World Relief Nashville

Bhutanese Refugees Are Killing Themselves at an Astonishing Rate

jhendricks — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:15:55 +0000

Article by Danielle Priess and photo by Salim Ali

***This story was originally published on April 13, 2013 in The Atlantic. To view the original article click here. World Relief does not take any credit in the publication of this article.

Jai Subedi still doesn’t know why Mitra Mishra killed himself. Subedi, a case manager for Bhutanese refugees at Interfaith Works Center for New Americans in Syracuse, NY, was with the 20-year-old Mishra at Schiller Park the evening of July 3, 2010.”We played soccer just the previous day until 6 p.m. and he was totally fine,” Subedi said of Mishra, who was not a client of the center. “He played with me and I drove him back to his home. There wasn’t any indication. Nothing was wrong.”On Independence Day, early morning walkers found Mishra’s body hanging from a tree at the soccer field.Laxmi Dulal received the news of his childhood friend’s death by phone. Dulal, now 21 and studying at Penn State, was still in Timai refugee camp in eastern Nepal, where Mishra had lived next door before leaving for Syracuse with his grandmother almost a year before. Mishra’s father had died and his mother had remarried in Nepal. Dulal’s own move to the U.S. with his family was looming. Dulal had no idea his friend had been struggling. “I was in Nepal and he only sometimes used to call me and he never shared [those] things [with] me,” Dulal says. “What’s going to happen to their family after that, I was thinking. He was the only person who spoke English in their family.”

Mishra’s death is part of a troubling pattern among Bhutanese refugees resettled in the U.S. In August of 2010, about a month after Mishra’s death, Dan Maya Gurung committed suicide in Buffalo, according to the Bhutan News Service. Gurung was in her late 30s and had been in the country just two weeks. The next month, Nirmala Niroula, 35, also living in Buffalo, hung herself in her apartment. Niroula had moved to the U.S. three months earlier. That December, 20-year-old Menuka Poudel was found dead in her Phoenix apartment, hanging from a noose fashioned from the shawl Bhutanese women wear with their traditional clothing. She had been in the States just two months.The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) began to notice a pattern. Ultimately, 16 suicides were confirmed among U.S. resident Bhutanese refugees as of February 2012. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) had noticed a similar trend among the Bhutanese in the camps in Nepal. IOM documented 67 suicides and 64 attempts between 2004 and 2010. The numbers were high, but without a statistical comparison, it was hard to know how bad the problem was.

ORR tasked the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center of the Massachusetts Public Health Department with investigating. By interviewing close contacts of the deceased (typically family members), the study team performed “psychological autopsies” on 14 of the 16 U.S. suicide victims. They also did a broader survey of the general Bhutanese refugee population to determine the rates of suicidal thinking and mental health conditions.The study team confirmed the government’s suspicions; the problem was endemic. The global suicide rate per 100,000 people–how suicide rates are calculated–is 16, and the rate for the general U.S. population is 12.4. The Bhutanese rate is much higher: 20.3 among U.S. resettled refugees and 20.7 among the refugee camp population. A handful of suicides were reported among other refugee groups during the same period as the CDC study, but nothing like the number among the Bhutanese.The rate of depression among the Bhutanese surveyed was 21 percent, nearly three times that of the general U.S. population (6.7 percent). In addition to depression, risk factors for suicide included not being the family’s provider, feelings of limited social support, and having family conflict after resettlement. Most of the suicides were within a year of resettlement to the U.S. and, in all cases, the victims hanged themselves.

Hanging might be common because few other methods are accessible to a poor immigrant with little English literacy. Firearms are too difficult to obtain. Medications are too, and they require a knowledge of the English language few of the victims likely had.

Sharmila Shetty, one of the study’s lead authors, says the study can’t pinpoint why the suicides are happening, per se, but it did shed light on the reasons for suicidal thinking.

Post-migration difficulties that the victims faced offer clues about their possible motivations. Most are unable to communicate with their host communities. Many were also plagued by worries about family back home and over the difficulty of maintaining cultural and religious traditions. Most of the victims were unemployed. While few had previous mental health diagnoses, mental health conditions were probably significantly under-diagnosed in the camps where medical care was basic at best.

But few refugee camps anywhere boast high levels of medical care. And most refugees face language and cultural barriers. Still, it seems the Bhutanese community is unique in how many choose this irreversible decision.

