Nepal Earthquake

Dear dZi Foundation Family,

It has now been over five weeks since the first devastating earthquake in Nepal on April 25th. Since that time, there have been other significant earthquakes and countless “aftershocks” that have made life in Nepal an ongoing challenge to say the least.

We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received in that time. People like you, from all corners of the globe, have helped to generate a whole new level of awareness around dZi Foundation’s unique approach to development work in Nepal. Along with heightened awareness of our work, this time has been remarkable from a direct fundraising standpoint and we are now stepping back a bit and realizing the true magnitude of your support.

Because of you we have been effectively implementing relief efforts in the short-term that couple with strategic reconstruction efforts for the longer term. The primary focus in the past 5 weeks has been on sourcing, purchasing and distributing tarps and metal roofing materials for temporary structures. Tarps are in great demand and it has not been easy to source large quantities of quality tarps that will provide adequate shelter from the elements. But with your support, we have already delivered 3,286 tarps to remote villages in the Solukhumbu and Khotang districts to be used for temporary housing and learning center purposes.

Though they make an immediate impact, tarps are obviously not a permanent solution. As the direct result of your support, we are now sourcing and purchasing bulk metal roofing materials that will better withstand the impending monsoon weather. With this roofing in place, temporary learning centers will allow thousands of students to safely resume their education. As soon as the monsoon season ends, our reconstruction efforts will focus primarily on schools and this roofing material will be able to be repurposed at that time.

As is true around the world, schools are at the heart of most communities. We believe that rebuilding schools is a critical steppingstone to effectively rebuilding stronger communities, and we know from experience that our partner communities will rally together with our staff support to ensure this gets done.

dZi was recently recognized by the Nepal government for being very effective at building schools in remote areas and, as a result, they have specifically requested that we increase our efforts in this area specifically. Accordingly, in the next year, we plan on rebuilding nine of the 30 significantly damaged or destroyed schools in our working area, which is a significant undertaking for us on top of our other core programs. It is time for us to step up and respond to the great and lasting need in Nepal now. While the earthquakes and associated devastation have already fallen off the media’s headlines, we know the reconstruction efforts in Nepal will take focused, long-term effort. Together, with your support, we are in for the long haul.

We hope this newsletter finds you all well and safe. Know that we will continue updating you on our progress through subsequent newsletters; please consider passing them along to your family, friends and colleagues. If they are interested in signing up to receive them directly, please refer them to our website at www.dzi.org.

Thank you and Namaste,

Jim Nowak, President and Co-Founder

Mark Rikkers, Executive Director

Ben Ayers, Nepal Country Office Director

Caroline Fisher, Board Chair

Links:

• dZi Foundation Website