Building Community in New Hampshire (BCNH), originally founded as the Bhutanese Community of New Hampshire in May 2009, is a refugee-led nonprofit organization serving refugee and immigrant populations in central New Hampshire. Co-founded by Suraj Budathoki — who later became the first Bhutanese American elected to a state legislature — BCNH expanded its mission in 2017 to serve all refugee and immigrant communities, including Bhutanese, Afghan, Ukrainian, and Congolese populations. The organization operates offices in Manchester and Nashua with staff representing six nationalities.
Building Community in New Hampshire (BCNH) is a refugee-led nonprofit organization serving refugee and immigrant populations in central New Hampshire. Originally founded as the Bhutanese Community of New Hampshire in May 2009 by a group of Bhutanese refugees including Suraj Budathoki and Ganga Thapa, the organization broadened its mission on June 10, 2017, changing its name to reflect its expansion to serve all refugee and immigrant communities — including Bhutanese, Afghan, Ukrainian, Congolese, and Bosnian populations.
BCNH describes itself as "an organization run by and for refugees," with staff representing six nationalities. The organization operates from offices in Manchester and Nashua, providing social services, employment assistance, English language classes, citizenship preparation, mental health support, health insurance enrollment, nutrition education, and youth and senior programming. Its stated mission is "Helping Refugees and other Immigrants Navigate Their Way To Safe, Healthy, Productive, Prosperous, and Connected Lives in New Hampshire."[1]
History
Bhutanese refugees began arriving in New Hampshire through the federal resettlement program in 2008. Initially, a small group of friends began volunteering to assist new arrivals with language, culture, case management, and employment needs. By the end of 2008, the community recognized the need for a formal organization. The Bhutanese Community of New Hampshire was formed in May 2009, becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2011.
The organization was co-founded by Suraj Budathoki and his wife Ganga Thapa, along with other community members including Tika Acharya, who became the first Executive Director. Acharya had arrived in Manchester in January 2009 with his family. His father had been imprisoned and tortured in Bhutan; Acharya himself fled alone at age 13, walking overnight into India. He completed high school in the refugee camps, earned an MBA in India, and his family spent 17 years in camps in Nepal before resettlement.[2]
As the organization matured, its leadership recognized that the skills and infrastructure it had built to serve Bhutanese refugees could benefit other displaced populations arriving in New Hampshire. On June 10, 2017, the organization formally changed its name to Building Community in New Hampshire and expanded its mission to serve all refugee and immigrant populations.
Founders and Notable Figures
Co-founder Suraj Budathoki went on to become one of the most prominent Bhutanese Americans in the country. Born in Samrang, Bhutan, he spent 19 years in a refugee camp in Nepal before arriving in the U.S. in 2009. He earned a BA from Southern New Hampshire University, an MA from Norwich University, and is a PhD candidate at Saybrook University. In 2016, he served as deputy political director for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in New Hampshire. He also co-founded Peace Initiative Bhutan, which has led delegations to Washington, D.C., building support for congressional resolutions urging Bhutan to acknowledge the forced displacement of over 100,000 citizens. In November 2024, Budathoki was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives (Hillsborough 40th district), becoming the first Bhutanese American elected to a state legislature in U.S. history.[3]
Board Chair Dhan Timsina runs in-home care services and an adult-care center in Hooksett and was named in the Union Leader's "40 Under 40."
Programs and Services
BCNH offers a comprehensive suite of services in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner:
- Social Services and Case Management — Housing assistance, job placement, driver's license procurement, family law support, food stamps, and health insurance applications. Case managers are themselves former refugees speaking multiple languages.
- Employment Services — Resume assistance, job placement, and employer connections.
- English as a Second Language (ESL) — Classes taught by experienced ESOL instructors, available both online and in-person.
- Citizenship and Naturalization — Classes in American civics and preparation for naturalization exams.
- Mental Health Support — Linkages with community mental health centers, direct counseling, and scheduling and transportation for appointments.
- Youth Engagement — The New American Youth Engagement Project, expanded from Concord to Manchester. Notably, one student in BCNH's SAT preparation program received a Gates Millennium Scholarship — one of only 1,000 awarded nationally.
- Senior Citizens Programs — Dedicated programming for elderly community members.
- Harmonium Program — Two Bhutanese refugee instructors with Master's degrees in Music partnered with the NH Council for the Arts and eventually taught through the Concord Community Music School.
