A First Person Account

By Team Dayā Founding Member Sajal Patel

The number of reasons I told myself not to join Team Dayā and go to Nepal were endless. My network wasn’t big enough. No one would donate. It’s something other people can do, not me. Maybe next year. What I didn’t understand then was that the doubt itself was exactly what I needed to confront. That service isn’t about being ready or qualified—it’s about showing up anyway. The act of going—of fundraising, of being the woman lead on this trek, of visiting this remote farming community—wasn’t just about building a school. It was about choosing to do something I didn’t think I could do.

The journey itself was long; it started with a flight from Kathmandu to the southern region of Nepal which is characterized by fertile farmland. We arrived in Dhangadi, the main city in the region and boarded a bus to begin our travel to our new home for the next week. There was one main highway, where the dogs, cows and goats had right of way. We got closer as we left paved roads behind for rough dirt paths to reach the community. Shripur Domilla was our destination. A village built on cleared land with the jungle and the Himalayan foothills as a backdrop.

When we arrived, the whole community was waiting. Drums, dancing, everyone excited to use our arrival as a reason to gather and celebrate. There was a formal welcome ceremony that included the mayor, other local politicians, the school board, and all the residents of the community. We made our introductions, watched the dances that children prepared for us and joined the adults as they lined up to sign the covenant codifying their support for the school, which included a commitment that half of the students and school board would be female. From there we participated in a pooja (ceremony) where the ground was blessed and the first dig was made.

Now the real work began. The following day and for the next several days, we worked alongside the entire community—digging, moving rocks, forming the foundation for the school. Children worked next to elders. Everyone is sweating together toward the same end. The strength and energy they brought to the work site was humbling. This is where I felt it viscerally—that actions taken in solidarity make impossible things possible. Working together with the residents to drive forward change felt powerful. A little sweat equity related to that work makes it that much more impactful. buildOn, the organization that coordinates these builds, understands this. They don’t just construct schools. They create the conditions for strangers to become family in a matter of days. And, for me, that’s exactly what happened.

I stayed with a nearby family consisting of Harilal Dai (father), Komala Didi (mother), Bajjai (grandmother), Kiran (16-year-old son), and Urmila (18-year-old daughter). Harilal Dai was on the school board and felt it was his duty to volunteer his home as a way of giving to the school effort. He later admitted to me that he was intimidated to do this as he felt he only had a simple home and someone from America might be more comfortable in a bigger, more modern place. He felt they had very little space and very little food but all I felt was how hospitable their effort in welcoming me was. Dai made a makeshift private bathing area using a tarp and spare pieces of wood lying around, complete with a clothesline, so I could take my bucket shower in privacy and comfort. Komala Didi made a special meal on the last night of my stay. We worked to communicate across the language barrier—me piecing together broken Hindi, Gujarati, and whatever Nepali I could manage, them offering patience and encouragement (and amusement at my pronunciation). When I left their home, Komala Didi marked my forehead with tikka—a blessing given to family members embarking on travel. Later in my trip, when I was at the airport waiting to catch my flight home, I watched other Nepalese travelers with the same marking from their loved ones. That’s when the full weight of it hit me. I had been honored as family—sent off with a blessing reserved for loved ones. And what we built together would last long after I left. This community now has a school where they can feel proud they are providing education and opportunities for their children and future generations.

But there was another layer to this experience that I didn’t anticipate. Being a woman on this trek meant something I wasn’t even fully aware of until I was there. One evening, while at the house, I’d finally connected with Urmila. We’d settled into a way of communicating, and I asked if she was joining the women’s talk the next day. She told me she couldn’t. She was menstruating, which meant cultural protocol kept her from certain communal spaces and from being inside the home or in the kitchen hut. It was matter-of-fact for her, just how things were, but I wanted her to be there. We were now friends and she’d been asking me so many questions—I knew her perspective would be valuable. We moved the meeting place so Urmila and other women who were menstruating could still participate.

The next afternoon, I led the gender discussion with the women of the community—a space where no topic was off limits, where we could share perspectives across our very different lives. We discussed Bollywood, in-law dynamics, pressures of raising girls vs. boys, societal expectations, weddings, menstruation. They were particularly interested in how things are different in America. These women, who were reserved on the job site and reluctant to answer questions from me or my teammates, were completely at ease and open during the discussion. Cracking jokes, making light of very serious life experiences, being raw and vulnerable. It was special to be part of.

That night, Urmila’s friends came over. They did my mehndi (henna), my nails, pulled me into their TikTok videos—fully themselves, eager to share what mattered to them and learn more about me. Watching them, thinking about Urmila’s situation the day before, reflecting on the day’s gender discussion, it occurred to me that girls everywhere learn to navigate being made to feel small. Many cultures have ways that overtly and less overtly teach girls to second guess themselves. The specifics look different and in some cases can be dangerous, but the lessons are similar—take up just the right amount of space, doubt what you’re capable of, what you think doesn’t matter.

