Meet Birendra Dhakal, the first Bhutanese-American running in Clarkston. Birendra Dhakal is a Clarkston resident of seven years, a life-long public servant, and passionate advocate for the political empowerment and participation of people from all walks of life. Birendra, 55, arrived in the United States in 2001 as a refugee from Bhutan. Ethnic and human rights problems in Bhutan led to the exodus of about 100,000 refugees from Bhutan to Nepal. Birendra’s family was the first Bhutanese family to settle in Clarkston, well known as a prime refugee resettlement site in Georgia and dubbed the Ellis Island of the South. Since arriving in Clarkston, Birendra has used his skills and experience in government, planning and development, and nonprofit service to make Clarkston a better place to live for residents, especially refugee-Americans. In 2008, when Bhutanese refugees started arriving in large numbers to Clarkston, Birendra was in the forefront helping his community members with shopping, interpretation and cultural integration efforts. This helped the city preserve resources and fostered greater understanding among residents. Birendra founded and serves as the Executive Director of the Bhutanese Association of Georgia, an organization which promotes civic participation among Bhutanese.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 05:43:14 +0000