dZi Foundation

dZi works with rural communities in Nepal to achieve prosperity by eliminating barriers to basic needs, fostering opportunities for sustainable livelihoods, and building their capacity to catalyze transformational change.

About

dZi Foundation (pronounced ‘zee’) works with isolated subsistence farming communities to build lasting prosperity in Nepal.

dZi partners with communities for three multi-year stages to support complementary health, education, and livelihoods programs that unlock local opportunity, build more unified communities, and create lasting solutions to complex local challenges. dZi provides communities with the skills and resources needed to design and implement these community-led projects.

Our Model

LED BY COMMUNITIES

Communities define the vision for our work. Together, we create sustainable solutions that are culturally informed and rooted in local knowledge to build a more prosperous Nepal.

SEED: ACCESS AND EQUITY

dZi begins by creating a shared, inclusive vision with the entire community and forming critical partnerships with local NGOs and community development groups. The first several years, communities focus on improving food security and building essential infrastructure, such as drinking water and irrigation systems, bridges, and earthquake-safe schools, which remove the barriers to progress and help meet basic needs.

GROW: OPPORTUNITIES TO THRIVE

Three years into the partnership, quality of life improves through increased access to cash and consumption of healthier food, and the economic condition of the community changes as 50% of residents are earning and spending more. Infrastructure improvements and the increase in educational opportunities encourage youth to stay in the village.

SUSTAIN: FOR LASTING CHANGE

In the final years of the partnership, dZi communities are more unified, earning more income, and leading safer, more productive, and more connected lives. Communities have the skills and systems in place to lead and maintain these gains for a lasting impact.