Namaste, Friends and Supporters of dZi,

After spending five days in the hospital in Montrose, Colorado, I am finally home, recovering. I am still weak, but definitely on the mend. After six weeks of working in Nepal, Ladakh and Sikkim, India, I returned home and was well for a full week. The following week, however, I was hit with a one-two punch of Pneumonia and Para-Typhoid. The Pneumonia was most likely due to a persistent Asian “hack”, and possibly over-doing the work thing. The Para-Typhoid is a strain that regular immunization does not cover. A key symptom that separates Para from regular Typhoid is an extremely attractive rash from head-to-toe. Needless to say, I am not too upset that that phase is over. I am getting well again, and should be at full-strength in a few weeks.

About a month ago, while I was wrapping things up in Kathamndu and getting ready to head to Gangtok, Sikkim, I received the below e-mail from Bill Rohs, our Ladakh and Sikkim Project Coordinator. He and Tashi, one of the Ladakh dZi staff members, were in a car accident coming back from a project site visit:

Well, I can tell you I am very lucky today, but we have a situation to deal with. Tashi and I were coming back from Umla and our car left the road, slammed into a sign, flipped over, and I was ejected through the windshield. We are both sore, but not a scratch; well, I have a paper cut type cut on my little finger. David Sonam Dawa responded in stellar fashion and we had to go to the police and file the necessary reports. Jim, we can sort it all out when you come after they close the police report etc, but wanted you to know. Please keep this in dZi camp, as we don't want our parents to get wind of it until we return and they can see I am in one piece.

Everything else is great. Neena is here and feeding me pain killers for a few days.

I will write the whole thing up in an incident report in the next few days and send it out.

Alive and well, Bill

Last fall, I received an e-mail from Ben Ayers that he was about to go under the knife to have his appendix removed — in Kathmandu! Obviously, not the first choice of locations for major abdominal surgery, but Ben’s situation was urgent, and Kathmandu was the closest medical facility equipped to perform the surgery. The one saving grace was that Ben is fluent in Nepali, which helped him communicate effectively to the medical staff, and understand what was going to happen. We are very fortunate that Ben’s appendix flared up when it did. Just the day before, he was still wrapping up at our project sites in the remote areas of Sotang and Gudel — a four-day walk to the closest airport, Phaphlu. Had his appendix burst in the field, the outcome could have been much different.

Working for any aid-agency overseas can be unpredictable, and extremely risky. Every attempt is made to have contingency plans in place, and to think through every aspect of “Risk Management”. However, even with thorough preparation, sometimes things slip through the cracks. For some, working in Asia holds some sort of glorified status and the adventure of international travel. I hope these three short stories have injected a healthy dose of reality. As one comes face-to-face with a major health issue, it’s amazing how crystal clear things become. Given my most recent health scare, I have been blessed with a moment of clarity. I am in awe of the collective “family of dZi” that warmly envelops me. I am completely surrounded by compassionate and ferociously dedicated people: international and domestic staff, volunteers, Board of Directors, and all of our donors. This collective group provides the energy that now drives dZi; not me. I am just happy to be healthy and getting stronger day by day.

All the best.

Jim Nowak
Executive Director

An Amazing dZi Experience – A Note From One Of The Marmot/dZi Sweepstakes Winners

Whenever we can, we try and include testimonials from our dZi travelers to help you better understand the dZi experience. Below is an email written by Melissa Zemlicka, one of winners of the Marmot Sweepstakes Trip to Ladakh, India. [She is writing to friends and family back home.] The contest took place last fall, and was promoted on over 800,000 Marmot garment hangtags as well on the Marmot website. Four winners were selected: two retail employees and two Marmot customers. Here is Melissa's email:

Subject: Hello from Ladakh, India

Greetings,

I've just finally had a day to sit and share a few thoughts about this incredible trip. After touring the Leh area and volunteering in a vision clinic for a few days, we went out into the Markah Valley and trekked about 60 miles. I cannot believe how amazing the mountains are here. As we hiked along, we would stop in very, very small villages and were always offered tea. The people here are so kind and peaceful. I bought a yak hair knitted hat from a lady who came to our campsite one morning.

