Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio
Every day, the BCCO provides vital direct services, education, empowerment and hope
to the newly resettled 25,000+ Bhutanese refugee population in Central Ohio,
and serves as a national model and resource.
The BCCO bravely responds to the covid-19 pandemic
BHUTANESE RESPONSE ASSISTANCE VOLUNTEER EFFORT (BRAVE)
COVID-19 response
The COVID-19 public health pandemic has hit low-income, minority communities with the greatest force. Perhaps no minority community is more vulnerable to the devastating effects of this deadly virus than refugees and immigrants, the majority of whom work paycheck to paycheck as laborers, struggle to navigate the health, education and social services systems even in non-pandemic times, and may not be receiving quality health care and COVID-19 prevention information due to language, literacy, and other barriers.
Given the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio’s critical trusted role in serving this growing population, we knew we had to respond quickly and address this immediate health, social and economic emergency as it began to roar through our communities. In March 2020, we led a major effort to create the Bhutanese Response Assistance Volunteer Effort (BRAVE) response group led by our BCCO team, which has now become the go-to resource for families in need of COVID-19 screenings and testing, educational materials, PPE and other essential supplies, food, gas cards, medicine, and economic support in Columbus and Franklin County.
As the home base of the nation’s largest Bhutanese-Nepali refugee resettled population, the BCCO also has shared its knowledge and innovations created to respond to the COVID-19 crisis here with other cities in Ohio and in the U.S. which serve Bhutanese refugee populations.
The BCCO's BRAVE COVID-19 response is making a difference and is serving hundreds of families in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio and beyond.
Given the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio’s critical trusted role in serving this growing population, we knew we had to respond quickly and address this immediate health, social and economic emergency as it began to roar through our communities. In March 2020, we led a major effort to create the Bhutanese Response Assistance Volunteer Effort (BRAVE) response group led by our BCCO team, which has now become the go-to resource for families in need of COVID-19 screenings and testing, educational materials, PPE and other essential supplies, food, gas cards, medicine, and economic support in Columbus and Franklin County.
As the home base of the nation’s largest Bhutanese-Nepali refugee resettled population, the BCCO also has shared its knowledge and innovations created to respond to the COVID-19 crisis here with other cities in Ohio and in the U.S. which serve Bhutanese refugee populations.
The BCCO's BRAVE COVID-19 response is making a difference and is serving hundreds of families in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio and beyond.
Below: Community individuals and businesses stepping up with critical donations to support the BCCO BRAVE COVID-19 response to hundreds of families in need.
Below: PPE distribution at the BCCO Center on August 26, 2020, combined with Census and Voting education information. More than 125 individuals from the community were provided masks, hand sanitizers, groceries, milk and educational materials.
Media coverage of the BCCO & brave project |
Above: One of the many home deliveries of food staples, medications, and PPE continuing to be made by BCCO BRAVE volunteers and staff in Central Ohio.
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The BCCO and BRAVE initiative continues to provide critical support and stability for families struggling to access quality culturally appropriate information and services on the spreading COVID-19 virus pandemic. Some media coverage of the BCCO as it works to combat the virus:
North Akron Immigrant Families Hit By Coronavirus Get Help from the BRAVE Project
National Public Radio - WKSU
BRAVE MTSU Women Helping Bhutanese-Nepali Community in Nashville
Middle Tennessee State University News
"COVID-19 has shown me how vulnerable we are."
Letters from Home: A personal reflection.
--Sudarshan Pyakurel, BCCO
National Public Radio - WOSU Columbus
North Akron Immigrant Families Hit By Coronavirus Get Help from the BRAVE Project
National Public Radio - WKSU
BRAVE MTSU Women Helping Bhutanese-Nepali Community in Nashville
Middle Tennessee State University News
"COVID-19 has shown me how vulnerable we are."
Letters from Home: A personal reflection.
--Sudarshan Pyakurel, BCCO
National Public Radio - WOSU Columbus
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Please consider supporting the important work of the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio and also our BRAVE COVID-19 response project by making a one-time or ongoing tax-deductible donation. If you want to learn more about the BCCO and the BRAVE project, please click the button below. You may also use the ‘Donate’ button at the end of the page. Dhanyavad! (Thank you!)
Please consider supporting the important work of the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio and also our BRAVE COVID-19 response project by making a one-time or ongoing tax-deductible donation. If you want to learn more about the BCCO and the BRAVE project, please click the button below. You may also use the ‘Donate’ button at the end of the page. Dhanyavad! (Thank you!)
OUR Community-centered ModelAs the trusted non-profit with a strong track record of serving the 25,000+ and growing Bhutanese and broader communities, we strive to be a ‘One-Stop-Shop’ for the community's needs and aspirations. Partnerships with groups like the Ohio Benefit Bank, Medicaid Managed Care Plan, ADAMH and many other public-private entities help address needs here at the community center and out in the community. We all grow stronger through partnerships!
The BCCO builds relationships with other communities through cultural exchange, language and learning, and through partnership building. The BCCO aspires to become part of the mainstream culture at the same time preserving its cultural values, language, and tradition. |
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Support our work!
"It is not about how much you do,
but how much love you put into what you do that counts."
-Mother Teresa
The Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO) is a community-based non-profit organization founded in 2009. We became a 501(c)3 non-profit in 2012. We support community members with vital, culturally appropriate social services
and empower them through education and advocacy.
Your donation is tax-deductible, and most importantly, will make a real difference
in improving many lives in our community.
Thank you!
Make Our Community Stronger -- Donate Now!