About HCEC
Our Mission
The community center will serve to create a drug-free and peaceful community, provide job-skill training for employability, will help to integrate communities into mainstream American society, to produce productive and responsible citizens, and to educate and foster its cultural values. Provide space for social and spiritual congregation. Bring out isolated and homebound seniors and people with disabilities to the center where they can freely interact and share their feelings.
About us
About us
The community center will serve to create a drug-free and peaceful community, provide job-skill training for employability, will help to integrate communities into mainstream American society, to produce productive and responsible citizens, and to educate and foster its cultural values. Provide space for social and spiritual congregation.
Who we are?
The City of Des Moines, Iowa has become home for more than 5500 refugees from Bhutan since 2008, with more arriving every year. These refugees suffered ethnic cleansing in their homeland of Bhutan in the 1980s, later to spend 20 years in UNHCR refugee camps in Nepal. Since being approved for resettlement, more than 92,000 Bhutanese refugees have made the United States their new home-a second chance to build new lives, livelihoods, and communities.
Although these refugees were already scarred by the trauma of ethnic cleansing and refugee-camp life, their transition to a culturally disparate home has brought many more obstacles and challenges. Most notably, there is the challenge of retaining their cultural identity, moral values, and religious practices.
The younger generation plunged into the American culture and lifestyle, leaving the elderly and those with language barriers at home, thereby causing social isolation, psychological insecurity, family disintegration, and mental-health issues. The suicide rate among the Bhutanese refugee communities is well more than the national average. Legal, social, and safety issues are mounting due to the collapse of the social fabric.
To meet these challenges, a team of active volunteers have been working tirelessly since 2016 under the auspices of the Hindu Cultural and Educational Center (HCEC), a nonprofit that is registered with the state of Iowa.
WHAT IS HCEC?
HCEC stands for Hindu Cultural and Educational Center. It is a non-profit organization established in the state of Iowa in 2015.
How can I be a part of HCEC’s mission?
You can be a donor member if you are not a Hindu. We also receive donations in cash and in kind. We appeal all our friends, families, and well-wishers to help us in our endeavor of protecting, and promoting our cultural identity. For those who wish to donate online, we will make online donation available soon.
- Be an active volunteer
- Be a donor member
- Help us with ideas and suggestions
- Helps us locates resources
- Advocate for us
- Help us raising funds
What programs are currently being offered by this organization?
Currently, we are offering Nepali Language classes, Elderly Recreational Activities, and ESL & Citizenship classes. We accept students from age 5 in our Nepali Language program. The classes are being delivered using a viable curriculum we have tailored to meet the need of our students. Highly qualified Nepali Language teachers who formally used to be the Nepali language instructors in Nepal teach the classes. Currently we have about 70 students enrolled in the Nepali Language Class.
ESL/Citizenship classes are delivered under the guidance of a licensed teacher in Iowa. Since we don’t have many licensed teachers to seek help from, currently we have only one such teacher with ESL & Language Arts endorsement who is guiding the other teachers in selection of materials and developing curriculum for the ESL classes. Basically, this class focuses on enabling the Bhutanese refugees to get through the Naturalization tests.
Elderly Recreational Activities are conducted every month. These activities involve assisting the elderly people getting to the Hindu Temple in Madrid, Iowa, organizing get-together whereby elders get to meet at one place and share their stories with others, recreational activities also involve many Bhutanese indigenous indoor games and activities. Elderly Recreational Activities are open to all Bhutanese elders in Iowa.
What kind of services does HCEC provide?
HCEC is formed to provide Cultural, Social, Religious, and Educational services. Currently services such as Ethnic Nepali language enrichment, ESL & Citizenship classes, Cultural education, services to the elderly, and youth and students activities are being delivered. Moving forward, we have plans to deliver wider range of services.
DOES IT PROVIDE THESE SERVICES ONLY TO THE HINDUS?
Not at All. HCEC operates in similar pattern with some of the Churches in Iowa that provide other services such as ESL classes, Adult Education etc. Since the organization is at its early infancy stage, we have been providing limited services. Services are offered to any needy people irrespective of their faith. However, as we grow in our infrastructures and resources, we will deliver services to other communities in need.
What are some of the major projects HCEC has in place?
Envisioning the dire need and possibility of building a Community Hall and a Hindu Temple, we have purchased a piece of land which is a little over 3 acres. Within the next few years, we are looking forward to completing the construction of a Multi Community Center.
With the generous support from our members in Iowa, we have been able to purchase the land and we look forward to a greater number of helping hands to make our dreams possible. Especially, we look forward to all the fellow Americans to support us in our mission of building the Community Center to serve the diverse Iowans.
Get in Touch. Get Involved.
Please Feel Free to contact us at anytime.