Central Ohio Nepali Association (CONA) is a local non-profit 501(c)3 organization of people of Nepali Origin currently living in the Greater Columbus area in Ohio. It includes Nepalis from Nepal, Bhutani-Nepali, Burmeli-Nepali, or other Nepalis who have migrated to Central Ohio from any parts of the world.

CONA is dedicated to help, support and build these communities and work for their prosperity, while enriching the broader communities around us, with the rich culture and traditions we have brought with us. CONA was officially registered in April, 2020 but its members have been actively involved in community building by celebrating cultural programs for several years prior to registration. The community stands by and for each other.

There are hundreds of Nepali owned small businesses in Ohio. Even though CONA is fully dedicated to the local community, CONA members also have been involved in advocacy to solve national and international problems faced by the community members and their families. CONA has been recognized for its imperative involvement in COVID vaccine advocacy by the Nepal Embassy on its website.

During the pandemic, CONA Covid response team provided medical help to the COVID patients, distributed necessary medical supplies to the community, and conducted many webinars and educational programs on COVID. The speakers were Franklin County Health Commissioner, Columbus City Health Commissioner, religious leaders, Councilmen, and social workers. Some of CONA executives were also the vaccine ambassadors for Franklin County Health Department. CONA medical experts were invited to speak at NRN and UNA conferences around the country.

With the aim of uniting all the Nepalis of Central Ohio, CONA has also organized many social and cultural events like summer picnics, Dashain festival, and New years’ celebrations. CONA has organized fundraisers to help during tragic events such as flooding and 2015 earthquake.