Bhutanese Community Program Announces New Volunteer Opportunities

Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, the recently formed Association of Bhutanese in America (ABA), with the support of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), is starting the Bhutanese Ethnic Community Self-Help Program. The main objectives for this program are:
 1)      To build the ABA’s capacity to establish sustainable, effective local programming supporting the self-sufficiency of Bhutanese refugees, particularly vulnerable women, in Maryland, Washington D.C., and northern Virginia.
2)      To ensure the delivery of critical services and support to recently arrived Bhutanese women, including immediate and ongoing mentoring, acculturation, and education.
 
While the IRC is doing its best to serve refugees, there is a strong demand for enhanced services. Bhutanese refugees are among the most vulnerable refugee populations the IRC serves.  Having only recently resettled in the U.S., they lack networks and communities to provide support in their transition to their new lives in the United States. The ABA, a Bhutanese organization comprised of previously arrived Bhutanese immigrants, fosters self sufficiency among newly arrived Bhutanese refugees by addressing issues of concern and providing services that help with this adjustment.
 
Volunteering:
 
Volunteers are needed in different capacities. The projects the IRC/ABA is providing are as follows:
1)      English language lessons
2)      Acculturation
3)      Economic self-sufficiency (Employment)
 
If you are interested in volunteering with the IRC, please contact Hanako Kubori, the IRC Bhutanese Community Program Coordinator, at Hanako.Kubori@theIRC.org