The organization serves 314 families statewide, with 114 in Concord specifically, and its website offers Google Translate support in 11 languages including Nepali, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, French, Ukrainian, Pashto, and Dari.[4]
Staff
BCNH employs 7 full-time and 2 part-time staff members representing 6 nationalities, reflecting the populations it serves. Case managers and instructors include refugees and immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Iran, alongside Bhutanese staff. Current Executive Director Nikki Shults, who joined in January 2026, brings experience from the Peace Corps in Ethiopia and a decade leading Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly in Boston. Deputy Director Vijay Bhujel, originally from Bhutan, spent 22 years in a Nepali refugee camp and holds a BS in Physics from the University of North Bengal.[5]
New Hampshire Bhutanese Community
New Hampshire is home to more than 2,000 Bhutanese Americans living primarily in Concord, Manchester, and Hooksett. Community members have launched businesses — Dhan Timsina runs in-home care services and an adult-care center; Rajesh Chauwan operates an adult-care center in Concord. Multiple community members have been recognized in the Union Leader's "40 Under 40" list of New Hampshire's young leaders.
Funding and Partnerships
BCNH operates on an annual budget of approximately $575,000. Key funders include the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, which provided a $15,000 capacity-building grant that enabled BCNH to secure $150,000 in federal funds, and Granite United Way. The organization works with initial resettlement agencies Ascentria Care Alliance and International Institute of New England, taking over long-term support after these agencies handle initial placement.[6]
See Also
References
- Building Community in New Hampshire. Official website. https://www.bcinnh.org
- New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. "From Hopelessness to Hope." https://www.nhcf.org/what-were-up-to/from-hopelessness-to-hope/
- Wikipedia. "Suraj Budathoki." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suraj_Budathoki
- Granite United Way. "Partnering with Building Community in New Hampshire." https://www.graniteuw.org/news-events/partnering-with-building-community-in-new-hampshire-to-support-new-americans
- BCNH. "Staff." https://www.bcinnh.org/staff
- New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. "From Hopelessness to Hope." https://www.nhcf.org/what-were-up-to/from-hopelessness-to-hope/
- NHPR. "NH Refugee Agencies Face Restrictions." December 2025. https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025-12-23/nh-refugee-agencies-restrictions-limits-refugees-new-hampshire
See also
Bhutanese Community in Minnesota
Minnesota is home to roughly 1,500 to 2,000 Bhutanese-Americans, almost all of them Lhotshampa refugees resettled in the Twin Cities through the US third-country resettlement programme that began in 2008. The community is concentrated in Saint Paul, Roseville and Little Canada, with smaller clusters in Minneapolis and outstate hubs at Worthington and Rochester.
diaspora·9 min readBhutanese Community in Virginia
Virginia hosts an estimated 1,000 Bhutanese-Americans, most of them Lhotshampa refugees resettled after 2008. The community is concentrated in Roanoke, where about 135 families form one of the state's most organised diaspora clusters, with secondary populations in Richmond, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.
diaspora·11 min readBhutanese Community Organisations in the United States
Since the large-scale resettlement of Bhutanese refugees beginning in 2007, dozens of community-based organisations have been established across the United States to support the integration, cultural preservation, and civic engagement of the Bhutanese-American community. Major organisations include the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO), the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh (BCAP), the Association of Bhutanese in America (ABA), and the Global Bhutanese Hindu Organisation (GBHO), among others.
diaspora·5 min readBhutanese Community in Connecticut
Connecticut hosts a small Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee population concentrated in the Greater Hartford area, with a secondary presence around New Haven and scattered families in Bridgeport and Fairfield County. Most arrived between 2008 and 2017 through Catholic Charities Hartford, IRIS in New Haven and Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford.
diaspora·11 min readBhutanese community in Massachusetts
Overview of the Bhutanese-American population in Massachusetts, centred on Springfield and the Worcester corridor, including resettlement history, community organisations, research partnerships and the impact of the 2025 federal enforcement wave.
diaspora·10 min readCommunity Organizations of Bhutanese Diaspora
Community organizations of the Bhutanese diaspora, commonly known as Bhutanese Community Organizations (BCOs), are local nonprofit associations established by resettled Bhutanese refugees in countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. These organizations provide social services, organize cultural events, facilitate civic integration, and serve as the primary institutional framework for diaspora community life.
diaspora·6 min read
Test Your Knowledge
Think you know about this topic? Try a quick quiz!
Help improve this article
Do you have personal knowledge about this topic? Were you there? Your experience matters. BhutanWiki is built by the community, for the community.
Anonymous contributions welcome. No account required.