Bhutanese refugees want to adopt quake-damaged Nepali village

 By:Tu-Uygen Trans.

A group of Bhutanese refugees who once sheltered in Nepal say they plan to essentially adopt a village damaged by two earthquakes in that country.The group wants to provide "lasting relief" that would rebuild homes and provide help with health care costs, not just buy emergency supplies, said Kul Basnet, a leader in the Bhutanese community in Fargo.

They're looking for a village in need in the Sindhupalchowk District, a mountainous hard-to-reach area northeast of the capital Kathmandu. More than a thousand people were reportedly killed there and many homes destroyed after the April 25 earthquake. Another quake followed on Tuesday.
The effort is centered on the Namaste Grocery store, one of two Bhutanese grocery stores in Fargo, and the Bhutanese Buddha Society of North Dakota, a Fargo-based nonprofit group. Basnet is an owner of the store as well as a translator with Lutheran Social Services.
He said he and his friends wanted to help Nepal because Nepal had helped them, and they hoping others in the Fargo area will join the cause.
Bhutanese refugees are victims of Bhutan's ethnic cleansing policy against its Nepali minority, they say. Many still live in refugee camps in eastern Nepal.
For refugees new to America, setting up the fundraising effort was a new experience. Basnet said he asked the police department how to do it and was told to talk to the community development office. He said he was advised to partner with an existing nonprofit group, which would have oversight of the funds.
"To be honest, I had a lot to learn from them," said Dan Mahli, the city's community development officer. "Here I am thinking they're trying to collect food and water needs for this emergency recovery and they're like, 'No, no, we're talking about long term. We've got two villages that don't have any buildings left in them.' "
Hasta Basnet, a cousin of Kul Basnet and a Namaste owner, said the group is still looking for trustworthy partners after having heard on social media about improper use of relief funds. If they can't find one, he said, they'll ask the Red Cross or the U.N. refugee agency to deliver the money to villagers.
Souce:Grand Forks Herald.