(PHOTO: Students at the new school in Hardahani, Nepal funded by Team Dayā and its supporters. It was completed in September 2024. Immediately it will serve 82 current students (34 girls and 48 boys) in ECD (early child development), first and second grade.)
Headlines from Nepal this week report a collapsed government, a surging Gen Z protest movement and Army enforced curfews. This is just another reason why our work at Team Dayā is so important and why it merits your financial support. We are scheduled to build our third school in Nepal this fall (our 11th overall).
An emerging democratic state in Southeast Asia, Nepal has survived a royal massacre (2001), a toppled constitutional monarchy (2008), a Maoist insurrection (1996 – 2006) and now this chapter. Many live at or below the poverty line and 30%+ of the nation’s GDP is dependent on foreign remittances (many working age men go India or the middle east for the majority of the year to work and send money home).
The complexity of issues impacting Nepal and other developing nations around the world cannot be underestimated. But schools – education – literate and empowered communities – will always be part of the solution.
Our mission at Team Dayā is fighting poverty and illiteracy by funding the construction of primary schools in the developing world.
(PHOTO: The first Team Dayā school build in Dhayapur, Nepal, October 2019. Left to right: Jaryd Knutsen, Winnie Yang, Jay Sears, Hasan Arik, Jordan MItchell and Suman Chagarlamudi.)
(PHOTO: The first Team Dayā group of Jay Sears, Winnie Yang, Jaryd Knutsen, Hasan Arik, Suman Chagarlamudi and Jordan Mitchell in Dhayapur, Nepal in the fall of 2019.)
Our Nepal ‘25 team is composed of six individuals whose work will make a difference to girls and boys, their families and their community in a rural community in Nepal. This will be Team Dayā’s third project in Nepal and its the 11th school overall.
Two of the six team members will not travel to the school building project, but will fundraising with their own activities. One will be running a half marathon in Malibu, California in early November and the other will be talking about the importance of Building Change while raising funds for his own ad tech start up. The remaining team members will travel to Nepal at the end of October.
“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.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Thane Liffick. Contributed.)
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.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Jordan Mitchell (center right) with members Hasan Arik and Kristy Quagliariello in Arenales #2, Nicaragua. November 2023.)
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.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Sajal Patel. Contributed.)
Patel. Sajal is the director of partnerships & business development at Nextdoor. She has also worked at TransUnions, 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.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Mano Pillai. Contributed.)
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.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Melodey Sepsey. Contributed.)
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.
(PHOTO: Chief Khokhan Nolong of Nguiddine Keur Sara, Senegal with Team Dayā members Jeff Green and Jay Sears during the welcome ceremony on June 24, 2024.)
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 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 Plans
We are now actively recruiting members for our 2026 groundbreakings. Our school building dates will be published in October.
(PHOTO: A community member signs with covenant supporting the Team Dayā school in Lambwe, Malawi on Monday, June 23, 2025. He is signing with his thumbprint because he does not know how to write.)
Today we celebrate the groundbreaking of our 10th Team Dayā school. On Monday, June 23, 2025, our group worked with the community of Lambwe in the Dowa district of Malawi to break ground on a new school.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā members Jay Sears and Michael Benedek with community members from Lambwe, Malawi on the school worksite on Thursday, June 26, 2025. It was the 10th project funded by Team Dayā.)
Our 10th school is only possible because of our myriad of supporters in the United States and around the world that support our work with financial donations and various expertise including marketing, technology, financial planning and legal assistance.
Our 2025 Malawi team of Michael Benedek, Serge Matta and his son Gabe, Andy Srubias and Jay Sears merit special thanks for all their fundraising work.
Lambwe, Malawi
Our 10th school is in the village of Lambwe, Malawi. With a population of approximately 1,609, Lambwe is an agricultural community dependent on farming – mainly corn, tobacco, soya and peanuts.
The community operates an existing school for grades 1st – 8th with 603 students (298 boys and 305 girls). The children are taught by seven teachers.
(VIDEO: The “day two” tour of the Team Dayā school groundbreaking in Lambwe, Malawi on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.)
The existing school is in poor condition, including one school block (a block is a building with classrooms) that has no roof at all. Team Dayā is funding a new school building with two classrooms as well as a new boys and new girls latrine. It is expected the school will be completed in approximately two months.
Visit to the 2023 M’mbula School
(PHOTO: Team Dayā members Jay Sears and Michael Benedek with students inside the M’mbula school Team Dayā funded back in 2023. The visit to the completed school took place on Friday, June 27, 2025.)
We’ll write about our visit in a subsequent post, but suffice it to say it is always a special day when you see one of our completed schools filled with learners. Wow!
Malawi ’25 Team
Meet our Malawi ‘25 team and please consider supporting them. All contributions go directly to our school building fund. Team members pay all their own travel costs.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Mike Benedek tamping down the a foundation footing on a 2023 project in Guatemala.)
Benedek. Mike “The Bricklayer” Benedek joined the team during the depths of the pandemic and immediately started fundraising. The Malawi project will be his fourth Team Dayā school. Beyond being an inveterate travel and supporter of our efforts, Mike is president and CEO of the data marketplace Datonics. Read his first person account from one of our Guatemala projects Mike Benedek on Building Change in Caserío Sector Los Castro. Donate.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Gabe Matta. Contributed.)
Matta. Gabe is a rising senior at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., where he plays on their nationally ranked varsity rugby team and is a member of the National Honor Society. Outside of school, he enjoys working with kids by coaching youth football, teaching Catholic Faith Formation classes and volunteering with the Young Men’s Service League and the Downs Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia. Donate.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Serge Matta. Contributed.)
Matta. Serge is the president, Global Ad Sales at LG Ad Solutions. His expertise lies in leading sales teams across industries to meet revenue goals and creating strategic, symbiotic partnerships. Prior to joining LG Ad Solutions, Serge held multiple leadership positions at different companies – he was the CEO at comScore, president of global sales and marketing at GroundTruth, and CEO at video audience and content intelligence provider ICX Media. Donate.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā founder Jay Sears at the groundbreaking for the school in Aldea Santo Tomas Xacalta, Guatemala. December 2024.)
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.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Andy Sriubas.)
Sriubas. Andy was Chief Commercial Officer of OUTFRONT Media (NYSE: OUT) until January 2025. Prior to media, he spent 25 years in the investment banking industry. Andy held Managing Director roles at JPMorgan, UBS, and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, where he provided strategic advice to, and raised capital for, technology, media & telecommunications industry clients. Donate.
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
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 [school completed] Sunday, February 9, 2025 – Saturday, February 15, 2025
Malawi, East Africa [groundbreaking completed] Sunday, June 22, 2025 – Saturday, June 28, 2025
Nepal, South Asia Sunday October 26th, 2025 – Sunday, November 2nd, 2025
2026 Project Dates [available after October 1, 2025]
