The Team Dayā school in Nguiddine Keur Sara, Senegal is complete. It is the second school the group has funded in the community. The groundbreaking took place earlier in the summer on June 24, 2024 (see: Jeff Green Joins Team Dayā’s School Groundbreaking in Senegal).

The group financed a first school in the community of Nguiddine Keur Sara, Senegal in 2022, when the community only had two temporary classrooms made from millet stalks, sticks, leaves and cardboard. The community has expanded its student population to nearly 200 from around 50 prior to the construction of the first school. 

The school currently has 5 grades offered; grade 1 – grade 5. The current enrollment of 193 pupils (96 boys and 97 girls) is up from the previous enrollment of 106 pupils in 2022. The two permanent classrooms (from our 2022 project) will now be complemented by the new school building. 

Photos of the construction over the summer:

The original grades offered when Team Dayā built the first project in 2022 were 1st and 2nd grades – so the school has added three additional grades and the number of teachers has gone from 2 to 5. In 2023, the community worked with our NGO partner buildOn to help 19 out of school children enroll back in school. What terrific progress since the community built its first classrooms in October 2019 from sticks and straw.

We could not have done this without support from the Jeff T. Green Family Foundation, our 1,000+ donors around the world, and our full 2024 Senegal team:

Senegal Team Members

ARIK. Hasan “Trust & Transparency” Arik is a founding partner of Team Dayā and an alumni of multiple school builds including our 2022 Senegal project. He is CEO at Redmill Solutions in London and has worked at Mediacom and GroupM. Donate.

Read Hasan Arik on Team Dayā’s Return to Nguiddine Keur Sara, Senegal

GREEN. Jeff Green is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Trade Desk, a digital advertising pioneer and one of the most successful tech companies of the 21st Century. His success as a serial entrepreneur has been based on the application of data – both understanding how data can be applied to rethink time-honored business models and processes, as well as using data to figure out where market inefficiencies exist. With the Jeff T. Green Family Foundation, Jeff and his team are bringing that same approach to understanding and addressing economic disparity. By applying data to those disparities, particularly in key formative areas such as education, the Jeff T. Green Family Foundation intends to build successful, action-oriented and repeatable programs that help remove barriers to opportunity. Donate.

GREEN FAMILY. Elijah, Malachi and Faith are the teenage children of Jeff Green. They accompanied their father to participate in the Team Dayā school groundbreaking in Nguiddine Keur Sara, Senegal. Donate.

INGALLS. Terra Ingalls has 15 years of publisher/retail media, adtech, and agency experience, leading teams at WPP and Publicis/Epsilon. Her work with Team Dayā is motivated by the opportunity to set an example for her nine year old son: “I want to show him how important it is to help others when we can, and there’s no better way to teach these things to your children, than by doing it yourself.” Donate.

Read No AC, Manual Labor & A Lot of Joy in Senegal

KATELMAN. Steve Katelman spent nearly three decades at Omnicom, most recently as the EVP of Global Strategic Partnerships for Omnicom Media Group. He focused on digital strategies and investments for many of Omnicom’s clients and launched OMG’s trading desk, Accuen, in 2008. Steve was also instrumental in the launching of Annalect in 2010, Omnicom’s Data and Analytics practice.  Donate.

Read Katelman on Team Dayā, and the Love & Joy of Senegal

SEARS. Team Dayā Founder Jay Sears started the group in 2018 with peers from the technology and advertising industries to finance and build primary schools in developing countries. In addition to running Team Dayā and the local community news site MyRye.com in his hometown, Jay has worked at mastercard, Rubicon Project, ContextWeb, EDGAR Online and Wolff New Media. Donate.

WYREMBAK. Paul Wyrembak serves as the Senior Director of Product at Symitri and the Head of Technical Operations at TRUSTX. He previously worked at PadSquad, and was Co-Founder of Dantech Systems. He is a co-worker of Team Dayā’s head of recruiting Jaryd Knutsen. Wyrembak “realized early on that hard work and determination are only minor components in the criteria that determine one’s “success.”  Sometimes, it requires a display of kindness, empathy, or gratitude.” Donate.

Read Finding Joy & Building Change in Nguiddine Keur Sara, Senegal

Please consider supporting Team Dayā and its 2024-Senegal team members so we can continue Building Change.

(PHOTO: Team Dayā with community members in Nguiddine Keur Sara in June 2024 during the construction of its second school in that location.)

Three Ways You Can Help

1. Make a Donation Online
2. Example investment opportunities:
   • $250 All the nails, nuts, and bolts to build a roof for the school
   • $500 In-country mason during the entire construction of the school
   • $1,000 Paint for a school
   • $40,000 Fund an entire school
3. Spread the Word
   • Share our mission with your friends, your company and your industry
   • Invite us to speak about our mission to your network
   • Follow us LinkedIn, X / Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
4. Join the Team & Travel on a School Build
   • If you have a combination of fundraising chops, an adventurous spirit and the belief each of us has the capacity to be Building Change, get in touch with us and have a conversation.

Team Dayā 2024 Plans

In 2024, we plan to build schools in Nepal (March, completed), Senegal (June 2024, completed) and Guatemala (December 2024, limited availability). These ground breakings will be our second school in each of these countries. 

The exact start dates are:

• Sunday, March 17, 2024 – Nepal (arrive Kathmandu) [groundbreaking completed]
• Sunday, June 23, 2024 – Senegal (arrive Dakar) [groundbreaking completed]
• Sunday, December 1, 2024 – Guatemala (arrive Guatemala City) [limited availability]
• A 2025 schedule will be published by September 1st.

If you are curious to learn more about joining a build, please reach out to our Head of Recruiting Jaryd Knutsen. 

Thanks again for your continued support,

All of us at Team Dayā