Lutheran World Federation in Bhutanese Refugee Camps

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) served as the principal camp management and coordination agency in the seven Bhutanese refugee camps in southeastern Nepal from the early 1990s through the gradual closure of the camps in the 2010s. Operating under a partnership agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), LWF was responsible for camp infrastructure, shelter construction and maintenance, community services, environmental management, and overall camp administration. Its role made it one of the most visible and consequential international organizations in the daily lives of over 100,000 Lhotshampa refugees throughout their decades of exile.^[1]

LWF's engagement in the Bhutanese refugee operation was one of its largest and longest-running field programs globally. The organization deployed both international and Nepali national staff alongside hundreds of trained refugee workers, building a camp management system that became a model for UNHCR operations in other protracted refugee situations.^[2]

Background and Mandate

The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of Lutheran churches, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, whose Department of World Service operates humanitarian and development programs in over 25 countries. LWF's involvement in Nepal predated the Bhutanese refugee crisis; the organization had been working in community development in eastern Nepal since the 1980s. When tens of thousands of Lhotshampa began arriving in Jhapa and Morang districts in 1991-1992, UNHCR contracted LWF as the implementing partner for camp management — the core operational function of running the physical and administrative infrastructure of the camps.

Under this agreement, LWF received annual funding from UNHCR to manage the camps, with its mandate encompassing shelter and infrastructure, community services (excluding health and education, which were assigned to other partners), environmental protection, and administrative coordination. LWF also served as the operational link between the refugee Camp Management Committees (CMCs) and the UNHCR field office.^[1]

Camp Establishment and Infrastructure

LWF played a central role in the physical establishment of the seven camps between 1991 and 1993. Working with UNHCR engineers and local contractors, LWF oversaw the surveying and demarcation of camp boundaries, the layout of sectors and sub-sectors, the construction of access roads and internal pathways, and the installation of water supply systems (tube wells and piped water networks) and sanitation facilities (communal latrines and drainage channels).

Shelter construction was one of LWF's most resource-intensive ongoing responsibilities. The initial shelters were basic structures of bamboo poles, woven bamboo walls, and plastic sheeting roofs. Over time, LWF coordinated shelter upgrades, replacing deteriorated plastic sheeting with more durable materials and providing bamboo, rope, and tools for refugee families to maintain and improve their dwellings. Given the subtropical climate's toll on bamboo structures — monsoon rains, termite damage, and fire risk — shelter maintenance was a continuous activity requiring regular resupply of materials.^[3]

LWF also constructed and maintained communal buildings including community halls, school buildings, distribution centers, and administrative offices. These structures served as the physical backbone of camp life, hosting everything from food distributions to cultural performances to CMC meetings.

Water, Sanitation, and Environmental Management

Water supply and sanitation (WASH) was a critical component of LWF's mandate. The organization installed and maintained hundreds of tube wells and hand pumps across the seven camps, ensuring that the ratio of persons per water point met or approached UNHCR standards. Water quality testing was conducted regularly, and contaminated sources were treated or decommissioned. In later years, LWF implemented piped water distribution systems in several camps, improving access and reducing queuing times at communal water points.

Sanitation management involved the construction and maintenance of communal latrine blocks, the management of solid waste collection and disposal, and the maintenance of drainage channels to prevent waterlogging, particularly during the monsoon season. LWF employed refugee sanitation workers who were responsible for daily cleaning of communal facilities and drain clearance. Despite sustained effort, sanitation remained one of the most challenging aspects of camp management due to the high population density, the low-lying terrain prone to flooding, and the degradation of facilities in the humid climate.^[1]

Environmental management was an increasingly important concern as the camps aged. The concentration of over 100,000 people in a relatively small area placed heavy pressure on local natural resources, particularly firewood for cooking and construction timber. Deforestation around the camps became a source of tension with host communities. LWF implemented tree-planting programs, promoted fuel-efficient cookstoves to reduce firewood consumption, and distributed kerosene and, later, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as alternative cooking fuels.