“Money, money, money,” Som Nath Subedi offers as an explanation. Subedi, a Bhutanese case manager in Portland, Oregon and one of the first community leaders to bring attention to the suicides, says the intense poverty of the Bhutanese population may be a factor. “Iraqis, when they get here, they start looking for a house or a car,” he says. “We start looking for a job, how to pay rent, how to get bills paid.”

The CDC study noted that Bhutanese resettlement coincided with the financial recession, making the typical refugee problem of unemployment especially bad. But economic factors are just part of the story. Burmese, Somali and Iraqi refugees (the other three groups that top the list for recent refugee arrivals) also entered the U.S. during the downturn. These groups may have been protected by what Shetty describes as different “cultural perspectives” on suicide. Of these groups, most are Muslim, except the mainly Hindu Bhutanese.

Though both Shetty and Subedi were careful to avoid saying suicide is accepted by Bhutanese culture or Hindu religion, Subedi explains it is tolerated more. “For Bhutanese, suicide by hanging is a solution,” he says, explaining that for Somali refugees, Islamic prohibitions are effective deterrents. Hinduism is more ambiguous on the subject.

The severity of the conflict the different groups experienced may also be a factor. While no one disputes the trauma of displacement and decades in limbo in refugee camps, the conflict the Bhutanese refugees escaped from was relatively non-violent compared to other global conflicts. In the late 1980s, ethnic Nepalis were forcibly removed from Bhutan and traveled to Eastern Nepal, where camps were eventually established. Many were in the camps nearly 20 years until resettlement to third countries–mainly the U.S.–began in 2008. Stories of imprisonment, torture and rape are not uncommon. But, for the most part, younger people–those more likely to be suicide victims, according to the study–did not experience much of this violence.

The intense violence refugees faced in countries like Iraq or Somalia may have led to a greater resiliency to trauma, explains Jennifer Pincus, who used to work with Bhutanese and other refugees through the Catholic Family Center in Rochester, New York. “They were sheltered, I think, in a way, and so as a culture they tend to be much more sensitive to anything that goes on,” she says of the Bhutanese.

Despite meager food allowances, the camps in Nepal had better facilities than refugee camps in most other countries, says Lok Regmi, who was a community medical assistant with the World Food Programm at Beldangi-2 refugee camp before moving to Syracuse. And stressors like violent crime were basically non-existent. In some ways, Syracuse has been harsh by comparison. “I was beaten more than four times in Syracuse and it didn’t happen ever in my country,” Regmi says.

In June 2010, he was attacked by six men while on the way to the pharmacy. The experience left Regmi with a bitter taste. “I know how much I have passed my time for caring my family, depressed wife, and I was going to bring medications … I was going to the drugstore to get medications and they beat me without any reason,” he says, his voice rising slightly with indignation.

The attention brought to the suicides by the CDC study may be the first step to figuring out how to best tackle this incredibly complex problem. Suicide remains a poorly understood phenomenon; in unique cultural contexts it’s even more so.

But few concrete conclusions have been drawn from the investigation. And the problem is not over just because the study period has ended. Nine more suicides have been reported to ORR since. The numbers may actually be higher, says Som Nath Subedi, the Portland caseworker. He says the community is reluctant to discuss suicides out of fear of how the news might affect resettlement, which continues today.

On December 14, Subedi got a phone call that someone was on the verge. Subedi rushed to the house. After talking the man down, he helped him figure out a way to take care of his bills. He also put together images of Hindu gods and goddesses for the man to hang up at home. But Subedi worries that little is being done to effectively stop the tide of suicides from rising. “It’s ongoing,” he says “I’m getting calls every day.”

Celebrate Hope, Healing, and Freedom this June!

jhendricks — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:15:39 +0000

Celebrate Hope, Healing, and Freedom this June!

Each year, many Americans willingly leave their homes to embark on camping trips for fun, adventure and escape from the chaos of everyday life. Knowing they will return home soon, campers leave with family or friends to embrace the inconveniences of outdoor living and find temporary shelters for a few days.

In contrast, each year, millions of refugees are forced to flee their homes because of war and persecution. In the chaos surrounding their escape, they may be forced to leave family and friends behind to embark on a dangerous journey. Finally, many receive temporary shelter in a United Nations refugee camp for many years before receiving the opportunity to rebuild their lives in a new country.

