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February Update

Dear Friends of dZi,

The Pakistan Shelter Project in Bagh, Pakistan is going very well. To date, twenty-one shelters are up in Bagh. Additionally, there are six more in various stages of construction around these same locations. Over the next ten days, nine more shelters will be constructed in the Topi Sub-District and five more in the village of Kahuta. The picture to the right is of one of the dZi-funded shelters. Our partnership with Australian Aid International has been an excellent collaboration. We funded this project on the first of January and all 40 shelters will be completed by February 10th. We greatly appreciate having longtime dZi supporters Dr. Neena Jain & Bill Rohs on the ground, keeping us updated on things as the shelters go up in the remote villages of Kashmir.

The dZi Visionary Society

From September 1st to December 31st of last year, we ran our first major fundraising campaign, The dZi Visionary Society. We have had a tremendous response and would like to acknowledge this three-year commitment by Founding Members of The Visionary Society. Thanks to your help, we now stand on solid financial ground. The dZi Foundation, for the first time, has annual funding that is predictable. This allows us to accurately predict our further funding needs and do strategic planning for the year. As a result, we are able to deliver more services to those that need our help in the mountain communities we serve. The dZi Foundation in 2005 directly supported 5,400 individuals; in 2006 we have budgeted to help over 8,000. I carry a deep sense of responsibility and honor to fulfill the work of the dZi Foundation on your behalf.

Thank you.

Jim Nowak
Executive Director

Medical Missions for Children

Anyone who has ever had the good fortune to travel throughout South America knows that Quito, Ecuador and Cuzco, Peru have something unmistakable in common.

They give you a headache. At least for a day or so.

Both cities, rich in history and Incan traditions, are perched high in the Andes, with Quito at nearly 10,000 feet and Cuzco at more than 11,000 feet. For those of us dwelling most of the year at or near sea level, loss of appetite and sleep tend to accompany various other vague symptoms upon arrival in either of these great cities.

Before long however, there is clear evidence of a far more stark reality linking these two places. These cities are poor, very poor. Poverty abounds, and for millions in Ecuador and Peru, access to modern health care is nearly impossible.

For the past several years, the dZi Foundation has been a sponsor of the Medical Missions for Children (MMFC) program in both Quito and Cuzco. Each year, between 200 and 300 children receive free surgical and dental care for complex congenital deformities, in particular clefts of the lip and palate. A separate group of children born without an outer ear structure (a condition known as microtia) also undergo surgery to create normal ear anatomy.

The fear and hopelessness worn on the faces of these children and their parents is replaced by something every dZi and MMFC team member will forever remember in their own heart.

A smile.

Dennis Snyder MD, FACS
Chairman, Medical Missions for Children

Dasain Festival, More Graduations and… a Wedding!

In preparation of this major annual festival, every home is cleaned and beautifully decorated as an invitation to the mother goddess so that she may visit and bless the house with good fortune. It’s a time for reunion with distant and nearby relatives and for receiving blessings from the elders. The wearing of new clothes, family feasting and merriment also make up a big part of this magical festival. In short, it’s about celebrating life, both yours and those who are dear to you. At Happy Home this year, the children decorated the house and helped to prepare goodies. All our children wore new clothes and the boys and girls of both homes celebrated the festival together as one big family. The college girls also returned to Happy Home on the main day of the festival. Many of the children went home to celebrate the festival with their families this year, although it was just for a day or so! Bhim Uncle and Shreemaya Aunty took ten younger ones to their home for a few nights during the festival as well.

Nepali Friendship Home Graduates

Bindu came back from Bangalore in October after completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Lab Technology. She did over a month of volunteer work in a private hospital in Kathmandu. Her results are due this month.

Nirmala, our second Nursing graduate, is getting married this month! She was eleven years old when she came to Happy Home. After passing her SLC examination, Nirmala joined a private nursing campus. She completed the nursing training with distinctions.