ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses a way in which diasporas in the United States are engaging in development collaborations through grassroots international non-governmental organizations (GINGOs). The chapter contributes to our understanding about individuals from the diaspora engaging in development by establishing, leading, and/or serving GINGOs that are based in the United States but serve their homelands. How do diaspora-led GINGOs challenge common perceptions concerning the distinction between ‘Northern-led’ and ‘Southern-led’ development aid? Using an interpretive approach, the chapter examines in-depth case studies of diaspora-led GINGOs, drawing on data from extensive fieldwork and in-depth interviews, as well as social media and organizational archival documents. The chapter finds that diaspora members assume roles well beyond sending resources to family and friends in their homelands; rather, the cases underline the relational processes that position diasporas as particularly ‘starting from the South’. Diaspora members are both Southern leaders and partners in development collaborations through GINGOs (based in the North). The cases allow for a rethinking of the North–South dyad in aid exchanges.
