Refugee week celebration
This is refugee day celebration around the globe. Refugee day celebration has become culture for Bhutanese in exile since last few years. This culture has been continued to their overseas homes though tag refugee on them is gradually erasing as they take permanent residency certification on the country they are living.
The grand celebrations news always comes from the US. This is also because of the massive news coverage of the events. Here is Australia, Migrant Resource Centre, the resettling agency, is organising the function and I have received an invitation from its manager to attend it. Many representatives from refugee communities will join the functions along with government officers and politicians.
A statement I received from Nini Gurung, an officer with UNHCR Nepal mentions that the agency is celebrations the day with various functions in the refugee camps in eastern Nepal. There isn’t any news from Europe about Bhutanese participation in the celebration.
I have received updates from Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and few other states where Bhutanese have joined the refugee day celebration. In Pennsylvania, Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugees Services is the celebration organiser where 600 refugees from Bhutan, Nepal, Iran, Cuba, Vietnam and Burma will join.
“I have felt that my children will have a better future than what they had in the camps,” said Bhutanese Yadu Acharya, 17.
In Kentucky, Lutheran Church organised the celebration where scenes of Children running with shoelaces flapping, parents carrying in their favourite foods, plenty of music and dancing were seen.