I’d been intimidated to be the only woman on the trek. The attention made me uncomfortable. One of my teammates later told me I’d apparently developed a fan base among the women—that my presence as a kind, strong, empowered woman made an impact that would ripple forward for generations. I hope that’s true. What I saw was despite everything that separated us—language, culture, circumstance—we were all navigating the same fundamental thing: constraints we’d inherited or imposed on ourselves as girls, and learning to rise above them. My presence there, educated, having raised money and traveled across the world to work alongside them, represented a different possibility.

My trek-mates and fellow Team Dayā team members, Jay, Jordan and Thane understood this. Their quiet support and friendly encouragement during the week created space for me to step into something well outside my comfort zone. They were silent cheerleaders who knew that having women on these builds matters, that we cast imprints just by showing up.

All of this started with one act of service—your donation. Your initial choice and action to contribute kicked everything else into motion. By the end of the week, we’d dug the foundation and set the rebar columns for a school that will educate generations of children in a place where education is not a given. What I’ll carry forward isn’t just the physical structure we built. It’s what I learned about what service does—how it creates connection with complete strangers, how it reminds you what you’re capable of, how it transcends barriers we think are insurmountable. I joined Team Dayā’s Nepal trek, unsure if I could pull it off. I came back knowing that when we push past our uncertainty in service of something bigger, we discover something about ourselves we didn’t know was there.

I hope this note helps you feel the goodwill you’ve been part of in choosing to support Team Dayā this year. In a world that feels chaotic and disconnected, service is the antidote.

If you’re inspired to help or interested in joining a future Team Dayā school build, please reach out. We’d love to see you on a future project. Until then a reminder to be kind and serve others.

Our 2025 Nepal Team

Two of the six team members did not travel to the school building project, but fundraised with their own activities. One ran a half marathon in Malibu, California and the other spoke about the importance of Building Change while raising funds for his own ad tech start up.

“Not everyone has the time to make a trip around the world, but everyone can still make a contribution to Building Change,” said Team Dayā Head of Recruiting Jaryd Knutsen. If you have the time and inclination to travel with us to bear witness, great – but if you are already doing something remarkable in your professional or personal life  you can still deliver a big impact as a Team Dayā member.”

Please consider supporting  Team Dayā. 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

Our Nepal ‘25 Team

Meet our Nepal ‘25 team and please consider supporting them. All contributions go directly to our school building fund. Team members pay all their own travel costs.

Liffick. Thane is the founder and CEO of Signal North Advisory, where he works with early stage, high growth companies. He spent over 20 years at Slalom Consulting as managing director and created the firm’s healthcare practice area. Donate.

Mitchell. Jordan is a founding member of Team Dayā, Inc. and an alumnus of multiple school building projects. He has spent his career across ad tech including as an SVP at IAB Tech Lab (head of consumer privacy, identity and data), VP product at Rubicon Project and founder, chairman and CEO at Others Online. “I think about the legacy I want to leave. I understand that after I’m gone, it’s not the things I have (or had) that matter; rather, it’s the respect I’ve built for myself in my community and the lives I’ve touched.” Donate.

Patel. Sajal is the director of partnerships & business development at Nextdoor. She has also worked at TransUnion, Turn, Razorfish and VivaKi. “As a first-generation Indian American woman, I was taught about the power of education and the difference it can make in one’s life—not just as knowledge gained, but as freedom earned.” Donate.

Pillai. Mano is co-founder at AI Agent management platform Hypermindz.ai. He was previously chief product officer at Liveintent, CEO at Nikaza and has held product-engineering roles at Neustar, AddThis and AOL. “I grew up in a family of educators, and from an early age, I understood that education is so much more than just reading and writing—it’s a transformative force that can change lives and uplift entire communities.” Donate.

Sepsey. Melodey is the director of enterprise partnerships at Nexxen. She has also worked at Amobee, Turn and Starcom Mediavest Group. “Having an adopted brother from Guatemala and understanding what the daily living conditions there are, I really was drawn to the mission of providing support through education to low-income countries.” Donate.

Sears. Jay is the founder and CEO of Team Dayā, Inc. He also operates the local community news site MyRye.com in his hometown. He spent over 25 years at media and technology companies including mastercard, Rubicon Project, Pulsepoint, ContextWeb, EDGAR Online and Wolff New Media. Donate.

If you are interested in joining a future school build, please contact our head of recruiting, Jaryd Knutsen.

Your Support & The Team

Please consider supporting  Team Dayā. 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
   • 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
2. 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
3. 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 2026 School Project Dates:

We are now actively recruiting members for our 2026 groundbreakings. 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.

Guatemala 2026

• Sunday, March 22, 2026 – Saturday, March 28, 2026 
• Arrival by 2pm on first day, departure after 10am on last day
• Arrive & depart: Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA-La Aurora Intl.)

Malawi 2026

• Sunday, June 28, 2026 – Saturday, July 4, 2026
• Arrival by 2pm on first day, departure after 10am on last day
• Arrive & depart: Lilongwe, Malawi (LLW-Kamuzu Intl.)

Senegal 2026

• Sunday, November 29, 2026 – Saturday, December 5, 2026
• Arrival by 2pm on first day, departure after 10am on last day
• Arrive & depart: Dakar, Senegal (DSS-Blaise Diagne Intl.)

Thanks again for your continued support,

All of us at Team Dayā