Ex pl o rin g the In te rplay Between Migration and Changes in the Social Capital of Sending Conununiti es: Ex p eriences from Raya Kabba Wareda , North Wallo
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Date
2016-03
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Labor migration to the Middle East has become a common phenomenon in North Wolo of
RayaKobboWoreda. This study aimed at identifying and comprehending the changes brought by
migration vis-it-vis the six dimensions of social capital (groups and networks; trust and
solidarity, collecti ve action and cooperation, information channels and communication, social
cohesion and integration, empowerment and political action). In tune with the ethnographic
strategy employed, I made desk reviews of pertinent documents; held six FGDs comprising 46
(J 7female) participants; conducted in-depth interview with eleven key informants and 15
purposefully selected informants from the community along with observation of major social
events. The data obtained from the diverse sources were triangulated and analyzed to see
changes that occurred to the community following international labor migration.
Though hard to fully attribute all the changes in the community to migration alone, migration has
a discernible effect on the social capital of the community. Groups and networks with economic
purposes are declining sharply. Migration also endangers informal sociocultural structures. There
is al so a decline in terms of mutual support, collective action and cooperation; and meaningful
participation of the community in their own affairs. Older children preferred migration and the
elementary schools are the most affected institutions. At the family level, the effect is mixed:
some are successful and send remittance to their non-migrant family members while many do not
succeed at all. Participants urged government and all stakeholders and all stakeholders for
alternative job opportunities for the youth; facilitating the legal process of migration; and
supporting fanners by harnessing the underground water there.
Key Words: labor migration, social capital, communities, Ethiopia
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Keywords
labor migration, social capital, communities, Ethiopia