The Trinbago Diaspora Outreach Network (TDON)
Our Focus
TDON is a bridge-building entity which spearheads efforts to locate and sustain diasporic connections between T&T and its overseas nationals.
Why Do We Exist
1. To engender social, cultural and economic upliftment in communities and withindividuals residing in Trinidad and Tobago.
2. To initiate and sustain efforts to recognize patriotic endeavors undertaken by foreign-based Trinidad and Tobago nationals who can improve community and national wellbeing of Trinidad and Tobago.
3. To facilitate networking among overseas Hometown Associations of Trinidad and Tobago.
Our Objectives
• TDON commits to Research, Recognition and Engagement in executing its role.
• TDON commits to mainstreaming diaspora expertise in improving the overall wellbeing of T&T and its citizens.
• TDON commits to applying global best practice in locating and mobilizing the global diaspora associated with Trinidad and Tobago.
Proposed Actions
Fundraising
✓ The International Organisation of Migration(IOM) a UN body will be approached for funds to assist with a diaspora mapping exercise and other types of support where applicable.
✓ An agile crowdfunding initiative will be operational in sync with the NGO’s website.
Marketing
✓ A recognition event each year is proposed to salute and recognize patriotic endeavor by persons and organization within TT diaspora.
✓ Introduce Trinbago Nomads Travel Challenge -as an immersion program which targets children and descendants of Trinbago migrants.
TDON Board Members
Dr Andre Phillips
Founder
Dr. Andre Phillips is best known as an academic, civil society advocate, entrepreneur and educator who resides in Trinidad and Tobago. He exhibits competences that encompass policy development and implementation, content creation, strategic planning and development consulting and achieved outstanding results in the private, public and NGO sector of his native country.
Dr. Andre Phillips is known for his ground breaking scientific research on diaspora engagement within the field of tourism. His first doctoral research writing titled Diaspora Engagement -new imperatives for tourism growth in the Caribbean with implications for Trinidad and Tobago was published in Dynamics of Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean, a book published by the University of Guyana Press in 2018. Other works include Unlocking the Potential of Diaspora Tourism a chapter in a forthcoming book published by the University of the West Indies Press.
Dr. Andre Phillips is the driving force behind the formation of Trinbago Diaspora Outreach Network (TDON), which is dedicated to bridge-building initiatives between T&T nationals and diaspora groups to secure social, cultural and economic upliftment of communities and people in Trinidad and Tobago. His transformative leadership is already evident in civil society, where he is the Founder/President of PUSH Foundation, one of Tobago’s oldest functioning developmental NGOs. The organization, with support from local, regional and international funding, has executed projects that have produced cultural, educational and social benefits for residents of Tobago.
Debra Banfield-Roach
Company Secretary
Debra Banfield-Roach has over thirty years experience working in various facets, from Medical Laboratory Technology to Procurement and Administration. She has worked in the UN System with various projects and currently works in the public sector. Debra has a passion for teaching and preparing culinary delights. She is a cultural enthusiast who enjoys all types of concerts and local plays and loves to travel. Debra lives by the golden rule:
“do unto others as you would have them do unto you.“
Rayan Ramoutar
Director
Rayan Ramoutar is a philanthropist and cultural activist for Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago. A business owner who has over twenty years experience in training and development in the food sector. Ms’ Ramoutars passion for cultural development has led her to coordinate many cultural activities between both islands. Having travelled extensively to Canada Ramoutar has a strong link to the Indian diaspora in Canada and continues to promote cultural integration amongst various groups. Her mantra is:
“how deeply you touch another life is how rich your life is“.
Stephen Isaac
Director and Eastern Region Coordinator USa
Stephen Isaac who hails from Tobago has resided in the USA since late 1990s. An ordained elder in the Adventist faith, Stephen’s work background spans diverse areas of the medical field. In recent years, he has received awards for his nutrition and diabetes lifestyle clinics which are conducted across the tri-state area of the USA. Stephen is a leader in the civil society sphere with more than twenty year involvement with Tobago Progressive Association (NewYork) which was renamed Trinbago Progressive Association when it was granted incorporated status in 2015. Stephen moved from participating in the TPA ‘s biennial medical mission trips to arranging and leading these philanthropic initiatives to his native country in his capacity as TPA President.
Stephen now serves as Director and Eastern Region Coordinator USA in Trinbago Diaspora Outreach Network(TDON).
Robert Cumberbatch
Director & Western Region USA Coordinator
Robert Cumberbatch who hails from Trinidad currently resides in Arizona. A customer service professional for more than twenty-five years, Robert has distinguished himself in service delivery for corporate firms across the Caribbean and Phoenix which operate in the retail, transportation and cultural sectors. Robert is the driving force in the emergence and progress of the Arizona Caribbean Cultural Association (ACCA) based in Phoenix. This non-profit body is involved in numerous activities that improve the profile of Trinidad and Tobago alongside other Caribbean nations.
