ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the impacts of the transnational engagements of Somali parents in the diaspora on the wellbeing of their children who are living with them. The central emphasis is on how the parents’ transnational practices affect both the stability of the family (conflict/divorce) and family resources (time and money), which in turn adversely affect children’s wellbeing. Using data collected from focus group discussions, the chapter examines the perspectives of selected Finnish-Somali youth on parental transnational engagements and their impact on children’s wellbeing as well as the views of selected parents on the subject. The chapter also, drawing on data from individual interviews, sheds light on the actual transnational engagements of some parents and their impacts on their families. The findings show that parental transnational practices, such as large remittances sent to relatives, transnational investments, and parental long-term absences as well as fadhi-ku-dirir (i.e., sitting in cafés with other Somalis to engage in heated discussions about home-country politics) and khat chewing adversely affect family stability and resources, which are central to child wellbeing. These parental transnational practices were found to be gendered, as fathers were the ones who mostly engaged in long-term travel and absences and exclusively in fadhi-ku-dirir and khat chewing.
