Helping in a Holistic Way

The United States government offered to resettle 60,000 Hindu refugees from Bhutan who have been living in United Nations refugee camps in Nepal for many years. The refugees began arriving in various US cities in 2008. Since then, more than 300 have settled in and around Portland, Oregon. The federal government provides about ten months’ worth of housing and food support, after which the refugees are expected to provide for themselves. 

To help bridge the gap between government assistance and the refugees’ independence, members of the Sathya Sai Baba Center of Beaverton, Oregon (suburb of Portland), created the Bhutanese service project. Center members began in 2010 by providing material necessities­– mainly furniture, clothing, and household supplies. However, the devotees’ larger goal was to be of service in a more holistic way, implementing the five human values and empowering the refugees to provide for themselves. With this in mind, they helped the adults get drivers’ licenses, conducted English education classes for both adults and children, taught basic computer skills, conducted music classes, and mentored the children. In an effort to empower the women, they supplied raw materials for making traditional handicrafts (winter caps, etc.) that they were then able to sell at local fairs.

The Center also provided SSE classes for the children for about a year, until long distance travel across town made it prohibitive to continue. The SSE coordinator explained it was wonderful to have the Bhutanese children involved. They “brought ethnic diversity, and the refreshing perspective of young people new to our culture. They also gave us the opportunity to serve them, which really is not just for them but for ourselves, since we gain from doing this.”

Some of the refugees had been devotees of Sai Baba before immigrating to the US, and many more began attending bhajan (group devotional singing) sessions at the Beaverton Center. Such interactions provided a welcoming atmosphere to the new arrivals. Center members were warmed by the affectionate and loving manner in which the refugees greeted them – an indication of their appreciation for the services being provided.

Personal Reflections

One of the Bhutanese men, who had been a Sai Baba devotee before coming to the US, described what the assistance project meant to him: "When I first came to the USA (Portland), there were lots of challenges and barriers. But when I came to know about the Beaverton Sai Center, I actually felt so happy and adjusted very easily. I started visiting the Sai Center weekly with my family and enjoyed singing bhajans. I introduced to all our communities about the Sai Center. The Sai Center Beaverton has contributed a significant amount of service to the Bhutanese in Oregon. They donated furniture, clothing, home appliances, food, and other necessary items. They provided funds for driver training, taught English, helped kids with their work, and entertained with games and music during vacation – and many other services that were of great importance to us."

A member of the Salem/Corvallis Sai devotional group participated in a give-away of household items, clothes, and toys organized by the Beaverton Center. She herself had been a refugee from Ukraine many years before. She expressed her empathy for the refugees: “I know from my own experience how challenging it is to resettle to another country. Donations help refugees to start again. Everything counts – from a needle, to clothing and utensils, toys and school supplies, bedding and furniture. A welcoming, warm, and friendly attitude helps, too! It felt emotionally rewarding to help someone who left everything behind and started a new life.”

“Of course we always keep in mind Sai Baba’s dictum that there should not be any expectation (including gratitude) for all forms of service we take up,” explained the Beaverton Center’s service coordinator. As often happens, service outcomes did not always meet their hoped-for expectations. “Considering the magnitude of the project and the various complexities involved, I feel that Sai Baba’s teaching that we perform actions without expectations of any kind is most applicable to this project. We were humbled many times. We try to keep in mind the following teaching from our beloved Sai Baba:”

Do not believe that you can by means of service reform or reshape the world. You may or may not; that does not matter. The real value of service, its most visible result, is that it reforms you, reshapes you. Do service as a spiritual discipline; then you will be humble and happy.—Sathya Sai Baba, 21 Mar 1967

The coordinator said he believed the main objective of this project was “to be of service to our new brothers and sisters in the community. Our overriding motivator was to put Sai Baba’s teachings into action, serving as instruments of divine love and compassion directed toward those most in need. Sai Baba’s motto Love All, Serve All certainly captures the sentiment of the devotees who served on this project.” Given the overall scope of the project, devotees believe all their efforts to date have only scratched the surface in addressing the refugees’ actual requirements. “We see a tremendous need to ramp up our efforts to help meet even their basic necessities, given that new Bhutanese families continue to arrive.” The service effort continues to evolve, adjusting to the refugees’ changing needs and the devotees’ best abilities to serve them.

Additional Info

See Also:

• Minneapolis MN USA - Refugee Resettlement Support
• Nashville TN USA – Service to Bhutanese Refugees
• Baltimore MD USA– Bhutanese Assistance
• Bhutanese Refugees in New Sailand (New Zealand)

To learn more about or join this service project, you may go to: http://us.sathyasai.org/index.htmland click on the state or city in which the Sai Center project takes place. Click on “Email us for information about these Centers.” A local contact will respond to your email.

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