond the programme.

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Priya

Behind the research: Mariama Awumbila

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium.

Mariama has worked with the programme as partner director for the Ghana team, since the inception phase in 2009, at the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon. She has also conducted research on the migration industry, gender and generations, and research on migration into cities.

The biggest lesson I take from the programme is to work closely with varied stakeholders, not only from the usual academic community, but also with diverse stakeholders such as policymakers, the media and civil society. The research uptake component, which was a major focus was especially novel for me and I would recommend this approach to most academic research.

As founding Director of the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS), at the University of Ghana, the Migrating out of Poverty project was one of the first major research collaborations that CMS participated in after it was set up as a new Centre. The collaboration provided us with the opportunity, not only to work with a diverse range of leading migration scholars particularly in the global south, but to work on several research strands that highlighted the specificities of migration experiences in the African context, increasing the visibility of the Centre. 

I am proud to have worked with a great team of researchers and scholars across the partnership to provide insights into previously little studied areas such as the migration industry in Ghana, but especially proud of the opportunity it gave us to contribute to migration policymaking in Ghana and at the ECOWAS level. Through our work with the media, we have also helped to strengthen the capacity of media networks. 

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Mariama!

Behind the research: Alemu Tesfaye

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe.

This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium. 

Alemu has been working with the Migrating out of Poverty programme since 2017, and is currently working as a Knowledge and ICT Manager at OSSREA, in Ethiopia. Alemu has focused on synthesising research on themes of gender and generations, migration industry, and income and remittances.

When I joined the team as a research communications officer, I had little knowledge of migration and migration research. I learnt a lot about formal and informal means of migration, routes of migration, the gender dynamics of migration and its impact on the household. 

It has added to my experience as a communications officer, boosting my CV and giving me confidence to engage more in the issues of migration and migration research. 

I am proud of being part of this programme, and for being able to produce communication products such as infographics and animated videos, synthesising complex research findings and presenting them in a way that is easy to understand. 

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Alemu!

Behind the research: Fekadu Adugna

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium.

Fekadu is an assistant professor of Social Anthropology at Addis Ababa University, and researcher at the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA). Fekadu worked as principal investigator for the migration industry theme in Ethiopia.

The biggest lesson I have learnt through my involvement in the Migrating out of Poverty programme is the gap between actors in migration governance, and the migrants and their families concerning their perception about migration. Unless that gap is narrowed, migration cannot be properly understood and governed. 

Participation in Migrating out of Poverty totally re-shaped my present and future research. I came from a totally different research focus, and now my research agenda is all on migration, forced displacement and refugee studies. 

What I am really proud of is the fact that I somewhat succeeded in understanding the organisation of migration and migration facilitation from below, the way the migrants and their families understand it. 

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Fekadu!

Behind the research: Loren Landau

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium.

Loren Landau is a Senior Researcher at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at Wits University in Johannesburg, and was Director between 2006 to 2014 when the programme was in its early stages.

ACMS was one of the founding members of the consortium.  As an emerging research centre, this was an opportunity to partner with progressive scholars and institutions across the global south. In doing so, it offered a unique opportunity to shape research and policy agendas at multiple scales. By working through productive tensions, the consortium became stronger, the ACMS was able to expand its scope and ambitions, while I gained perspective and insight. 

Whether through my work on local government or overseeing broader questions of labour migration, urbanisation, and the migration industry, the consortium’s successes and shortcomings served as an intense education. Beyond generating empirical insights and knowledge, I – and the consortium –helped lay foundations for ever more critical and constructive consideration of partnerships, in engagement, and in the politics of research beyond the wealthy west. 

It has encouraged me to more deeply explore the formal and informal means of migration management at multiple levels while shifting how I work. Many now speak about south-south partnerships as the future of research. With Migrating out of Poverty we were able to forge and formalise those partnerships more than a decade ago.

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Loren!

Behind the research: Doudou Gueye

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium.

