Dear Friends:

Welcome to the dZi Foundation and our new site! We are thrilled to provide this valuable resource to reflect dZi today—in 2009. We hope you find it useful as you explore who we are, where we work, our incredible staff and partners, our programs, and the different ways to get involved.

As dZi Co-Founder and Executive Director, I feel blessed to be a part of an organization that is truly making a difference in the lives of over 18,000 individuals living in some of the most remote Himalayan communities of India and Nepal—communities that have fallen off the radar of other aid organizations due to caste or location. Over the past decade, we have partnered with them to: build schools so kids don't have to walk five miles (each way) to get an education; sponsor children to get an education giving them better opportunities in life, and removing them from the dangers of child labor; and build toilets and clean water taps for communities with a history of water-borne diseases. These are just to name a few.

The dZi Foundation is grounded in the belief that the communities themselves know best regarding what they truly need. Our role is both teacher and student. As teacher, we utilize our resources to train and mobilize communities to achieve their goals and dreams. As students, we learn from every project and initiative, and make an honest appraisal of how dZi performed, how the communities benefited, and how we can be a better partner. We have always been willing to learn from our mistakes and implement course corrections. Without honest reflection, we would run the risk of becoming a top-down organization versus where we feel the greatest impact is made—from the bottom-up.

As we enter into our second decade of service to others, we hope you will join us in our efforts to accomplish the goals and dreams of our community partners. I couldn't be more proud of the folks intimately involved with dZi, the work we have accomplished, and all of the dZi advocates for their passionate commitment, dedication and support.

All the best, JIM