Bhutanese Refugees in Omaha
Katie Davis
Intro to the Conflict
• Bhutan
• Ethnic groups:
– Lhotshampa
– Ngalong
• “Bhutanization”
– One nation, One
People
• 100,000 displaced
http://www.photovoice.org/bhutan/index.php?id=1
Timeline
Late 19th – early 20th century: Organized settlement of south Bhutan for
cultivation. Many ethnic Nepalese arrived as agricultural laborers.
1958- Bhutan passed its first citizenship act
1960s-1970s- Southern Bhutan continues to grow in economic prominence
1980s- “One nation, one People” policies promote northern Bhutanese culture
1985- A new citizenship act passed- repressive actions
1991-1992 refugees flow into Nepal
1990s-2006-all bilateral negotiations between Nepal and Bhutan fail.
2006- the U.S., Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and
Norway offer to resettle refugees.
2008- third country resettlement begins. (57,000 refugees resettled in U.S. 2013)
2012- consolidation of the camps
today: In Nepal, more than 69,000 of an original total of 108,000 refugees from
Bhutan have been resettled.
(http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e487646.html)
Bhutanese in Omaha
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2008
2,000
Midtown/Benson
Lutheran Family Services
Omaha Together One Community (OTOC)
Yates Community Center (32nd davenport)
KVNOnews.com
Teaching Context
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Culturally:
– Strong family ties/Patriarchal
– Taught to respect authority
– Education is very important
Traumatic stressors:
– Pre-arrival stressors:
• Lack of nationality or citizenship
• Having to flee their homes suddenly
• Lack of freedom of movement
– Post-arrival stressors:
• Worries about family back home
• Language barriers
• Lack of choice
• Increased family conflict
• Poverty/employment issues
• Acculteration issues
(Cochran et al, 2013)
(Benson et al, 2011)
Strategies:
1. Family involvement
2. SIOP language supports
3. Help from counselor/social worker
(Haynes, 2013)
CRT Strategies
• Focus on helping learn school rules and proceduresexplicitly explain to them and demonstrate!
• Usually will not volunteer in giving answers/sharing
feelings/or debate. Give them time to adjust.
• Don’t single them out in front of the class. Conference
with them one on one.
• Often look for direct instruction because that is the
way most families communicate with their children.
Don’t be passive with instructions.
(Chiang, 2000)
Culture:
Banki, Susan (2008) “Chapter 2 Resettlement of the Bhutanese from Nepal: The Durable Solution
Discourse.” Protracted Displacement in Asia: No Place to Call Home. Ashgate Publishing.
Benson et al (2011) “Religious coping and acculturation stress among Hindu Bhutanese.” International
Social Work. 55(4) 538-553.
Carter, Leslie and Bhim Gurung (2011) Now We Will. Omaha Public Schools English as a Second
Language Migrant and Refugee Education.
Cochran et al (2013) “Suicide and Suicidal Ideation Among Bhutanese Refugees- United States, 20092012.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. July 5 2013. Vol. 62, No. 26.
Quigley, John (2004) “Bhutanese refugees in Nepal: What role nor for the European Union and the
United Nations High Commission for Refugees?” Contemporary South Asia. 13(2) 187-200.
http://www.photovoice.org/bhutan/index.php?id=1
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e487646.html
http://www.kvnonews.com/2013/11/hey/
CRT Strategies:
“Welcoming Refugee Students: Strategies for Classroom Teachers.” Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance
(BRIA) New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
http://otda.ny.gov/programs/bria/documents/WtOS-Strategies-for-Teachers-Brochure.pdf
Chiang, Linda H.(2000) 'Teaching Asian American students', The Teacher Educator, 36: 1, 58 — 69.
http://edt2.educ.msu.edu/DWong/te150s11/CourseReader/ChiangTeachingAsianAmerStudents.pdf
Haynes, Judie. (2013) “SIOP: Making Content Comprehensible for ELLs.”
http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/using_siop_model_08621.php.php