The Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO) is the largest Bhutanese community organization in the United States, serving more than 28,000 Bhutanese and South Asian refugees in the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area. Founded in 2009 and led by Executive Director Sudarshan Pyakurel, BCCO provides education, health screening, youth services, agricultural programs, and emergency assistance. Columbus hosts the largest Bhutanese-Nepali population of any city in the United States, with the community contributing an estimated $300 million annually to the regional economy.
The Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO) is the largest Bhutanese community organization in the United States, serving more than 28,000 Bhutanese and South Asian refugees in the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area. Founded in 2009 and led since 2016 by Executive Director Sudarshan Pyakurel, BCCO provides vital direct services in education, health, youth development, agriculture, and emergency assistance. The organization operates from its office at 1925 East Dublin Granville Road, Suite 210, Columbus, Ohio, and is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 27-3514427).
Columbus hosts the largest Lhotshampa (Bhutanese-Nepali) population of any city in the United States. While the U.S. Census undercounts this population — Pew Research Center's 2023 American Community Survey identified approximately 2,000 Bhutanese in the Columbus metro area — community-based estimates place the figure at 28,000 or more, reflecting how many Bhutanese-Nepali identify as "Nepali" or "Asian" on census forms and the significant secondary migration that has drawn Bhutanese families to Columbus from other initial resettlement cities.[1]
History
Founding
BCCO was established in 2009, approximately one year after the first Bhutanese refugee family arrived in Columbus in June 2008 through the UNHCR third-country resettlement program. The organization was created to address the immediate and long-term needs of a rapidly growing community of Lhotshampa refugees who had been expelled from Bhutan during the Bhutanese refugee crisis of the early 1990s and had spent up to two decades in refugee camps in Nepal. BCCO received its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt designation in September 2014.
Growth of the Columbus Community
Columbus became the largest Bhutanese-Nepali hub in the United States not through direct resettlement alone but primarily through secondary and tertiary internal migration. Bhutanese refugees initially resettled across dozens of American cities were drawn to Columbus by the presence of an existing community providing social support networks, including extended family members, as well as affordable housing, employment opportunities in logistics and manufacturing, and an established refugee services infrastructure. The community is concentrated primarily in the Northland area of Columbus and describes itself as "the largest Bhutanese-Nepali population anywhere outside Bhutan."[2]
Leadership
Sudarshan Pyakurel has served as Executive Director since 2016. Born in Surrey, a rural village in southern Bhutan, Pyakurel's family were rice farmers who were classified under the 1988 census system that categorized southern Bhutanese into groups F1 through F7 — only F1 designated "bona fide citizen." His mother, born in India, received an F4 classification, giving the family two months to leave or face arrest. The family escaped the systematic exile in 1992 and spent 17 years in a refugee camp in Nepal before resettling in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2010.
Pyakurel moved to Columbus in 2014 to attend Ohio State University on a scholarship, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology. He also holds an Associate Degree in Philosophy from Cuyahoga Community College, a Master's degree in English Literature and a Bachelor's in Economics from institutions in India, and a Master of Social Work (MSW) focusing on mental health. His father's 2013 suicide attempt prompted his focus on mental health advocacy — a critical issue for the Bhutanese community, which has experienced suicide rates approximately twice the general population according to the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Pyakurel was appointed to the Ohio New Americans Advisory Committee by Governor John Kasich in 2018 and reappointed by Governor Mike DeWine in 2021. He serves on the SAMHSA Region 5 Steering Committee, is a Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate from Ohio, a nationally certified Mental Health First Aid instructor, and was named a Columbus Monthly "Everyday Heroes" semifinalist in 2021 for his pandemic response work.[3]
Notable among BCCO's community leadership is Bhuwan Pyakurel, a former BCCO President who in November 2019 became the first Bhutanese American elected to public office in the United States when he won a seat on the Reynoldsburg City Council.[4]
Programs and Services
The Bridge Program
BCCO's youth services program serves young people aged 10 to 21 in Franklin County. The Bridge Program provides after-school tutoring, summer camp activities, and targeted support addressing the educational and mental health needs of Asian refugee students. The program focuses on learning loss recovery and social-emotional well-being through culturally relevant programming.
