February 11, 2008

Dear Educator,

Teachers' Corner brings the latest refugee news from around the world to your classroom. The UN Refugee Agency's (UNHCR) E-alert is created for educators like you who are teaching about refugees, human rights, and tolerance. In this update:

1. Refugees from Bhutan poised for new start in the United States
2. How You Can Help
3. Fill the Sky
4. News to Use in the Classroom

1. Refugees from Bhutan poised for new start in the United States

A new lease on life is within reach for thousands of refugees from Bhutan who have been living in Nepal's camps for nearly two decades. Within months, the first of at least 60,000 Bhutanese refugees will be resettled in the United States, and the remaining will be resettled here over the next few years.

Many of the refugees have spent up to 17 years in camps in Nepal. The refugees first arrived in Nepal after fleeing ethnic tensions in Bhutan in the early 1990s. There are more than 107,000 refugees living in seven camps in eastern Nepal today.

Although many Bhutanese refugees have expressed a desire to return home, not one refugee has been allowed to return home. Unable to return home or to integrate permanently into Nepal, thousands of Bhutanese refugees are being referred for resettlement to countries such as the United States, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Australia.

Most Bhutanese refugees have a very limited knowledge of life in the West. Most identify themselves are farmers or students and few have had the opportunity to acquire job skills in the camps. Almost none of the refugees have family ties in the U.S.

Refugees approved for resettlement undergo a three-day orientation course to prepare them for their first few months in the United States. Cultural orientation sessions cover topics such as: the role of resettlement agencies; housing; employment; transportation; education; money management; rights and responsibilities; cultural adjustment and travel.

For many refugees, especially those who have lived in the camps for many years, English language training will be important. Some refugees, particularly younger ones, will have completed secondary school and will have aspirations for higher education.
Read the latest on the Bhutanese refugee situation.

2. How You Can Help
It doesn't take much. There are numerous ways you can get involved to help raise funds for and awareness of refugee issues and the work of the UN Refugee Agency. Learn more about how to help refugees.

Looking for refugee-themed books for your students? Get started with this reading list.

3. Fill the Sky
Join The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini in launching a kite and filling the sky with messages of hope for millions of Afghan refugees. Invite your students to help make a difference. Click here to learn more.

4. News to use
Chad: Thousands of refugees flee attacks in Darfur, cross border to Chad
Thousands of refugees from Darfur have fled across the border into eastern Chad since Friday to escape deadly militia attacks supported by Sudanese forces on villages in West Darfur, as the security situation in the region markedly deteriorates.
Learn more about the Chad/Darfur refugee crisis.Kenya: Somali refugee wins US State Department award for courage
A young Somali refugee has been honored with a prestigious United States government award for her courageous work in fighting for the rights of women and girls in a Kenyan refugee camp.
Learn more about the Somalia refugee situation.

Switzerland: UNHCR appeals for US$90 million to help internally displaced people
The UN refugee agency on Tuesday asked donors to support more than US$90 million in UNHCR programs aimed at assisting millions of internally displaced people (IDP) during the coming year.
Learn more about IDPs.

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