Robert now leads the diaspora engagement effort in the Western Region of the USA sharing expertise in communication and leadership with Trinbago Diaspora Outreach Network (TDON).
Tricia Zenisa George
UK Liason
Her community activities include:
- BHC Lead for Kidney Health Awareness 5km walk
- WRCF Cancer Survivor Champion
- St. Chad’s R.C. Lay Reader TTAUK Liason to T&T Diaspora Outreach Network (TDOC)
- Corporate and Clinical Governance
- Quality Risk and Patient Safety
- Trustee under Charifiesq Commission
- UK TTHUF (Trinidad and Tobago UK Forum)
- TTAUK (& BHC (BAME Health Collaborative)
- Senior Manager in the NHS
- NICE Collaborator
- Senior Health Professional
- Cancer Research Ambassador
- MHM Health Consultant, Governance Consultant
- Represented TTHUF at a global conference, Collaborated on behalf of BHC for kidney health
- Document Specialist
Claire Kirk
Director & Canada Liason
Claire Kirk is a visionary whose unique ability to connect with others has enabled her to make an
indelible impact as a Transformational Psychotherapist. She is a member of the Canadian
Counselling and Psychotherapy Association and was recognized as a diplomat by the American
Association of Mind Body Medicine. She is also the recipient of a Martin Luther King Award, as part
of the founding members of the Prairie Land Mediation centre in Champaign Illinois. The Tobago-
born Canadian migrated as a child and resided in Montreal, she later relocated to Toronto and
attended York university. Her education and special training in Psychotherapy is complimented by
her spiritual gift, which she proudly credits to her AfriCaribbean roots.
Claire began her career as a Social Worker with the Ministry of Community and Social Services in
Toronto with the At Risk population and later served on an accompanied tour of duty as a
Canadian Peace Keeper in the Middle East-Egypt, Israel and the Sinai. Claire has lived and worked in
her field with At Risk communities in the USA for the City of Champaign Illinois and among the
indigenous population in Manitoba Canada where she specialized in treating addiction, generational
trauma, and bereavement as well as a myriad of other mental health issues. Her clinical work
includes consulting for government agencies and Non for Profit Organizations thru her charity
organization Mindyourlife Community Wellness Programs (MYLC). She is credited with the creation
of E-motional (Energy-in-motion), Fitness, Quotient system in 2001-a holistic and integrated
organically trauma informed approach based on the spiritual philosophy of anthroposophy as well as
the tenets of humanistic psychology. She is the sole founder of AfriCaribbean Canadian Family
Advocacy Center (ACFAC) and Mindyourlife & Associates, her mental health wellness coaching
company. She honours her calling by teaching her E.F.Q system to organizations, while remaining
committed to her private practice and building communities locally and globally as a social purpose
enterprise. Claire also taught her system at the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana-Integrated
Health Department and at the Lifespace Institute of Transformational Psychotherapy.
Her passion for learning has inspired work travels stints over the last 30 years to Africa, Europe,
Middle East and the Caribbean. As a Tobago native she is honoured to be a part of the Trinbago
Diaspora Outreach Network. She brings her multi-faceted skillset and international experience to
TDON’s Board of Directors and specifically serves as TDON liaison.
Angela Cooper
TDON Director
Angela’s commitment extends beyond her professional role; she actively contributes to community organizations such as the Tobago Progressive Association, the Trinidad and Tobago Alliance, and engages in organizing events for Brooklyn-based civic organizations. Rooted in her love for service, Angela Cooper stands as a compassionate advocate for the elderly and a guiding force for the younger generation, embodying a profound commitment to making a positive impact in healthcare and the community.
Roots of the Trinidad and Tobago Diaspora
Before Trinidad and Tobago achieved independence in 1962 a wave of emigration to Panama occurred as opportunities opened up for work on the Panama Canal at the turn of the 20th century. Most of the laborers eventually moved north to settle in different American cities. Another wave of emigration to England occurred during the 1950s as T&T nationals, encouraged by England’s offers to former colonies to assist in its post-war rebuilding efforts, sought to improve their educational and earning opportunities in England. Outside of these waves, inhabitants of Trinidad and Tobago were attracted to the USA and Canada during the second half of the 20th century and a steady rate of departures for greener pastures became evident from the 1960s when British immigration policies were more adverse for Caribbean people (Richmond 1987). In the ensuing decades, more persons left the country’s shores seeking a better life in North America. In 2013, the estimated number of TT migrants in the metropolitan countries crossed 364,000 of which 249,000 were domiciled in USA and 76,000 domiciled in Canada (UNICEF 2013). The Migration Policy Institute estimated that in 2014, 220,000 TT nationals were in the USA based on the US Census (A. Phillips 2018).