This summer as you plan your camping trip or family vacation, remember our refugee friends who have been forced to leave their homes and wonder if they will ever be able to return.

This month, join World Relief Nashville as we honor the courage of refugees around the world. World Refugee Day is June 20^th, and we will offer several special opportunities to pray for, give to and engage with refugees throughout the month:

PRAY/EDUCATE

1) Start a new conversation with God this June, and learn more about His heart for refugees and immigrants by exploring His word. Click here to more about the “I Was a Stranger” 40-Day Challenge.

2) Discover more about World Relief and how we serve the most vulnerable both locally and globally. Mark your calendars for our upcoming discovery series events on June 10th and 18th.

World Relief Kenya’s office director will be traveling to the States this summer. During lunch on June 10th, Jean Paul Ndagijimana will make a stop in the Music City to share what God is doing in the city of Nairobi. He will also share briefly of his experience fleeing persecution in his home country of Rwanda. Click here to RSVP for this event. Lunch will be provided! No cost for this event! Location of the event is still being determined.

North American Mission Board is partnering with World Relief Nashville to host an event called “An Open Door”. The event will be on the night of June 18th beginning at 7:00pm at Haywood Hills Baptist Church. Aslam Masih, Church Mobilizer for the North American Mission Board, will be providing us with a challenge to go through “the open door” to provide hospitality and sharing the hope of Christ to our new international neighbors. Dinner will be provide! No cost for this event. Click here to RSVP.

ENGAGE

1) Run with the Nations is a unique 5K fundraiser on Saturday, June 15^th, where participants will have the opportunity to run and walk alongside refugees from around the world. Online registration is now open. Click here for more details.

2) Refugee Life Teams is a new ministry beginning this June where 1 church team commits to adopting 1 refugee family for 1 year. Details about the upcoming interest meeting are coming soon! For more information, please email volunteernashville@wr.org.

GIVE

1) Find our registry at Walmart or Target and purchase baby and household items to help welcome newly arrived families. Click here for more details!

2) The work of World Relief Nashville is impossible without the generous financial gifts from our supporters. We would be able to help rebuild the lives of refugees that have had to make the Music City their new home. If you would like to give a small donation in honor of World Refugee Day, please click here.

TN Legislation that Harms Local Resettlement Agencies Stopped

jhendricks — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:15:10 +0000

by Nathan Kinser, World Relief Nashville/Memphis Director

Every year hundreds of newly arrived refugees call Tennessee home. They are welcomed by communities, churches, and volunteers as they seek to start their lives over. Refugees are greeted by and find service through the volunteer agencies located in the state. These agencies, like World Relief, desire to help make the transition into a new country and culture a little easier for each person that now calls America home. The agencies work alongside the local governments, consulting with them to ensure the local community can handle the influx of new arrivals.

Even so, during its spring session, SB 1325/HB 1326 were introduced to the State Legislature. These bills proposed that the Legislature would invoice refugee resettlement agencies in the state to recoup the cost incurred by state and local government agencies for serving their refugee clients. Practically, this meant that the state would determine a per refugee cost for providing ESL services in the school system and for enrolling in and providing services like food stamps and TennCare. At the end of each year, the state would submit an invoice to each resettlement agency for the total cost of serving refugees (the per refugee cost X the number of refugees resettled by that agency) – up to the total amount the agency received for serving their clients. Further, this legislation would require refugee service providers to violate their client’s right to privacy by requiring them to provide confidential information to the State. Ultimately, the bills were an unfair burden on the resettlement agencies that provide services to those refugees calling Tennessee home and, if passed, would have effectively diminished or ended refugee resettlement in Tennessee.

Thanks to many in the community who contacted their State Representative or Senator, the House version of the legislation was referred to a summer study by the State Government Committee and Senator Ketron (the Senate bill sponsor) chose to pull the Senate version of the bill for this year. That means the bill is dead for now.

We ask that each of you continue to educate yourself on what the State is attempting to do in regards to refugee resettlement. World Relief will do its best to keep you informed as well. Together we can continue to make Tennessee a welcoming state to people from all national and ethnic backgrounds.