Doudou has been working with the programme as part of his role as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Ziguinchor University in Senegal. Doudou led the research on the migration industry in Senegal. 

"I have been involved in several research projects but Migrating out of Poverty had a certain uniqueness for me. First, because of its transnational dimension (Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, United Kingdom etc.) and I was a Francophone in the English-speaking crowd. Wow, what a great experience! Its multidisciplinary and multi-space character complemented the programme beautifully. Behind the research, I am sure I have made sincere friendships. The lesson learned from this experience is that life is not an individual affair, and migrants demonstrate this all the time. 

Who are migration "industrialists"? We put forward a model of the actors and their roles, without forgetting the analysis of the complexity of the journey. The debate on the individualisation of African migration was based on  facts gathered from our field of study. Finally, the research led us to explore the role of marabouts and other  visionaries in the migration process. These are men truly in the shadows, but they are nevertheless increasingly central actors in migration. Looking forward to seeing you soon so we can produce more great research."

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Doudou!

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En français

Au cours des 10 dernières années, le consortium 'Migrating out of Poverty' a utilisé l'enthousiasme et l'expertise de nombreuses personnes à travers le monde. Cette série de blogues se concentre sur les gens derrières la recherche, qui nous ont partagé des réflexions personelles et apprentissages de l'expérience de travail avec le programme. 

Doudou travaille avec le programme dans le cadre de son rôle comme maître de conférences dans le department de la sociologie a l'UASZ (Sénégal). Doudou est chercheur en chef du projet sur l'industrie de la migration.

"J'ai été associé à plusieurs projets de recherche mais le MOOP avait une certaine singularité pour moi. D'abord, de par sa dimension transnationale (Sénégal, Ghana, Ethiopie, Royaume Uni,...) et je fus un francophone dans la foule anglophone. Wouah, quelle belle expérience. Ensuite, de par son caractère pluridisciplinaire et Multi espaces, quelle belle complémentarité. Derrière la recherche, je suis certain de m'être fait des amitiés sincères. De cette expérience, la leçon apprise est que  la vie n'est pas une affaire individuelle, et d'ailleurs les migrants nous le démontrent tout le temps. 

Qui sont ces "industriels" de la migration ? Une modélisation des acteurs et de leurs rôles a été proposée sans oublier l'analyse de la complexité du voyage. Le débat sur l'individualisation des migrations africaines a été posé sur la base des faits recueillis à partir de notre terrain d'étude ? Enfin, la recherche nous a amené à explorer le rôle des marabouts et autres voyants dans le processus migratoire. Véritables hommes de l'ombre, il n'en demeure pas moins qu'ils sont des acteurs de plus en plus centraux dans la migration. A bientôt pour d’autres belles productions."

Le programme 'Migrating out of Poverty' est un véritable travail d'équipe, et nous apprécions le rôle joué par chaque individuel dans la production et la diffusion de recherche. 

Merci pour votre travail acharné avec le programme 'Migrating out of Poverty', Doudou!

Behind the research: Benoît Tine

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium.

Benoît has worked with the programme as a Researcher at Ziguinchor University (UASZ, Senegal) for two years. Benoît was the research lead on the gender and generations theme in Senegal, and a senior researcher on the migration industry theme.

"Migration, despite appearances, has visible and invisible consequences for households, which are forced to adapt to new situations. Social networks make it possible to experience marriage differently (e-conjugality); monogamy seems to have taken over and migrants, without forgetting their relatives, are more aware because "travelling" is a school of life. 

The Migrating out of Poverty research programme has enabled me to establish regular contacts with many researchers on several continents over a long period of time. Socialisation and comparing our research have made it possible to create a real dynamic, that is not about to stop, but is opening doors to a promising future."

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Benoît!

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En français

Au cours des 10 dernières années, le consortium 'Migrating out of Poverty' a utilisé l'enthousiasme et l'expertise de nombreuses personnes à travers le monde. Cette série de blogues se concentre sur les gens derrières la recherche, qui nous ont partagé des réflexions personelles et apprentissages de l'expérience de travail avec le programme. 

