This case report delves into the diverse lived experiences of East African and Afghan migrants and refugees in Boston, specifically those supported by the Somali Development Center (SDC). We examine the social barriers they experience during their resettlement, especially the lack of transitional housing. The paper also draws on the experience of community leaders, social service representatives, and local government officials. 

At the time of the interview, Amchi Rinchen had recently moved to New Delhi after a year working as a medical physician to an exclusively Indian population in the city of Chandigarh, the experience described in this report. Unfortunately, bureaucratic and administrative issues forced Amchi Rinchen to shut down his practice in Chandigarh. Still, his experiences in Chandigarh tell the fascinating story of a refugee founding the first Tibetan medical clinic within this major Indian city.

Khenpo Ju Tenkyong, a Tibetan refugee based in Dharamsala, India, works as a researcher, historian, and scholar on a number of important projects for the preservation and revitalization of Tibetan culture, language and Tibetan Buddhist literature. Unlike other refugees interviewed for this project, he preferred to use his own name rather than a pseudonym. Khenpo Ju Tenkyong is one of the leading Tibetan scholars in the diaspora, and his environment reflects this. For our Zoom interviews, he sat in a room with thousands of books arranged on floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and stacked on tables beside him. Despite his potentially intimidating erudition, he was extremely humble and down-to-earth throughout the course of our conversations.

This report tells the story of a Tibetan refugee living in Sarnath, India (pseudonym Thubten Dawa), who works for the Sarnath International Nyingma Institute (SINI). Later, in summer 2022, the author traveled to India to work at SINI, where he developed a closer relationship with Thubten Dawa. On numerous occasions, Thubten Dawa expressed his aspiration that by reading this story, “others will understand the importance of pure motivation and necessity to prioritize the welfare of others rather than one’s self.”