More on Schools
Our first school project was the remodeling of the Chhulemu grade school in the fall of 2000.  Following that project, we constructed two teachers' houses - one in Chhulemu in the fall of 2001, and the other in Yawa in the fall of 2002.  Both of these projects were located in the Solu region of Nepal. 

In 2003, we funded the Tibetan Youth Club with sponsorship for teachers and established a continuing education program for adults in Gangtok, Sikkim.

Also, in 2003, we created an alternative education pilot program about 1 hour outside of Kathmandu.  The curriculum of this pilot program supplies 20% of the overall curriculum helping to balance the missing elements of traditional Nepali education.  The present curriculum is lacking motivating factors that would potentially offer encouragement and empowerment for students to become self-employed or entrepreneurial.  Traditional Nepali educational values revolve around small-scale labor or intensive manual work, thus creating a widening gap between people who are “educated” and those who are "uneducated" but skilled in their trade.  The pilot program curriculum integrates the knowledge and expertise of local entrepreneurs, educators, craftsmen, farmers and small business owners. 

In 2004, we started another pilot program in Charmile, Sikkim, India, known as The Primary Education Rural Sponsorship Project.  This program sponsors children for primary education, grades 1-6.  The children’s families are mostly Nepalese and work for the B.R.O. (Border Roads Organization), which paves and maintains the high altitude roads in India close to the Tibet border.  Without financial assistance these children would never have the opportunity to go to school; it is just too cost prohibitive.  We started this program by working with the local school officials, ensuring that we did not overburden the present school systems.  We selected 25 children providing them with uniforms, shoes, school bags, textbooks, stationary and 2 hours of tutoring each day.  The project has now been expanded to offer aid to 100 children.  We have also built a separate classroom for the 2 hours of tutoring that takes place each day after school.

In addition to providing school supplies and tutoring, we now provide a daily lunch for all of the children.  Without this daily lunch many of the children would not have anything to eat while their parents work all day on the roads.  A local educator oversees the progress of the children and helps to ensure that funds are appropriately dispersed.  All of this assistance costs as little as $75 per child each year.  

In 2005, the Assam Lindsey village primary school requested that the foundation provide a new fresh water pipe to the school.  That project was completed and now provides fresh drinking, washing and toilet water to the school.

In 2006, the dZi Foundation will continue to sponsor the Charmile School primary education program, tutoring program, lunch program and will provide for a new toilet facility, in the continuing effort to make the educational process the best it can be for our sponsored children.  The school staff is also working to present the Foundation with secondary school options for our students.

In 2006, the foundation will take the successful model used in Charmile and duplicate it in the Sikkim village of Assam Linsdey (see water project above).  Primary education sponsorships, a tutoring program after school and a lunch assistance program, will provide this village a hand up on educational opportunities for the students.

Lastly, we have a sponsorship program for teachers in the Solu region of Nepal.  Many schools in Nepal are unbelievably over-crowded.  With the help of one extra teacher, the burden can be greatly relieved and students receive much more attention.  In areas where we have been able to supply an extra teacher, the resulting help and student progress has been quite evident.  We have seen the level of education improve greatly and now see students passing the S.L.C. (Student Leaving Certificate) exams.  Without passing the S.L.C. exam, a Nepali child’s education is essentially finished.  The students call this exam the “Iron Gate Exam” because passing this test allows a student to "pass through" the gate to a better life with expanded employment opportunites.  Last year, in one village where no student had ever passed the S.L.C. exam, we had 8 children successfully pass through the Iron Gate.  Over a three-year period, 24 students have passed their S.L.C. exams.

The dZi Foundation continually supports monks, below the age of 14, at various monasteries in Nepal with educational scholarships.

Note:  I apologize for being vague and not naming specific villages in Nepal in regard to the S.L.C. exams, but there is a reason.  If the Maoists find out that an international group is funding something in their region, it may put people at risk.

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