Community Services

LWF's community services portfolio encompassed a range of programs supporting social welfare, protection, and community development. These included:

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention: LWF, in coordination with UNHCR, implemented programs to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in the camps. These included awareness-raising campaigns, support groups for survivors, referral mechanisms linking survivors to health and legal services, and training for community leaders and camp management committee members on GBV prevention and response.

Child Protection: Programs targeting unaccompanied minors, children at risk of exploitation or abuse, and children with disabilities were managed through LWF's community services team. These programs included monitoring, case management, and referral to specialized services.

Elderly and Disabled Support: LWF identified and provided targeted assistance to elderly refugees and persons with disabilities, including home-based support, accessibility improvements to shelters and communal facilities, and referral to health services.^[2]

Skills Training: In the later years of the camps, particularly as the resettlement program gained momentum, LWF expanded its skills training offerings to include carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical work, and tailoring. These programs were designed both to maintain camp infrastructure using trained refugee workers and to equip departing refugees with practical skills for their new lives in resettlement countries.

Coordination Role

As camp management agency, LWF served as the primary coordinator among the multiple organizations operating in the camps. Regular coordination meetings chaired by LWF or UNHCR brought together representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP), the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA), Caritas Nepal, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other operational partners. These meetings addressed cross-cutting issues including camp security, distribution logistics, infrastructure maintenance schedules, and responses to emergencies such as monsoon flooding or fire outbreaks.

LWF field staff — camp managers, program officers, and community services workers — were the international community's most consistent daily presence in the camps. Their relationships with camp management committee members, sector leaders, and ordinary refugees were crucial to the functioning of the entire humanitarian operation. The quality of these relationships varied across camps and over time, but LWF staff were generally recognized as accessible and responsive partners by the refugee community.^[1]

Resettlement Support

When the third-country resettlement program began in 2007, LWF's role expanded to include logistical support for the resettlement process. The organization assisted with the physical preparation of departure — helping families dismantle shelters, transport belongings to staging areas, and navigate the complex departure procedures coordinated by IOM. As camps depopulated, LWF managed the consolidation of remaining populations into smaller areas, decommissioned vacated sectors, and rehabilitated camp land for return to landowners.

The final phase of LWF's operation involved the orderly closure of camps as populations dwindled through resettlement. This included the dismantling of infrastructure, environmental rehabilitation of camp sites, and the handover of remaining services to other agencies or to the Government of Nepal for the residual refugee population.^[2]

Challenges

LWF's operation faced significant challenges throughout its duration. Funding constraints were perennial — as the Bhutanese refugee situation extended into its second decade, donor fatigue led to reduced budgets even as infrastructure aged and required more intensive maintenance. Staff security was occasionally a concern, particularly during periods of political tension within the camps when disputes over the resettlement program turned confrontational. The organization also navigated complex relationships with the Government of Nepal, which maintained authority over the camps but delegated operational management to UNHCR and its partners.

Legacy

LWF's quarter-century engagement with the Bhutanese refugee population was one of the longest continuous camp management operations in modern humanitarian history. The organization's approach — emphasizing refugee participation, community-based services, and environmental sustainability — influenced the development of UNHCR's global camp management guidelines. Hundreds of refugees trained by LWF in construction, sanitation, community mobilization, and administration carried these skills into resettlement, contributing to their successful integration in new countries. The Bhutanese refugee operation remains a prominent chapter in LWF's institutional history and a reference point for protracted displacement responses worldwide.

References

1. Lutheran World Federation. "Nepal." https://www.lutheranworld.org/content/nepal
2. UNHCR. "Bhutanese Refugees." https://www.unhcr.org/asia/bhutanese-refugees
3. UNHCR. "Bhutanese Refugees Mark 20 Years in Exile." https://www.unhcr.org/us/news/stories/bhutanese-refugees-nepal-frustrated-lack-progress