About the project

Migration, Pandemic and Responses from the Third Sector: Lessons from Brazil and India analyses the roles of civil society organisations, including NGOs, faith-based organisations and migrant-led groups in offering support on the ground for migrants, both internal and international, in Brazil and India, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are particularly interested in identifying good practices from the third sector that may serve policymakers in the longer term to foster social cohesion, safety and solidarity. The study is conducted by researchers from Queen Mary University of London, UK; Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil; and the Global Research Forum for Development and Transnationalism (GRFDT), India.

As BRICS countries, Brazil and India share the position of being major emergent regional powers that present certain common political, economic and social factors: both hold significant regional presence that draws in migrants from neighbouring countries, as well as from rural and other areas; both have economic and industrial might that offers incentive for migration; and yet both countries also continue to endure major socio-economic challenges with considerable inequalities. In both countries, civil society has long played a key role in supporting social needs.

The questions we ask are: what have been the challenges faced by migrants in the context of the pandemic and how have civil society organisations and groups responded? What good practices can be identified and what gaps exist in the provision of support? How can civil society be better supported to ensure good practices? The lessons from civil society’s experiences of supporting migrants in the pandemic will be useful both as examples of good practice and in their role as partners to national efforts to dignify migrants in line with the global commitments to do so.

Methodology

The project uses a qualitative approach to data collection that considers online semi-structured interviews with two main groups of Civil Society actors in Brazil and India, based on a purposive sampling: 1) NGOs and faith-based organisations working with migrant communities and 2) Representatives of migrant-led organisations both in Brazil and India.

The interviews seek to understand: i) the specific challenges that migrants face in Brazil and India since the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic; ii) the support and assistance that has been available from the third sector; iii) What good practices have been identified and what are the gaps that remain; iv) what new partnerships have emerged during this period and v) perceptions in how governments can engage with the third sector to support their work.