Born in a remote village in Bhutan, a small country sandwiched between two big countries—China in the north and India—I completed my primary education at Dorokha Primary School, a 40 minute walk from my home. In 1990, while I was in high school, the government forcefully evicted 100,000 Nepali-speaking citizens from the country. Thus, I left Bhutan as a victim of ethnic cleansing and began to live a measurable life in a UNHCR-run refugee camp in eastern Nepal.

Alone there until my family joined me in 1992, I completed high school through a Nepal government school. I taught younger students in the refugee camp for some years and went to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, for higher studies. Working as a teacher in a private school helped pay for my college fees and supported my family in the camp.

When I married a Kathmandu-origin lady, it was a congenial knot between a Nepali citizen and a stateless man, between a lady from a wealthy family and a refugee, and a marriage ceremony done with money collected from friends and guardians. Our eldest son, Subham, was born in the refugee camp. In 2012, after 22 years of refugee life, my three-member family resettled in Denver, CO, through the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Our second child, Satyam, was born in Denver in 2014, and our four-member family moved again the same year, to Cincinnati, for better employment opportunities and a more affordable life.

I worked in a warehouse as a picker, packer and processor for two years before I joined Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio (CCSWO) in 2016. After four years as a caseworker, I switched to the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services (JFS) for less than a year, then settled in private home care. I could then make time to help the Nepali- speaking community (LEP), using the case management skills I learned at CCSWO and JFS.

As a community worker, I volunteered for the Bhutanese/ Nepalese community for PPE distribution during the Covid-19 pandemic helped register people for the Covid vaccine, and organized multiple vaccination sites in coordination with Hamilton County Public Health, CCSWO, Colerain Township, and other nearby hospitals and health clinics. Because of this work, I was one of 28 people in the nation to be recognized with the 2022 Immunization Champion Award. I also coordinated with Colerain Township for a cricket ground’s creation at Dravo Park to encourage youths to play cricket.

In 2017, I was sworn in as a U.S. citizen, ending my long stateless status.

When I landed at the Denver International Airport for the first time, I didn’t have a big dream for my life. I just wanted to find a job, manage two meals on the table for my family, find a secure roof to keep my family away from rain, cold and heat, a comfortable bed to sleep on, a better school for my kids and better health care for my family. I didn’t even believe that we could practice our religion, culture and values in this new country. But I am so glad to witness every freedom in this great nation.

Tara Dahal is a resident of Cincinnati and a former refugee from Bhutan. He works at Healthy Home Care in the HR department. As a volunteer, he chairs the Nepali Language and Arts Center, a non- profit organization. Tara is on the Board of Directors at Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio.

This article appeared in the July 2023 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.