The Congolese Crisis

jhendricks — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:15:50 +0000

by Ryan Hudson, World Relief Nashville’s Reception and Placement Manager

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Masisi, DRC, are in urgent need of basic humanitarian assistance following recent fighting. These internally displaced people join 2.4 million Congolese IDPs from 2012 and 470,000 Congolese refugees residing in neighboring countries.

Over the next five years, Nashville, along with scores of other cities across the United States, will welcome tens of thousands of refugees who continue to flee the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since January 1^st, 2013, World Relief Nashville has already resettled 15 Congolese.

These newly resettled Nashville residents represent many ethnic tribes and more than five languages. All are fleeing situations that are unsafe and unhealthy. Many have been subjected to war crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence.

Most of these conditions are rooted in more than a decade of armed conflict that started with the 1996 invasion of the DRC in a hunt for war criminals who committed mass genocide in neighboring Rwanda. Conflict turned to war in 1996 and again in what became known as “Africa’s World War” in 1998. According to the Cultural Orientation Resource Center at the Center for Applied Linguistics, violent war crimes, including “unlawful killings, disappearances, mass rape, and torture” are common in the eastern provinces. As conflicting groups continue to battle over the region’s vast resources, the frequent use of sexual violence as a “weapon of war” has earned eastern DRC the title of “the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman.”

It is not difficult to identify the great urgency with which we must welcome our new neighbors. We must welcome them with compassionate, open arms into the new world that they will find both peaceful and frightening. As this most vulnerable population makes its way to our shores and our city, we must do everything we can to help them transition from a history of ravaging conflict and insecurity into a tolerant, loving community. Join World Relief and other organizations in Nashville as we seek to meet the needs of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters from the DRC.

For more information about Congolese refugees, check out the Resource page of our website for documentaries, books, and others articles. Other information about the conflicts going on in the DRC can be accessed on our Home Office’s website.

World Relief volunteers are more than helpers or teachers, they are learners and friends.

jhendricks — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:15:37 +0000

by Robin Snyder, World Relief Nashville Volunteer Coordninator

Volunteer Cindy Wickham takes her English students on field trips for a change of pace. One week she took them to the agricultural center. Upon returning the students home, she was invited inside for dinner. The family did not have enough forks for their guests, so the girls tore off strips of paper from their agricultural center brochure and created scoops.

Not every day does a field trip end in a dinner invitation, but hospitality, resourcefulness and joy are things Cindy sees in her students every day she teaches English.

“I appreciate their enthusiasm, love seeing their confidence built and their great attitude,” Cindy explained. “There is a joy I see in them.”

Cindy Wickham has been volunteering with World Relief Nashville for nearly two years as an English teacher. She has lived in Nashville for 40 years and formerly taught English at McGavock High School. When her youngest child began college, Cindy began to invest her extra time volunteering as an English teacher for refugees.

Cindy takes time to get to know each and every student and to learn a little bit of their refugee journey. She said she is touched by their courage in challenging circumstances and learns from them just as they learn from her.

“My students have taught me courage and tolerance,” said Cindy. “Others have taught perseverance and joy in the midst of difficult circumstances. Every student has blessed me.”

As her students share their lives with her, Cindy is eager to share not only her knowledge of the English language but also the hope she finds from her faith when the opportunity arises.

“I don’t consider myself to be an evangelist,” Cindy said. “But I recently had the opportunity to explain the story of Easter to a student. I told him I respected his religion, but I wanted to share the story of Easter with him. It seemed like a good opportunity to talk about Jesus. By the end of the story, there were tears in his eyes.”

Without the local church and volunteers like Cindy Wickham, World Relief Nashville would not be able to extend the love of Jesus Christ as far and deep with such limited time and resources. Each year, World Relief Nashville resettles approximately 500 refugees and there is always a need for more English classes and tutors.

English teachers are critical to helping new immigrants adjust to life in the States. The ability to communicate in English provides freedom and independence needed for basic living whether navigating the grocery aisle, finding a job, setting up a doctor’s appointment or communicating with school teachers.

Cindy said teaching English is something anyone who speaks English can do even without specialized training.

“If a person can speak English, he has the ability to teach English,” said Cindy. “And if you meet the refugees, you will want to be with them.”

World Relief Nashville is currently looking for more English teachers and has an urgent need for an English teacher beginning in late April. To learn more about this and other opportunities, please contact volunteer coordinator Robin Snyder.

