Namaste from Nepal

Nepal has surprised us all again. In an era of worldwide conflict and violence, Nepal's Maoist rebels have laid down their arms and joined the democratic process through the historic signing of a comprehensive peace deal with the Nepali government on November 9th. During the past decade, over 13,000 Nepalis lost their lives to intense guerrilla warfare and hundreds of thousands were subject to torture, human rights abuses, and extortion by both Nepali Government and Maoist forces. The peace deal has been greeted by the Nepali people with a great deal of relief and guarded optimism. The real challenge lies within the perilous transition that the Maoists must make from being a fighting force to a political one. The coming weeks and months will have no shortage of obstacles and setbacks but, all things considered, Nepal has put forth an honest and direct attempt at peace and, in doing such, has become an example for the world to follow.

The peace deal has had the greatest effect upon the Maoist-controlled areas of rural Nepal, including our extremely remote target areas of lower Solukhumbu and Khotang districts. I had the good fortune of traveling there earlier this fall with dZi India Coordinator, Bill Rohs, to review some projects I had implemented there with Porters' Progress Nepal (our local partner) and to come up with ideas for upcoming projects. The conflict had prevented me from visiting these villages for the past four years, and my return was an amazing homecoming. We were among the very first Westerners to visit these areas since the conflict, and I walked for over a week without meeting any Maoists or suffering any harassment of any sort. The majority of the Maoist rebels have been sent to temporary cantonments in southern Nepal, and any remaining political supporters were all-too eager to welcome us to their villages and homes.

The first village we visited was the market town of Sotang, located at least a five-day walk away from the nearest road and two days away from the nearest airport in Phaplu. It is hard to describe our visit to Sotang without sounding too biased or overemotional - I found that the community and results of the previous Porters' Progress projects in Sotang were among the most dedicated and effective I have ever seen in Nepal. Sotang is the second largest VDC in Solukhumbu and has the only 10+2 school program in the region. Over 1000 students attend the secondary school there and the school boasts a 75% SLC test pass rate (the SLC is the Nepali version of our SAT), despite significant shortages in facilities and teachers. It was the scene of much civil conflict during the past five years, and the Maoists had set up a 700 cadre strong training center and large barracks in the middle of town. There were frequent skirmishes in town between the Maoists and Army forces, and nearly every community member I spoke with mentioned being repeatedly beaten and harassed by both sides. On our visit, however, it was difficult to believe that Sotang was the scene of such violence and oppression less than a year ago. We were greeted by nearly a thousand school children, each of who presented us with a flower garland and red powder with which to bless our arrival. The school hosted a wonderful program and all of our hosts were incredibly gracious and generous. It was as if some great weight had been recently lifted from everyone's shoulders, and our two days there were some of the most satisfying of my life.

From there, I traveled to Lokhim and then Porters' Progress staff members continued the process of evaluations and assessments into two more villages in the neighboring Khotang district. The community group members in each of the villages spoke of their projects with great pride and enthusiasm, and it seems that there was a degree of healthy competition between wards to have the most cost-effective projects. In all, Porters' Progress was able to facilitate over 30 separate projects that ranged from creating clean drinking water taps for 1806 people, and school infrastructure improvement for 1225 students. In total, these projects directly impacted nearly 7000 people.

Next year, dZi will be taking over the reigns of these projects in partnership with Porters' Progress, and we anticipate an even greater amount of local contribution and output. The dZi Foundation has already begun the process of rebuilding 2 schools - one in Chulemu, Solukhumbu, and another in Rakha Bangdel, Khotang - and forming six new Parent-Teacher Associations in Khotang. We will expand our community-based model into Waku and Gudel VDCs, and to continue to provide funding for a variety of essential projects in our target communities. It is our goal to provide direct services to over 10,000 people in these remote villages in 2007.

Great thanks to everyone who has contributed to the work of the dZi Foundation. May the great steps that you have taken to bring peace into the lives of so many people also bring peace into your own lives. Best wishes for the New Year.

Namaste!
Ben Ayers
Nepal Project Coordinator

Hiking Brings Gifts for the Holidays

Warm blankets and new rice cooking pots have been delivered to the girls at the Friendship House in Kathmandu. These generous gifts were provided through the support of "Kids Climb for Kids", a group of elementary and high school children organized by dZi advocate Cami Dohrn.

"The hike turned out to be memorable. It was the worst day of weather we've had in at least six months. It was cold and rainy; the temperature was in the mid - high 30s the whole day and it never stopped raining. Everyone was soaked to the skin. There were 16 of us total. I took them all back to my house later and put clothes in the dryer and made large quantities of hot cocoa. The amazing thing was that no one complained."

Their hike on a torrentially rainy day in October has provided warm, cozy nights for the girls at Friendship House. This is a great example of a small grassroots effort directly affecting lives half a world away. Thank you, Cami and the "Kids Climb for Kids" group!