It truly is like stepping back in time here. As I walk along the streets of Leh, I must go around sleeping dogs, wandering donkeys, and of course the sacred cow. I've become very used to the altitude and have become comfortable with limited communication of some locals that do not speak English. The food is wonderful, however, I cannot wait to get home and eat a salad. In order to avoid getting sick, I have to stay clear of fresh fruits and vegetables, they must be fully cooked in order for them to be safe to eat. Also, I ran out of coffee and it hasn't been very traumatic.... I’ve become a tea drinker!!

The group that I’m traveling with is mostly people who have a very strong humanitarian side that inherently makes them wonderful people to be with. The dZi foundation is doing some amazing work here and I'm very honored to be a part of it.

There are many things that I will take away from this trip, but the one that speaks the loudest is that we are all very blessed to be living in nice homes, have warm clothes, and clean water. Although many of the locals here do not have these basic things, they have a very kind warm heart, and settled spirit that makes them want for nothing. They already have the strength of their faith and the love of their families. Truly, I have been impressed upon.

I hope this note finds you in good health. I'm looking forward to coming home and sharing this wonderful experience.

peace-
Melissa

The dZi Foundation Vision Clinic — Spring 2007

The spring dZi vision clinic was tremendous! We not only saw an incredible amount of people (1149), but we were able to provide about 20% of them with much needed eyeglasses and quality vision care.

Last year, we were fortunate enough to work with dZi Advisory Board member Dr. Vicki Coulter and her husband Reid Christopher; they really helped take the vision clinic to the next level. This year, along with Vicki and Reid, we had Bonnie Shippy who was extremely valuable in the screening process, as well as an assistant to Vicki. With the help of all the volunteers, we were able to really make an impact.

Based on the outcome of the spring clinic, it would make sense to have the fall clinic focus primarily on simple eyeglass dispensing and pre-screening for the following spring clinic. This will allow Vicki — who is only there in the spring — to have a ready list of the more needy patients for the spring clinic. This would work well for both the Ladakh and Sikkim clinics. Adding Sikkim is vital to the girls at the Happiness House, their continued medical care, as well as to dZi sponsored Assam Lindsay and Charmile schools. Plus, our new wholesaler of the eyeglasses comes from Sikkim and is willing to really work with us on the cost of the eyeglasses. Mr. Shiva Kumar, indicated he wants to “give back” himself to Sikkim through helping curtail costs on the eyeglasses. The prices from Mr. Kumar are far less and the optics of high quality – coated, 100% UV protection, and fashionable frames.

We have come so incredibly far in three Ladakh clinics. It would be wonderful to continue the momentum so when the dZi building is completed in Ladakh, it will be a smooth and comfortable transition out of the dust and into a true clinical setting.

Last year, we were fortunate enough to work with dZi Advisory Board member Dr. Vicki Coulter and her husband Reid Christopher; they really helped take the vision clinic to the next level. This year, along with Vicki and Reid, we had Bonnie Shippy who was extremely valuable in the screening process, as well as an assistant to Vicki. With the help of all the volunteers, we were able to really make an impact.

Vision Clinic Wish List

We would like to have eyeglasses available for the fall clinic, and enough for spring as well. The cost to re-supply and add smaller sizes to our inventory will be approximately $2,000-$2,200 US.

In addition, sunglasses are an incredible need in both locations. Ideally, we would like to take 1500 pairs (500 to Gangtok and 1000 to Ladakh) to give out at the clinics. Our hope is to find a donor to help with the cost of quality sunglasses to help save the sight of these children! However, if that is not possible, a company called Replica could supply the 1500 pairs of children sunglasses, in various sizes, shapes and colors, with coated 100% UV protection, for approximately $1.32 per pair. The total cost would be $1,985 US.

Monica Schalla
Vision Project Coordinator