The Elevate Program
The Elevate Program provides free health screening events and education on mental and physical wellness. The program addresses chronic disease prevention and connects community members — many of whom face language barriers in navigating the American healthcare system — with health resources and screenings.
Food and Agricultural Program
Launched in 2016, BCCO's agricultural initiative provides garden plots for newly arrived refugee families. In 2023, Community Montessori Columbus donated land for the program. The initiative grew from 20 plots in 2024 to 80 plots in 2025, with approximately 100 families actively gardening across four sites. Gardeners now come from 10 nations, reflecting the program's expansion beyond the Bhutanese community. The associated New American Farm Stand operates weekly, selling fresh produce grown by refugee families, with plans for a full refugee farmers market in 2026.[5]
Emergency Rental Assistance
BCCO provides homeless prevention services and emergency rental assistance to families at risk of housing instability — a critical service for a community where many households operate on limited incomes and where the disruptions of resettlement can create periods of financial vulnerability.
Resettlement Assistance
The organization provides ongoing support for recently arrived South Asian refugees adjusting to life in Columbus, extending beyond the standard 90-day orientation provided by federal resettlement agencies.
Economic Impact
The Bhutanese-Nepali community in Central Ohio has generated significant economic activity. According to Pyakurel, the community includes approximately 122 ethnic businesses — grocery stores, jewelers, restaurants, home healthcare agencies, and daycare centers. An estimated 5,000 families own homes, with an average purchase price of $187,000–$200,000, generating over $22 million in home purchase taxes alone. The community's annual economic contribution is estimated at approximately $300 million in revenues. A 2019–2020 survey found that refugees in central Ohio contribute nearly $1 billion annually in taxes and services.[6]
Finances
BCCO's financial growth reflects the expanding scope of its operations. Revenue grew from minimal levels at its founding to $787,190 in fiscal year 2024, with total assets of $558,537 and zero liabilities. The organization derives 100% of its revenue from contributions and grants. Executive Director Pyakurel received compensation of $72,981 in 2024.[7]
Cultural Milestones
The Columbus Bhutanese community has produced several nationally significant cultural milestones. In January 2026, The World's Happiest Man — a film about the Lhotshampa refugee experience in Ohio, directed by Binod Paudel and starring Hari Bansha Acharya and Bruce Dern — was released on Amazon Prime Video. The film features real community members and addresses intergenerational trauma, bringing the story of Bhutanese refugees in Columbus to a national audience.[8]
See Also
References
- Pew Research Center. "Bhutanese in the U.S. Fact Sheet." 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/fact-sheet/asian-americans-bhutanese-in-the-u-s/
- Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS). "Refugees in Columbus: Bhutanese-Nepali." https://www.crisohio.org/refugees-in-columbus/bhutanese-nepali
- Midstory. "Asian in Ohio: Sudarshan Pyakurel." https://www.midstory.org/asian-in-ohio-sudarshan-pyakurel/
- WOSU Public Media. "Reynoldsburg Makes History With America's First Nepali-Bhutanese Elected Official." November 2019. https://www.wosu.org/news/2019-11-07/reynoldsburg-makes-history-with-americas-first-nepali-bhutanese-elected-official
- Farmers Advance. "Columbus garden program offers Bhutanese Nepali refugees a slice of home." July 2025. https://www.farmersadvance.com/story/news/2025/07/24/columbus-garden-program-offers-bhutanese-refugees-a-slice-of-home/85354060007/
- Midstory. "Asian in Ohio: Sudarshan Pyakurel." https://www.midstory.org/asian-in-ohio-sudarshan-pyakurel/
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. "Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (EIN 27-3514427)." https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/273514427
- WOSU Public Media. "Ohio Refugee Community From 'Happiest Country' Featured in New Film." February 2026. https://www.wosu.org/2026-02-13/ohio-refugee-community-from-happiest-country-featured-in-new-film
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