Namaste, Friends and Supporters of dZi,

Happy New Year! I want to thank everyone for making 2007 the dZi Foundation's most successful year yet. We served more individuals and communities than we ever could have imagined, and are looking forward to an even more productive and efficient 2008.

Building on our success of 2007, we recently sent an e-mail blast announcing our volunteer trips for 2008: Invitation to Travel with the dZi Foundation to Northern India. Traveling to India is a remarkable experience. Our spring and fall trips will take volunteers to Ladakh-one of the most unspoiled regions of the Tibetan Plateau. The volunteers will be trained to assist at our Vision or Dental clinics that serve close to 1200 children (400 dental, 800 vision).

If you desire to experience a trip of a lifetime, I encourage you to consider one of these amazing trips. They have been life changing for many travelers in the past, and we wish to share this opportunity to all of our dZi Foundation family. Feel free to contact our Volunteer Manager, Lisa Raleigh or go to the volunteer page on our website, for more information.

Thank you again for your continued support, and I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy 2008.

All the best.

Jim Nowak
Executive Director

New Additions to the dZi Family

Now that our INGO registration in Nepal is complete, the dZi Foundation Nepal Country Office has added a number of new staff members. Many of our staff have worked with Ben and Porters' Progress for years, and have been instrumental in developing our unique Revitalize A Village model.

Ang Chokpa Sherpa will be the Nepal Director, and responsible for coordinating all Nepal programs. She will be based in Kathmandu, and will specialize in developing and overseeing our Revitalize A Village program in Eastern Nepal. Ang Chokpa the first Sherpa woman from the Khumbu valley to complete her Master's degree (and she now has two degrees), and worked for the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (known for the well-publicized Everest Base Camp cleanup efforts in the early 90s) for a number of years before taking a job as the Executive Director of Porters' Progress. Ang Chokpa is a very motivated and talented young woman with unparalleled experience working in the field.

Prema Tamang will oversee our Kathmandu-based programs and liaise with our foreign guests that come to Kathmandu. She will work with the girls that we support at Happy Home and the Ullens Hostel, as well as support our partners-the Nepal Youth Opportunity Foundation and the Happy Home Foundation-with their essential work in Kathmandu. Before starting work with dZi, Prema managed an NGO that helped incarcerated women and their families transition back into Nepali society. Prema herself is a graduate of the Happy Home, and is one of the very first children that dZi sponsored. Having her work with us is a fantastic testament to the power of our sponsorship programs and also her talent as an individual.

We have three dynamic field staff members overseeing our Revitalize a Village programs in Solukhumbu and Khotang districts of Eastern Nepal. All three of our staff are members of the communities we support and are incredibly motivated and talented individuals. Gyan Bahadur Bhattarai has worked with Ben since the very beginning, and was one of the main developers of the innovative and community-based theories that form the foundation of our RAV programs. Gyan worked for many years as a local schoolteacher, and now operates as our Education Specialist as well as overseeing our project work in Khotang district. He has received extensive trainings on a variety of aspects of Child Development and Health and is the main force behind our Parent Teacher Association programs. Dhan Bahadur Basnet acts as a technical expert, supervising construction and agricultural projects, as well as assuming primary responsibility for work in the Sotang VDC. Our newest and youngest staff member is Bupindra Rai who oversees our program work in Gudel and works in close contact with Dhan and Gyan. Bupindra is a motivated young man who we are sure will grow along with the dZi.

Sikkim Staff Trains in Kathmandu

In December, the dZi Foundation Sikkim staff-Gyatso Bhutia, Tashi Dawa and Tshering Paldon-traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, for a week-long training session with the Nepal dZi staff. The purpose of this trip was to enhance the relationship between the in-country dZi staff of Sikkim and Nepal, as well as provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge, information, pitfalls and successes. The ultimate result will be an improved system of implementing and completing dZi programs in both regions.

The week consisted of touring the Nutritional Rehabilitation Home (NRH), Happiness Home, Ullens School and Araniko School. Individually, and collectively, Sikkim staff received instruction from: Som Paneru - Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation (NYOF) Director, Aruna Gywali - NYOF Homes Co-coordinator, and Laxman Shresta - NYOF Accountant on the structure and policies of the Happiness Home; Hem Shrestha (Uncle Hem) - Happiness Home Father and Bhim Shresta - Happiness Home Mother, on the day-to-day challenges and successes of running Happiness Home; Ang Chokpa Sherpa - dZi Nepal In-Country Director, on dZi Nepal programs and the Revitalize a Village model; and finally Prema Tamang - the training organizer and presenter, on dZi Foundation relationships with partnering organizations NYOF and NRH.

After the week concluded, it was evident that both the Sikkim and Nepal staff learned a great deal. Prema Tamang summed-up the experience with the following: "Not only did the Sikkim staff benefit from observing the Nepal programs, but the Nepal staff got the opportunity to learn about Sikkim projects and the positive effects of the projects on the people there. The educational seminar was one of the best ways of sharing information and ideas between the colleagues. This type of program should be encouraged for the betterment of organization and staff as well."

The next educational seminar is slated for Fall 2008. This exchange will include staff from Ladakh, Sikkim, and Nepal; dZi Program Directors Garry Schalla and Ben Ayres; dZi Board Chairman Tony Lewis; and dZi Executive Director Jim Nowak.