Fairfax, VA. For thousands of Bhutanese families who were once forced out of Bhutan and placed in refugee camps across Eastern Nepal, the bond with the land that sheltered them transcends geopolitical borders and historical hardship. Resettled in the United States through the third-country resettlement program, Bhutanese Americans carry Nepal deep in their hearts, holding onto a quiet affection and a sense of home that time and distance cannot erase. Regardless of the immense challenges and uncertainties faced during their years in the camps, the connection to the place where their children were born, where they attended school, and where lifelong bonds were formed remains unbroken.
That enduring attachment has now taken the form of immediate, unified action. In a striking display of solidarity and gratitude, the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO), alongside Bhutanese American leaders nationwide, has mobilized $94,486 from 728 individual donors toward its $100,000 goal for the Bhutanese Americans United for Nepal Flood Relief campaign. Anchored by a top contribution of $5,001 from Krishna Bhattarai, the grassroots initiative delivers essential aid—including food, temporary shelter, clean water, and recovery supplies—directly to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund of Nepal.
What makes this fundraising effort exceptionally valuable is the powerful, full-circle story behind every donation. Having successfully rebuilt their lives as New Americans, the Bhutanese diaspora views this relief initiative not merely as ordinary charitable giving, but as an act of remembrance, respect, and deep-seated duty. By pooling resources across state lines through one accountable nonprofit entity, former refugees are actively returning the sanctuary once extended to them—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Nepal in their hour of catastrophic need.
