A string of major disasters in 2026 have had devastating consequences. Earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia and floods and mudslides in Nepal have killed tens of thousands of people and injured many more. Countless people remain missing and hundreds of thousands of homes are damaged, with some entire neighborhoods destroyed.
The responses have been global. For Nepal alone, the United Nations Global Emergency Fund has allocated US$2 million, while the U.S. has committed over $3 million and the European Union has sent just under $3 million. Big humanitarian organizations such as Direct Relief and Save the Children have started fundraising campaigns to support the response efforts in Nepal.
Among the first to respond have been support groups set up by people originally from countries hit by disaster but now living elsewhere.
While small in scale, these diaspora groups are well positioned to respond quickly to disaster relief efforts. They have developed partnerships with community groups on the ground in their home countries. They also have a strong pool of donors – among the diaspora and beyond – based in the U.S.
I study philanthropy and nonprofits and research diaspora-led nonprofits. These organizations play multiple roles. They support other people in their immigrant communities in the U.S. and engage in the preservation of their cultures while living far from their homelands. Increasingly, they also respond to urgent needs in their countries of origin.
Diaspora giving
The money people living abroad send to their relatives and friends back home is called remittances. Globally, more than $900 billion flows across borders annually this way.
Diaspora communities are also playing a growing role in development aid and giving in response to disasters in many countries. This is additional money beyond that $900 billion; no authoritative estimate is available.
The Nepalese diaspora groups that have responded are less visible. But nonprofits led by Nepalese people who live in the U.S., like the Nepali Association of Oregon, the Albany New York Nepalese Society and Nepalese Aid, are gathering donations to send back to their homeland.
Likewise, after the June 2026 Venezuela earthquakes, Venezuelans living abroad, including business owners, and organizations led by Venezuelan emigrants, such as Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid, have mobilized.
Nonprofits that can step up quickly
My research shows that diaspora-led nonprofits are able to quickly respond when disasters strike because of the partnerships they have already forged with community groups in their homelands.
For instance, I found that Colombian diaspora-led organizations have ongoing projects in areas that range from education to nutrition. They can ramp up to expand their philanthropy when a disaster occurs.
Give to Colombia, a nonprofit based in Miami-Dade County led by Colombians living there, has swiftly dispatched relief funds before. In November 2020, the Category 4 Hurricane Iota hit Colombia’s Providencia Island. The storm damaged 98% of the island’s infrastructure, and an estimated 40% of the 5,000-plus inhabitants were displaced to other parts of the country.
Organizing with its partners, including the Colombian-based nonprofit Presentes Corporation, Give To Colombia created Stand Up: Providencia Reborn. In 2020, the initiative raised $500,000 to build a community center and reconstruct local inns to help over 1,000 Colombians rebuild their tourism businesses.
Give To Colombia and Presentes Corporation have teamed up again in response to the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the Chocó region of Colombia on Aug. 10, 2026. Together they have launched Colombia Se Levanta, meaning “Colombia rises up,” to raise money to help pay for recovery and rebuilding efforts.
David Peinado/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Committed volunteers and donors
Most diaspora-led nonprofits have a committed base of volunteers and donors. In the case of the Albany, New York, Nepalese Society, there are more than 600 Nepalese whom the nonprofit is calling on to give in response to the mudslides.
When I studied Mexican hometown associations, I found that those groups typically had anywhere from 20 to 500 active members, with around 3,000 associations in the United States.
I’ve also found that diaspora leaders take pride in their philanthropy.
A Colombian immigrant who helped to create New England Association for Colombian Children in the Boston area told me, “I do not plan on returning to Colombia now, the U.S. is my home. But I get great fulfillment from giving back to the place where I was born.”
She encourages other Colombians living in the U.S. to learn about the organization and to give their time and money to causes in Colombia. As a result, the group has become a magnet for many Colombians who end up in the Boston area.
In addition, diaspora-led organizations deliberately involve young immigrants, whether they came as children to the U.S. or were born to immigrant parents.
This can help expand the donor base of these groups, even when there’s no disaster to respond to. The India Philanthropy Alliance’s annual Youth Essay Competition is a good example of this. It calls on middle and high school students, often Indian Americans, to write essays that identify social challenges facing India and propose solutions.
To be sure, the funds that these diaspora-led nonprofits raise can be modest in comparison to other efforts. Give to Colombia is close to reaching its target of $300,000 in response to Colombia’s 2026 earthquake. The New England Association for Colombian Children also has a campaign underway, Colombia, Estamos Contigo, meaning “We’re with you, Colombia.” It has already surpassed its target of raising $25,000.
Still, I believe these diaspora-led nonprofits have staying power, given the deep sense of connection that they have with their homelands. They will be ready to respond whenever new disasters occur.
Susan Appe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
