Please consider supporting Team Dayā. We cannot build these schools without your support. Example investment opportunities:
- $50,000 Fund an entire school
- $1,250 Paint for a school
- $625 In-country mason during the entire construction of the school
- $312.50 All the nails, nuts, and bolts to build a roof for the school
The Team Dayā school in Sector Puerto San Bartolo, in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, is complete. We want to send a special thank you to all our supporters that make this possible especially Mauricio O’Connell in the efforts he undertakes each holiday season to raise fund monies for our building fund. We also need to thank The Trade Desk CEO, Jeff Green, and his Jeff T. Green Family Foundation for their operating fund support, so all your donations go directly to school building.
The school in Sector Puerto San Bartolo is our 12th school overall and the third school being funded in Guatemala. The community broke ground in April, and construction was completed over the summer. Thirty-seven students are already enrolled in the new school, 24 of them girls. Efforts are being made to enroll out-of-school children to ensure they can also take advantage of this new facility. Instruction is offered through eighth grade and is conducted by two teachers.
The people of Sector Puerto San Bartolo invested an incredible 688 volunteer workdays, and provided the land and essential materials like sand, water, and gravel as part of this project. They have also guaranteed equal access for girls to the new school.
“My heart is filled with joy because this is our struggle,” said Modesta Gomez, a 55-year-old grandmother of students enrolled at the school. “Others helped us but we helped too. Now my grandchildren say, ‘What a beautiful school. Now we want to come every day.'”
“Now I can bring my computer and teaching materials to school without worrying that they will be damaged or stolen,” said teacher Edgar Sales. “I finally have the opportunity to teach my students in a better way by using technology, something that simply wasn’t possible before.”
Prior to the Team Dayā-funded school building, these children used four provisional classrooms constructed by the community, where walls made of metal sheets and earth flooring (aka no floors!). During the hot summer months, the classrooms become nearly unbearable, while in the rainy season, water leaks through the structures, turned the floors into unsafe and uncomfortable spaces for learning.
As of 2022, the literacy rate in Guatemala was 84.27%, indicating that approximately 15.73% of the population aged 15 and above remains illiterate. Poverty is also a pressing issue, with 59.3% of the population living below the national poverty line.
In areas such as Sector Puerto San Bartolo, illiteracy rates are higher, and educational attainment is lower, especially among marginalized Mayan ethnic groups. Many residents are subsistence farmers who cultivate crops like beans, corn, chili peppers, and cardamom, and raise livestock.
The School
Your Support & The Team
Please consider supporting Team Dayā. We cannot build these schools without your support. Example investment opportunities:
- $50,000 Fund an entire school
- $1,250 Paint for a school
- $625 In-country mason during the entire construction of the school
- $312.50 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:
- $50,000 Fund an entire school
- $1,250 Paint for a school
- $625 In-country mason during the entire construction of the school
- $312.50 All the nails, nuts, and bolts to build a roof for the school
- Example investment opportunities:
- 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 2027 School Project Dates:
We are now actively recruiting members for our 2027 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 2027
- Sunday, March 7, 2027 – Sunday, March 14, 2027
- Arrival by 2pm on first day, departure after 10am on last day
- Arrive & depart: Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA-La Aurora Intl.)
Senegal 2027
- Sunday, April 18, 2027 – Saturday, April 24, 2027
- Arrival by 2pm on first day, departure after 10am on last day
- Arrive & depart: Dakar, Senegal (DSS-Blaise Diagne Intl.)
Nepal 2027
- Sunday, November 14, 2027 – Sunday, November 21, 2027
- Arrival by 2pm on first day, departure after 10am on last day
- Arrive & depart: Kathmandu, Nepal (KTM-Tribhuvan International Airport)
Malawi 2028
- Sunday, February 6, 2028 – Saturday, February 12, 2028
- Arrival by 2pm on first day, departure after 10am on last day
- Arrive & depart: Lilongwe, Malawi (LLW-Kamuzu Intl.)
Thanks again for your continued support,
All of us at Team Dayā
