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 Lauren Rose, Team Dayā member
What does it mean to join Team Dayā for a school building project in an impoverished area of the world? This was a question I asked myself before my first school build in March 2024 (read Lauren Rose: An Awakening in Nepal’s Western Terai).
As I prepared for my second build less than one year later, I thought I knew exactly what to expect. The general structure of our days would be the same, we’d stay with a host family in the community and live as the locals do and the framework for building the school would be identical. While those elements remained the same, what I didn’t anticipate was having an entirely new experience that, once again, changed the way I view the world and also profoundly changed me as an individual.
Some key takeaways I have from this trip to the community of Bambu #2 in Nicaragua:
The Power of Community
The people you surround yourself with are your tribe, and the effort you put into your relationships is reflected back. The people of Bambu 2 are resilient, hardworking, and deeply committed to their community’s well-being.
One moment that stands out from this experience perfectly illustrates this. Bambu 2 is a small, remote village that sits at the perimeter of Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, the second largest rainforest in the Western Hemisphere (the park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and about 15% of the country’s land area).
The community sustains itself through exports, primarily its coffee crop. The homes are very spread out so the community members can maintain their land. Walking from my host’s home to the school build site took 30 minutes, up and down hills that were about eight inches deep in thick mud and on 30% inclines. Yet, each morning before the sunrise, a man who had no children or grandchildren who would attend the future school still made a grueling hour-long trek to help build it. He did so because he saw the immense value this school would bring to future generations.
Tenacity
This school build was the first outside project this community had been granted. For 20 years, they petitioned the local government for support to build a new school. The closest town is an hour away through what can be a very treacherous journey, crossing over a river in 16 places, in approximately 20 inches of water in the dry season (in the rainy season the roads can be impassable). The fact that community leaders never gave up, continuing to fight for two decades, is nothing short of incredible.
Listen to Team Dayā member Lauren Rose explain why Building Change is important:
Impact.
The impact one person can have on an underserved community is so much greater than you can imagine. With $40,000, Team Dayā can fund the construction of an entire school – complete with local engineers, all of the structural materials, supplies like concrete, metal for rebar, etc.
It is a place where students are sheltered from harsh weather conditions and are safe to learn and continue their education with a curriculum customized for them. As a member of the ad tech community, I’m so fortunate to work alongside some of the best and brightest striving to make the web a better place. Spreading awareness of Team Dayā’s mission is a privilege, and if nothing else, this experience has reinforced just how powerful both financial contributions and personal effort can be.
I’m incredibly grateful to Jay and my fellow Team Dayā members who joined me in Nicaragua, Brianna Rozzi and David Danziger. I’m equally grateful to have met the community members in Bambu #2 in Nicaragua. This experience has left me energized as ever to bring my learnings back and apply them to my life going forward – spreading awareness, securing donations, and helping fund future schools to build a brighter future for communities in need.
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
- Make a Donation Online
- 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
- 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
- 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
