Kickstarter

Two years ago, I met a family of Bhutanese refugees who had just resettled in Twin Falls, Idaho, after spending 17 years languishing in a Nepal refugee camp. In the early '90s, Bhutanese of Nepali descent -- called Lhotshampas -- were systematically driven from their country by the Bhutanese government.
More than 100,000 Lhotshampas fled to Nepal, where the government put them in camps in the southeast part of the country. In 2008, nearly two decades after they left Bhutan, the United States agreed to resettle 60,000. More than 300 of those ended up in Twin Falls, a city with no established Nepali or Hindu community.

THE PROJECT:
I plan to travel to Beldangi II refugee camp in April and spend about two weeks with a family who is assigned to resettle in Twin Falls. Over the following year, I will shadow the family as they adjust to a radically different life.
I want to tell the story of Twin Falls' Lhotshampas through the eyes of this family. I will write about the history of the Lhotshampas and their troubles in Bhutan, the conditions of the refugee camp, the family's experiences, cultural differences between Idahoans and Bhutanese, how the economy has affected resettlement and how the new arrivals have changed Twin Falls. My reporting will culminate in a book at the end of the 12 months.

HOW THE FUNDS WILL BE SPENT
The funds I raise will cover travel to Beldangi II camp. They will also partially pay for self-publishing and part of the plane ticket for my interpreter, Chandra Upreti. Any extra funds raised will go to upping the quality of the books and printing more of them.

Thank you for helping me share their stories!