Namaste, Friends and Supporters of dZi,

Over the last ten years in my role at the dZi Foundation, I have talked to a lot of people about our work and efforts. The one common thread between most of these folks is the desire to help others.

It is not easy running a non-profit. It takes time and lots and lots of follow-thru. The dZi Foundation, as it exists today, is the result of ten years of effort, tears, sweat, laughter, late nights, leeches, altitude sickness, typhoid (thankfully, I've fully recovered), and many lives changed for the better. I want my life to have value, and to be able to say "I made a difference" in my brief time on this planet. If this resonates at all with you; if you are inspired to make a difference, then this is what you can do to get involved and help.

One of the most helpful ways you can get involved with the dZi, is to share our powerful work with your friends. Our work changes the lives of thousands of men, women and children in the mountain communities of India and Nepal; hosting an orientation, and spreading the word of dZi, will help increase the number of individuals we serve—dramatically.

We are happy to walk you through the process on how to organize an event. E-mail me at jim@dzifoundation.org and we will support your effort to help make an impact on these underserved individuals (and communities). By the way, the life that may be changed the most-may be your own!

Leh, Ladakh, India: May and September 2008

There are still a couple of spots available for non-medical volunteers on both our Spring and Fall volunteer trips for 2008. If you have dreamed of traveling in a service capacity, and would like to help the children of Northern India by participating in one of our dental and vision clinics, we have the trip for you. Please go to the Volunteer page on our website, or contact Lisa Raleigh for more information on joining us.

MountainFilm 2008

MountainFilm in Telluride, 2008 promises to be a spectacular event once again this year. MountainFilm has been a long-time sponser of our work, and I urge you to check them out! If there is any chance you can attend the festival this year, from May 23rd through the 26th, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

All the best.

Jim Nowak
Executive Director

Winter Tuition Program Update - Garry Schalla

The following is a letter from our Ladakhi staff following the completion of the Winter Tuition Program. This program runs at four village schools serving approximately 250 children. The goal is to provide continuing education and a hot lunch during the winter break period: December 15th through March 1st. During this time, temperatures drop to -30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) with "much snows". The education component keeps students from falling behind, and the hot lunch provides the only protein for many of the children during the winter months. Many of these labor families run out of funds by mid-January, and are forced to "borrow" onions for soup from the local grocer with monthly interest added. The winter tuition program gives a ray of hope for advancement in this harsh land.

Currently, Stanzin and Anchok are working with dZi to develop winter cottage industries to help support these families throughout the winter months. Our goal is to enrich the lives of these families and eventually sustain the Winter Tuition Programs within their respective communities.

Jullay, Mr.Garry,

Now we have completed all our winter tuition programs. We are really excited to see the involvements of the peoples of the villages. It's true this year lots of improvements have been seen in the project. People realized the value of the education. The villages were very thankful to dZi Foundation for the great support.

Stanzin and Anchok

[The photo at right is of the final day at the Kharnakling School.]

Sponsored Students Flourishing at Ullens Hostel; New Sponsorship Opportunities - Ben Ayers

Our Nepal Program Officer Prema Tamang reports that our sponsored students are flourishing at the new Ullens School, and in the residential hostels there. The Ullens School is one of the finest schools in Nepal that specializes in experiential teaching methods and fostering creative thinking among students. This is in great contrast to the typical Nepali school, which emphasizes rote memorization and revolves around standardized testing.

Maya Syangtan, one of our sponsored students who is now attending college, received the 'Most Valuable Player' award at a nationwide basketball competition. She continues her studies and hopes to continue her basketball success throughout the winter season. Our sponsored girls that live at the Ullens hostel are doing well as a whole in their studies, and many volunteered to paint murals across the school campus during their recent winter vacation.

As we have previously reported, we are shifting our focus for new sponsorship opportunities to students staying at the Ullens Hostel, instead of sponsoring young students at Friendship House. This transition affords us the opportunity to sponsor students during the extremely formative years of 6th to 10th grade (with the possibility of sponsorship continuing through college), and we are now looking to support both young boys as well as girls. The shorter sponsorship term (only 4 years) allows greater flexibility for those interested in sponsoring students, and by focusing upon the hostel setting we can refine our monitoring and evaluation on the ground. Currently, we have 15 sponsored students staying at the Ullens Hostel, and it is our goal to eventually sponsor as many as 50 students in the program.

The Nepali school year begins in April, and we would encourage anyone interested in sponsoring a new or additional child in Nepal to contact us soon so that we may initiate the sponsorship before school begins. For more information about sponsorship, please contact jim@dzifoundation.org, and more information on the Ullens School can be found at www.ullens.edu.np.