Jamaicans in Brazil Encouraged to Register on Diaspora Mapping Project

The Jamaican Embassy in Brazil has been encouraging Jamaicans living in the South American country to participate in the government’s ongoing Diaspora Mapping exercise.

The Mapping Jamaica’s Diaspora Project, which involves an online survey is geared towards identifying the locations, skills, expertise and interests of members of the global Jamaican Diaspora.

Jamaican Ambassador to Brazil, Her Excellency Alison Stone Roofe, said efforts are being made by the embassy to get Jamaicans to sign up on the new database, despite the small number of Jamaicans living in Brazil.

“We estimate there are less than 200 Jamaicans in total, which would include students who are on scholarships, and Jamaicans married to Brazilians and Jamaicans who are working there in whatever capacity,” she said.

The Ambassador told JIS News that the Jamaican community was informed of the Diaspora Mapping project at a launching ceremony, and that the project has been mounted on the Jamaican Embassy’s website, where persons can log on and register.

“We are continuing to see how we work through that project, which we think will have some good response, even though there are not many Jamaicans in Brazil at this time,” Ambassador Stone Roofe said.

Since June 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has been promoting the project in various countries, including the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom  and Canada where the largest populations of Jamaicans reside.

Commenting on the mapping project, State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon Arnaldo Brown, said that since August 2015, “there has been an uptake in terms of registration.”

“We have been identifying champions who are well known globally, who will promote the project,” he noted.

The State Minister said that Entrepreneur and Singer, Levi Roots; legendary sprinter, Merlene Ottey; Baroness Doreen Lawrence and community stalwart, Delores Cooper are among the champions appointed as part of the campaign to promote the Mapping the Jamaica Diaspora Project.

Mr. Brown, who has responsibility for the Diaspora, said that the goal is to capture as many as 100,000 Jamaicans abroad on the database by June 2015, noting that there are about three million persons in the Jamaican Diaspora.

Meanwhile, during October 27 to 30, the State Minister visited Florida and Atlanta in Southern USA to continue promoting the project and the Diaspora Conference, scheduled for June 14 to 18, 2014.