Please donate to my Team Dayā fundraising effort – all funds go directly to building schools. If you are curious about Building Change with Team Dayā, please contact our Head of Recruiting Jaryd Knutsen.

By Brianna Rozzi, Team Dayā member

If you travel 2,300 miles from New York City to Managua International Airport, drive to the city of Matagalpa to the north, then drive east a few more hours north east, cross a few rivers, and follow a winding, mud-filled road through lush mountains, you’ll arrive at a Nicaraguan community called Bambu #2. This is where Team Dayā and I called home for a week in February. We joined our hosts to break ground on their new school—a project that, thanks to Team Dayā’s generous network of donors, will be completed in just two months (though our fundraising work isn’t done yet (please make your donation)!).

One might assume that the miles between us, the language barriers, and the community’s limited access to fresh water, electricity, and Wi-Fi would make it difficult to connect. However, I found quite the opposite:

For starters, no matter where you are in the world, little boys love trucks. Upon our arrival, the children were mesmerized by our 4×4 pickup trucks, swarming around them with wide-eyed excitement.

Second, a kitchen brings people together. Throughout the week, I found myself in crowded kitchens rolling tortillas, roasting coffee, kicking a soccer ball, and even shooing away a pig. Growing up Italian, I learned that kitchens are where generosity thrives, and these kitchens were no different. Two chickens—alive at the time—were generously donated to Team Dayā for a meal, a true act of hospitality.

And, as they say in Ted Lasso, “Football is life.” As part of my introduction to the community, I gifted my host-brother, Freer, a soccer ball. Within minutes, the neighboring kids gathered at our house for a kickabout, ignoring bedtimes and embracing the game. I can confirm that Messi’s reign extends deep into the mountainous jungles of Nicaragua.

While my career is difficult to explain in either English or Spanish, the people of Bambu #2 are farmers of corn, beans, and coffee. They are deeply connected to their faith and understand the true meaning of “it takes a village.” Cousins carry younger cousins on their hips. Teenage boys transport small children to school on motorcycles to spare them the steep, muddy walk. A bag of bananas appears mid-soccer game for a shared neighborhood snack. This village mentality is something I internalized during my time there and hope to carry with me.

I was struck by the community’s dedication to education. On that first muddy day, as we broke ground on the school, farmers set aside their daily work to begin construction. They will continue to do so for two months, fully committed to building a safe, dry place for their children to learn. They understand that a school builds confidence in the next generation, expanding their vision of what’s possible. And beyond that, a school can transform a community: a new school brings the promise of further progress such as electricity and the promise of better roads.

There are many worthy causes to volunteer with and donate to. What stands out about this work with Team Dayā is that it is truly life-changing—for the community and for me as a volunteer. The money that we fundraised bought the shovels, the wheelbarrows, the cement, the cinder blocks— the materials to build the school.

As Anthony Bourdain once wrote about travel, “It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you… It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart and your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

Listen to Team Dayā member Brianna Rozzi explain why Building Change is important:

Your Support & The Team

Please consider supporting  Team Dayā and our 2025 Nicaragua team. We cannot build these schools without your support. Example investment opportunities:

• $40,000 Fund an entire school
• $1,000 Paint for a school
• $500 In-country mason during the entire construction of the school
• $250 All the nails, nuts, and bolts to build a roof for the school

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 2025 Plans

We are now actively recruiting members for our 2025 groundbreakings. These builds represent our second schools in Nicaragua and Malawi and our third school in Nepal. 

Our Team Dayā 2025 school building dates:

Nicaragua, Central America [groundbreaking completed]
Sunday, February 9, 2025 – Saturday, February 15, 2025

Malawi, East Africa
Sunday, June 22, 2025 – Saturday, June 28, 2025

Nepal, South Asia
Sunday October 26th, 2025 – Sunday, November 2nd, 2025

If you are curious to learn more about joining a build, please reach out to our Head of Recruiting Jaryd Knutsen. Not sure? Watch the documentary Building Change, the Team Dayā Story (8 minute run time), by Kathmandu based filmmaker Shyam Karki of Samson Film Productions.

Thanks again for your continued support,

All of us at Team Dayā