A young TB patient plays on the new playground at Gulripsch Hospital, Abkhazia.

The dZi Foundation supports projects to improve the basic quality of life of women, men and children in mountain communities, focusing on shelter, education, and medical needs.  The Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization, is dedicated to individual and community needs, working within the existing social framework, with particular sensitivity to indigenous culture and tradition.

In 2003, the dZi Foundation supported The Abkhazia Project, which was a two-pronged endeavor to:  1. Build a playground and adult recreational facility adjacent to Gulripsch TB Hospital in Abkhazia, and 2. Document life & culture in Abkhazia. The Abkhazia Project, overseen by Annie Whitehouse and Beth Wald, was successfully completed in November 2003.

With contacts made during the initial project, the dZi Foundation continues their work in Abkhazia with funding for rehabilitation of The Abkhazian Special School in Sukhum, one of only two schools in Abkhazia for children with special needs.  Neither school is receiving any aid from international or local NGO’s, and the support of the Abkhaz government is insufficient to cover the needs of the children (many of whom are orphans) or to maintain the schools.

The dZi Foundation is funding the expansion and rehabilitation of the Concert Hall in the Sukhum Special School, which serves 54 students.  The Hall is the only place in the school where the children have a chance for self-expression and creative learning. The local community is providing the labor to complete the project, which is under the direction of Maxim Gvidnzhiya (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia), architect Garik Nakobia , and The dZi Foundation's administrator in Abkhazia,  Zurab Achba.

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