Resettled Bhutanese to share stories at WRD

Arizona (USA), June 13, 2009 : Khagenra Baral and wife, Ganga, are scheduled to speak on behalf of the resettled Bhutanese at the World Refugee Day event on June 18, wrote the Catholic News Agency quoting a press release of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
 
The USCCB release issued on June 10 said, “Khagendra and Ganga Baral, Bhutanese refugees resettled in the United States in 2008 through the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ refugee resettlement program, will speak at this year’s World Refuge Day event on June 18, hosted by the UN Commissioner for Refugees and the National Geographic Museum.”
 
Khagendra and his wife, Ganga, who also lived at the camp, were part of the initial group of Bhutanese refugees to be resettled by Catholic Charities, Phoenix in March 2008, said the release.
 
With no Bhutanese community in the area, the Migration and Refugee Services program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent within the first group of refugees some with higher education levels and hopes that they would be hired.
 
“The Barals’ story embodies the tragedy of “statelessness” that hundreds of thousands of Bhutanese, mostly ethnic Nepalis, face after being forced to leave their own country.”
 
Joanne Morales, director of Refugee Programs for Catholic Charities in Phoenix said that Khagendra and Ganga are the perfect example of how successful refugees can be with community support and a chance for resettlement.
 
 “Not only are they economically independent through employment, but they are also giving back.  The Phoenix community is truly a better community for having hosted this special family,” she added.
 
Talking to Bhutan News Service over telephone from Arizona, Ganga has expressed delight for getting such a great opportunity.
 
“May be the story carried by BNS a few months back have been heard by those who have offered us this chance”, she said.
 
Meanwhile, the U.S. Committee for Refugee and Immigrants said that it is going to release World Refugee Survey 2008 year book on June 17 organizing a special program in Washington D.C.
 
The theme of this year’s celebration is Real People, Real Needs.
 
The World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20 with an aim to remember the global refugees and their plights.