Upendra Dahal was a former Bhutanese refugee resettled in the US in 2008. Born and brought-up in Gelelphu Bhutan, he spent 17 years in the refugee camp in Nepal before being resettled in the United States. He started his career as a volunteer in the refugee camp and also completed his undergrad with Political Science major in Darjeeling, India.
Upendra has extensive experience working in the community under the umbrella of a community based non-profit in Pittsburgh of which was a co-founder. He was instrumental in securing a federal grant for his organization in 2014 and several other private foundation grants locally. He oversaw the implementation of federal grant as its Principal Investigator and successfully managed, directed and closed-out the project in 2017. He combined multiple roles such as a human-resource person, administrator, grant writer, and secretary for the organization and represented the Bhutanese community at different forums nationally. Yet, at heart he feels more like a community volunteer.
Upendra has varied interests. He loves to watch American sports like Football and Hockey, read books and follow national and international news. He also volunteers outside the community and engages with different social and cultural groups for the preservation of Hindu religion and culture. He feels that social issues facing the community can be resolved through more pro-active volunteerism through a group of like-minded and passionate people. He believes in being a good citizen wherever he is! He still feels emotionally attached to his motherland and feels obligated to raise awareness about Bhutan’s medieval policies of governance and its treatment of minorities. He is now a proud US citizen and lives with his family of four in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Upendra has agreed to share his experience of writing skill and administrative capacity with Bhutan News Service.