Registration is now open for the 4th annual Run with the Nations 5K!

jhendricks — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 01:30:37 +0000

Join us on June 15, 2013, at Shelby Bottoms Greenway as we celebrate World Refugee Day (or “Month” since World Refugee Day is another celebration) and honor local refugee families. You will have the opportunity to walk or run beside refugees from around the world.

Individuals: April $20 / May $25 / June $30

Couples: April $35 / May $45 / June $55

More Family and Team pricing options are available online!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Run with the Nations 5K Committee Members still needed:

**GRAPHIC DESIGNER (ASAP)

Publicity Coordinator (ASAP)

Refugee Village Coordinator (ASAP)

Logistics/ Set-up Coordinator (by May 1^st)

Some relevant experience is preferred, but not required. Thank you for your interest! Contact Elizabeth Timbs for more information and/or to schedule a phone meeting.

Charity Dinning Days

jhendricks — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:58:29 +0000

Support World Relief Nashville’s REACH program by purchasing a coupon. For more information about Charity Dining Days click here. For more information about the REACH program, click here.

Labels for Education

jhendricks — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:27:49 +0000

The World Relief Nashville’s Journey Program can earn free educational supplies to serve Nashville’s refugee youth by collecting UPC labels and beverage/sauce caps from participating partners such as Campbell’s, Post cereal, and GLAD storage. To see a full list of participating partners, please click here. Labels and caps can be dropped off at World Relief Nashville-1655 Murfreesboro Pike Suite G, Nashville, TN 37217.

For more information about World Relief Nashville’s Journey Program please contact program manager Lynsey Auman.

20 People Empowering 100 Refugees by April 27th

jhendricks — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:15:20 +0000

Some are running, some are walking, and some are serving as an advocate—all striving to provide Nashville’s newest neighbors, REFUGEES, the tools and opportunities to live a life with a FUTURE and a HOPE.

The RACE/for Refugees team is an opportunity to train in group style running for the Country Music Marathon or Half on April 27^th. The mental, physical and spiritual challenges inherent in training for a race help RACE/ team members connect to the refugee journey in a more personal way.

At the age of 17, Helen left Ethiopia, her mother, and her sisters with the hope of freedom. She and others walked for 11 days. They walked through arid, desert conditions. They had seen men taken to be forced soldiers. When she reached the refugee camp in Sudan, Helen faced a new set of fears: minimal personal security, no ability to earn an income, and the constant threat of racist persecution and rape.

Helen met and married her husband, Alem at the refugee camp. Years later, the couple was resettled in Nashville, TN. The freedom and independence Helen desired came with much work. They needed to learn English, find a job, and find a reliable way of getting around. Most of all, they needed helping hands to guide them back onto their feet.

This year, World Relief Nashville will welcome 525 new refugees with stories just like Helen and Alem. With a team goal of raising $20,000 RACE/for Refugee team members are striving to empower 100 refugees by April 27^th.

Though training season has already begun, World Relief is looking for a few more team members to help us raise $20,000 and reach our goal of empowering 100 refugees by April 27^th.

You can sign up for the team online by clicking here, and join us for Saturday morning long runs and monthly cross-training experiences. Your RACE/for Refugees will be a fun experience, but will also change lives. Not a bad way to spend the early part of 2013, eh?

From Gas Attendant to Civil Engineer

jhendricks — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:15:20 +0000

Sadik* received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and worked for 17 years as an engineer before he was forced to flee Iraq under threat of death. He believed his degree would easily land him a professional job in engineering in the United States, but when he arrived, the only job he could find was working as a gas station attendant earning minimum wage. With a family to support, Sadik was forced to focus on daily survival and had little time to research better career options. He also found that employers did not understand the value of his foreign degree. It was not until he joined the REACH program that his hope was renewed. Sadik said, “My favorite part of the REACH program was that they kept us updated with available jobs and they assisted us in preparing professional resumes. I like the way they link job seekers to employers and prepare us for interviews.” Through customized career guidance Sadik was able to find a job in engineering. Today his salary is 1300% larger than when he entered the program!

This success story was made possible by great Career Mentors and Employer Partners like you! For more information about REACH and how to get involved, please contact Betsy Pipher at bpipher@wr.org or (615) 569-7151 or click here.

*Name changed to protect his identity