Turning Challenges into Opportunities for NRNs (201)

Turning Challenges into Opportunities for NRNs

Dr. Ambika P. Adhikari

“In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a pre-requisite.”  

-Barack Obama, US President

Background

For good or bad, the Non-Resident Nepalis are enjoying a phenomenal growth in numbers. It is an indicator of push factors in Nepal, and the pull factors of many parts of the world. The demography of NRNs covers a wide spectrum, all the way from the individuals who perform menial labor in the hot deserts of the Middle East to the professionals and academicians who work in premier institutions, such as the international financial institutions, the UN system, multinational corporations, and in the high echelons of governmental, academic and professional positions in the most developed countries of the world. Wherever they work, they all do an important job for the economy of Nepal, for their community, and for their employers.

At the last count, even excluding the Nepalis living in South Asia, the NRN population has become close to ten percent of the entire population of Nepal. Although many among the NRNs have left Nepal permanently, most of the NRNs are temporary workers on contract, and sooner or later will return to Nepal. According to Kantipur news of June 19, 2011, more than 1,300 Nepalis now leave Nepal for foreign lands daily. This amounts to half a million annual departures of workers to the overseas destinations. By any standard, this is a huge exodus. This outflow will perhaps remain unabated, until the economic and employment situation in Nepal begins to improve drastically. In the meantime, as has become a common knowledge, the repatriation from the NRNs solidly buttresses Nepal’s economy.

Although the massive migration from Nepal to foreign countries is not necessarily a good thing for Nepal, it does has several positive outcomes. It helps deflect the huge unemployment in Nepal, assists in garnering foreign technology to develop Nepal, and provides opportunities for individual Nepalis and their families to lead a better life. A flow of humans from one place to another will continue to happen in the globalized world.

Who are NRNs

According to the NRN Act 2007, any Nepali citizen living outside Nepal, except in the SAARC countries, for a minimum of two years, or any foreign citizen of Nepali origin, is defined as a NRN. Just like the NRNs are in different economic and employment situation in the world, they also may have different citizenship status.  While the vast majority of the Nepalis are Nepali citizens living abroad, an increasing number of NRNs are citizens of other countries, notably in North America, Oceania, and Western Europe. Technically, the persons who are Nepali citizens but live outside Nepal can be more correctly called Non-Resident Nepalis (NRN). The latter groups of Nepalis who have taken foreign citizenship are often called Persons of Nepali Origin (PNO), but can be more accurately called Foreign Citizens of Nepali Origin (FCNO). However, it has become common practice to term both these groups as NRNs. The Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), for example, includes both the PNO (FCNO) and NRNs, and caters to the interests of both these groups.

Although there are some similarities between NRN and FCNOs, such as in the field of culture, language, attachment to Nepal and family ties back home, the day-to-day problems and opportunities being faced by these two groups are quite different. For NRN’s who are Nepali citizens, repatriation of money, investing in Nepal, tax implications of living outside and earning money in Nepal, and custom facilities in Nepal are the topics of interest. More importantly, to the vast majority of the NRNs who are working in the lower rung of employment in the Middle East, and African and Asian countries, their rights, their security, and well-being are of paramount importance. When one has to work outdoors in 115 degree heat, leave family behind in Nepal and constantly worry about the harassment of employers, and face unpredictable legal regime in the host country, many abstract ideas that might be of interest to certain FCNO groups may not carry much meaning to them. Their challenges center around the issues of day-to-day survival, workers’ safety and basic rights, job security, decent health care, and obtaining a decent salary.  With all their hard work, it is this group of NRN, which is buttressing the economy of Nepal through repatriation of money.

For FCNOs too, employment, financial security and upward mobility remain important, but they have slightly better choices and control in carving out their future.  They are more mobile, typically more educated, earn more money and have more social protection by virtue of being citizens or legal resident of countries that rich and developed, and in which FCNOs are counted as equal citizens or residents in the society.

Major Challenges

The major challenges of the NRN’s (meaning both NRN and FCNO) then can be listed as following. For the NRN’s toiling in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, in addition to the issues listed earlier, having friendly customs and tax facilities to help them upon visit or return to Nepal are important. Some fundamental issues, such as receiving services and support from the Nepali embassies and consulates when in need, and similar support from NRNA are among the primary concerns of this group.

For FCNOs, the interest from Nepal government and the community organizations such as NRNA, can be summed up as follows. They desire dual citizenship, or forms of Identity (ID) Cards that give them easy access to travel to Nepal. They want to keep and expand on ancestral properties in Nepal, including land and buildings. Some of these individuals wish to work and live and Nepal at least for short durations, and some wish to do business in Nepal and yet, some desire to retire in there. Thus repatriation of money, avoidance of double taxation, appropriate facilities for import, export and customs are important for them.

