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 Team Dayā member Lauren Rosen

Being Jay Sears’ wife, I have witnessed Team Dayā from its inception. I had heard Jay talk about his work building the first three schools. Finally, the timing seemed to be perfect for me to join on the fourth Team Dayā build this summer in Malawi. Even though I had heard him talk about what it was like to be on a school build, actually being there is unlike anything I have ever experienced. 

After landing in Lilongwe, Malawi, we spent the first night in a hotel. I met the other Team Dayā members and learned some basic sayings in Chichewa, the language the people spoke who lived in the village of Nchetana, where we would be building a school for 5th and 6th graders.

The next day, we drove to Nchetana and even though I had been told what to expect both from our local trek leaders and Jay, as our van drove slowly down a very remote road and was suddenly met by hundreds of people, I was still overcome with emotion. It felt like the whole village was meeting us, waving tree branches, singing the song we had learned, and smiling big, broad, welcoming smiles. 

Stepping out of the van, being surrounded by people and tons of children who are truly so happy to see you feels like something I have never experienced before. As we were engulfed by the people and made our way into the center of the village, you could see the people were surprised and impressed that we were humbly trying to join them in singing. Smiles were exchanged and during the ceremony, we introduced ourselves in Chichewa, and the week had officially begun. 

Staying in the village and talking with the families, both the adults and children, was a major highlight for me. While most of it was through a translator, there were plenty of times through either broken English or pantomiming, I was still able to communicate. Yes, it was uncomfortable to be without electricity and running water, but I got over it almost instantly. Paying attention to the rhythm of the days and quickly adjusting became easy. I had wondered to myself before arriving, ‘what happens when the sun sets at 6:00pm; do they really go to bed at 8:00pm’? When you are in it, the answers become obvious. 

The days begin for the family I stayed with around 5:00 am. I could hear them rustling and while I am not a morning person, by 5:45/6:00 am, I was ready to get up. The sun was up and the day was beginning. 

Quick wash-up, getting dressed and walking over to our “headquarters” for breakfast and to join the fellow Team Dayā members became a nice beginning to the day. Instant coffee and a simple breakfast never tasted so good. 

We met the villagers who were going to be working with us by 8:00am for “morning stretches” that team members helped to lead with the local villagers. Then we took turns rotating through the chores. 

It was hard work. I exercise almost every day, and this was much harder. Wielding a shovel to dig a hole, carrying a large bucket filled with water or sand or gravel or even bricks, building a foundation with cement blocks and/or filling them with concrete or gravel – muscles I didn’t know I had were tapped. 

Afternoons were filled with opportunities to talk with the adults, learn about their customs, ask questions, share stories and play games with the children. Even though it may seem on the surface that our lives are so different, the reality is they are not. 

Children want to win the games and they are curious about you but honestly, they  just want to play and laugh with you. The parents want many of the same things that we all want: a chance for their children to be successful, a chance for their children to have it easier than they did, and an investment in the future generation. They hope that with a proper school building, more children will stay in school through 8th grade. How humbling to realize what we take for granted… 

Late afternoons and early evenings were filled with various forms of “showers” (to be honest, mine were a little more elaborate wash-ups than the morning wash-ups, and yes, my baseball hat stayed on my head for the week!) before dinner with the team. Then there was unstructured time with either team members or our hosts or various other people from the village. There was talking, sharing stories, asking questions and (always) learning.

By 8:00pm (yes!) I was ready for bed and reading on my mat on the floor of our host’s house with my headlamp. Along with our host family, everyone was usually asleep by 9:00pm.

I was mostly impressed with the women. They seemed to do all the heavy lifting (in my mind, both emotionally and physically) – and a lot of them even did it with a baby strapped to their backs. They carried these huge buckets filled with water or sand or gravel or bricks on their heads with ease. While I tried to mimic them, it felt impossible. I shuffled the bucket between my head, one arm, then the other arm, then both arms, then repeated my efforts. 

The best part was the breaks; the women broke into song and dance and we just laughed and laughed as we all tried to mimic their dance motions and sing along with them. It made the work so much more fun. 

It is difficult to describe in words what the experience of being part of Team Dayā is really like. If you are looking for something out of the box, an opportunity to grow and expand your viewpoint, as well as be part of something that is bigger than yourself, I strongly encourage you to join Team Dayā. 

Not only will you make a huge difference in the lives of many people, but you will experience something internally that I imagine is hard to find in many other experiences. And oh yeah, you get to be part of a team of truly amazing people and share an experience that will impact you in ways you never imagined.

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.