Benoît travaille avec le programme comme chercheur a l'UASZ (Sénégal) depuis deux ans. Benoît est chercheur en chef du projet genre et génération au Sénégal et chercheur senior dans le projet  sur l'industrie de la migration.

"La migration contrairement aux apparences entrainent des conséquences visibles et invisibles dans les ménages qui sont ainsi obligés de s’adapter à la nouvelle donne. Les réseaux sociaux permettent de vivre le mariage autrement (e-conjugalité); la monogamie semble avoir prendre le dessus et les migrants sans oublier leurs proches sont plus avertis parce que « voyager » est une école de la vie.

La recherche m’a permis d’entrer en relation de façon régulière, pendant une longue période avec des dizaines de chercheurs établis sur plusieurs continents. La socialisation, les  comparaisons de nos recherches,  ont permis de créer une véritable dynamique qui n’est pas prête de s’arrêter mais ouvre des portes sur des lendemains prometteurs."

Le programme 'Migrating out of Poverty' est un véritable travail d'équipe, et nous apprécions le rôle joué par chaque individuel dans la production et la diffusion de recherche. 

Merci pour votre travail acharné avec le programme 'Migrating out of Poverty', Benoît!

Behind the research: Kellynn Wee

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium.

Kellynn is a Research Associate at Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore and worked with Migrating out of Poverty from 2015 to 2017. During that time she worked on the migration industry theme conducting policy research and was also involved in communications and social media outreach.

"Working on Migrating out of Poverty gave me the rare opportunity to inhabit multiple universes at once: not only was I able to test my conceptual ideas in the domain of academia, I was able to see how these forms of knowledge translated into the worlds of advocacy and policy. The reminder that these realms are not separate, but that it takes conscious effort to cross and translate between them, will continue to shape my work.   

I'm most proud of the relationships we built with local NGOs and schools through Migrating out of Poverty's emphasis on communicating our research. Speaking to young people about the situation of migrant domestic workers in Singapore and sometimes prompting them to volunteer, or even simply to re-examine a social reality that many of us take for granted, was a very rewarding experience.   

The biggest lessons I learned were from working with such an international team. The opportunity to speak with and learn from the excellent people I met from South Africa, Bangladesh, the UK, and Ghana was very precious to me.”

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Kellynn!

Behind the research: Kudakwashe P. Vanyoro

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium.

Kuda started out working with Migrating out of Poverty back in 2014 as a Communications Intern with the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS). He is now Research Communications Officer and studying for a PhD. In his 5 years with the programme he worked across almost all the research themes.

“The internship programme for me was just the stepping stone I needed to get into migration studies. I am now pursuing my PhD and academic career in migration studies, which would have not been possible without this opportunity. 

My proudest moment has been producing evidence to engage policy makers in South Africa for many years to come.”

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Kuda!

Behind the research: Yordanos Seifu

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Migrating out of Poverty consortium has drawn on the enthusiasm and expertise of many people across the globe. This blog series focuses on the people behind the research, who have kindly shared personal reflections and learning from their experience of working with the consortium. 

Yordanos worked with the Migrating out of Poverty programme for over a year, as a migration researcher and writer, specialising in irregular migration, and migration industry in the African context.

“I’ve learned skills and methodology for transnational research communication, and particularly communication among migration researchers from the so-called global North and Global South countries. More importantly, I’ve examined theoretical arguments against findings from field research in the global South including dangerous places like the city of like Johannesburg and its satellite informal townships

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has boosted international networking, created platforms to present and disseminate the findings of the research, while also enabling comparative research analyses. 

I’m most proud of our publication of policy briefs and working papers as well as our dissemination of the field research findings to relevant stakeholders.”

The Migrating out of Poverty programme has been a true team effort, and we appreciate the role each individual has played in producing and disseminating the research.

Thank you for all your hard work with the Migrating out of Poverty programme, Yordanos!