In the emotional and sentimental front, the needs and aspiration of all NRN’s pretty much converge. They want to be close to their kin and friends in Nepal. They want to get involved and create supportive community organizations in the countries where they live, and also wish to create international network of NRNs. They are all keen in seeing a long term economic development of Nepal, so that they can feel proud of coming from a more developed economy, and identify themselves with a prosperous society, where their kith and kin also do well. Many also wish to contribute towards the development in the motherland, as a way of attaining a sense of personal accomplishment, washing some hidden guilt of having left Nepal for the greener pastures, and also to satisfy the simple altruistic sentiments to help the less fortunate brothers and sisters in Nepal.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

In the last two decades, when the mobility of the Nepalis has multiplied manifolds, and the NRN phenomenon has become widely recognized, much has already been done in creating a foundation for a worldwide network of the Nepali Diaspora. The most notable achievement in this regard has been the formation in 2003 of the Non-Resident Nepalis Association (NRNA), a global body of all the Nepali Diaspora worldwide that includes NRN’s and FCNOs.  The NRNA, although still in its infancy, has provided an extraordinary platform to the global Nepali to coalesce and contemplate on the issues of their own welfare, the well-being of their fellow Nepalis, and supporting the economic development process in Nepal. The association has provided a secured environment to work together in the fields of education, investments, culture, technology development and many other topics of common interest to the Diaspora. Thousands of very active leaders who are providing the stewardship and are creating a coalescing glue to help the evolution of the NRNA and Diaspora community.

How to Create Opportunities

Compared to the well established Diaspora communities, such as the Jewish, Polish, Irish, Indian, Korean and Chinese groups, Nepalis are just beginning to scratch the surface of the global market and opportunities.  It will be a long way before NRNs can firmly establish themselves as players in big leagues so that they can help themselves and also their native and adopted lands more effectively. However, some approaches have been proven successful and the NRNs can certainly benefit from emulating them.

Networking

In today’s world, a successful networking is the key to success. Whether it is finding a good job, getting into a good university, or running a successful business, networking is the name of the game in most societies. Groups who have the most tightly-knit and coherent networks have succeeded the most. Through global organizations and the plethora of national Nepali associations, the opportunity for NRNs to network has multiplied several-fold. The trick will be to expand the networking prowess from the current Nepalis-only cluster to the external groups, who muster the mainstream power in the host countries and internationally. This will help enhance the capacity of NRN’s and will assist in their pursuits of career, business and commerce.

Education

Education has been the key for success of immigrants everywhere. The Jews, Indians and Chinese, for instance, have succeeded in the new world by investing in education. For example, the Indians in North America are routinely considered super humans in math, science, engineering and medicine. More recently, the Nepali people also have taken education very seriously and the effects of the educational advancement are now being seen in the better livelihoods of the Diaspora living in more developed countries. In Nepal also, education has become dramatically widespread and, in general the quality also has improved significantly. The new Nepali immigrants who had the benefit of good education back home have enormously benefitted in the new worlds. Even for the people who work in menial jobs overseas, education can quickly raise their earning potential.

NRNA, in collaboration with the Nepali Government and others has embarked on Open University of Nepal Initiative (OUNI) to assist the disadvantaged Nepalis in Nepal and also overseas to enhance their individual capacity and help them earn more money. Dr. Pramod Dhakal, the leader of OUNI was once told by a NRN in the Middle East that if only he could write better and perform even simple mathematical tasks, he may have been able to double his salary in his current job there. Thus, programs like OUN will solidly increase the opportunities for all NRNs and also for the people in Nepal.

Entrepreneurship and Business

Only trade and business can truly create wealth. While the natural entrepreneurship and business talent has been recognized as an important asset of Chinese, Koreans and Indians globally, the Nepali Diaspora is also beginning its tryst with business ventures. In the market economies of Western Europe, North America, Oceania and East Asia, NRNs with strong business acumen will do very well. In fact, in earnings, successful business people in these countries often handily beat people with just good education. NRNA can play a vital role in supporting the entrepreneurs and helping people start businesses wherever they live. Workshops to help people start small businesses, teaching organizational and basic accounting required for running a business and creating some sort of community banking system to help the new-comer’s access capital can be greatly helpful. Some Diaspora communities have already begun work in this area.

Knowledge and Technology

The key to all the future power and wealth in the world will rely on knowledge and technology. The high technology field, for example, has been a strong competence of the Indian Diaspora. People sometimes joke that in the American IT sector, just a South Indian surname will suffice to land a job. More and more NRNs have also rapidly attained significant expertise in high technology, science and knowledge-based areas. In fact, a large number of NRNs in North America and Oceania have already established themselves as experts in the fields of high technology and knowledge. There are hundreds of NRNs working in world renowned companies like, Intel, IBM, Motorola, Cisco, Boeing, Honeywell and the likes. This is an encouraging trend and it beckons a tremendous future opportunities for the Diaspora. In the richer countries, the second-generation Nepalis have gone a step beyond their parents in attaining advanced education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and medical areas. This growing expertise will spell significantly enhanced future opportunities for the Diaspora.

Conclusions

The Nepali Diaspora, although relatively new in the world arena, and although still an insignificant force globally, is rapidly gaining ground globally. Many challenges remain for the NRNs, which range from the day-to-day and fundamental issues for the workers in the Middle East to the challenges of getting into the mainstream of more developed countries. However, because of the strong networking instincts, coupled with personal and social capital that has remained the power of the Nepalis, new opportunities are appearing in the horizon. The organizational skills, leadership and social skills that NRNs are learning by running the global and national organizations are helping them succeed in the global arena. Their inherent dedication to education, together with the increasing attraction to business and entrepreneurship, is sure to propel the once sleepy Nepalis Diaspora into the mainstream of the global power. This newly empowered Nepali Diaspora will also be a positive influence in helping Nepal catapult itself into prosperity and advancement.

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*Dr. Adhikari, an urban planner, is a Faculty Associate and Sr. Sustainability Scientist at Arizona State University, USA. He is an Advisor to NRNA International Coordination Council (ICC) and a member of Steering Committee for OUNI. The first version of this article was published in the souvenir of NRN Australia annual meeting in 2011.