(PHOTO: Team Dayā Founder Jay Sears in Langtang Valley in Nepal in 1988, during his junior year at Kenyon College.)
Team Dayā Founder Jay Sears has been presented with a humanitarian service award by his alma mater Kenyon College. The award is given at the discretion of the college’s alumni council to members of the Kenyon family who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to humanitarian service. The previous winner of the award was former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink.
“On behalf of Kenyon, I congratulate Jay Sears for his Humanitarian Service Award,” said Kenyon College President Julie Kornfeld. “He joins other accomplished Kenyon graduates who take their Kenyon experience and use it to lift up others.”
“Thanks everybody for this recognition,” said Sears when accepting the award. “To do things like this, I often think it brings those of us who work on it as much or more joy than the communities that are our partners. And these are places that are deeply, deeply deserving. There are all sorts of ways to help the college, to help places like Team Dayā but the big message is just to do something, and there are so many ways that people can help.”
Sears founded the nonprofit Team Dayā, Inc., which works to fight poverty and illiteracy by funding and constructing primary schools in the developing world, in 2018. One of the inspirations was his experience studying abroad during his junior year in Nepal in 1988. Dayā means “kindness” in Nepali.
The film Building Change, the Team Dayā Story details Team Dayā, its purpose, including its origin story back to Sears’ junior year in Nepal. Produced by Kathmandu based filmmaker Shyam Karki of Samson Film Productions, it was shot on location in two communities in the Western Terai of Nepal, Hardahani and Dhayapur. Both communities have schools funded by Team Dayā.
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
In February 2025, I embarked on my first trek with Team Dayā…and what an incredible experience it was. Our journey began with a Sunday flight into Managua, Nicaragua, where we met up with other Team Dayā members. From there, we connected with our local partner buildOn and drove to the city of Matagalpa for an overnight stay. Monday morning, our group traveled a number of hours to reach the remote community of Bambu 2.
Although the very last stretch was only about 9-10 miles from the last town of any size, it took well over an hour to navigate the rough terrain and single-lane dirt roads, which crossed through rivers and wound through the hills. Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the community – adults and children alike – with all of us eager to meet each other.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā at the opening ceremony for its school building project in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)
The opening ceremony was exciting, filled with speeches, gratitude, and a shared sense of purpose related to getting started with the building of the new school. For years, the children of Bambu 2 had attended school in a structure built in the 1990s with limited materials.
With 75 school-age children currently enrolled across various grades, the new school will make a tremendous difference providing a safe, well-constructed learning space for generations to come. After the ceremony, we met our host families, who would generously welcome us into their homes and lives for the duration of our stay.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā members David Danziger and Jay Sears work the rebar station building column supports for the future school in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)(PHOTO: Team Dayā member David Danziger on the school worksite in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)
Work on the school site began the next morning. As someone accustomed to working at a desk, I quickly realized that physical labor – digging trenches, tying rebar, pounding down substrate, setting support pilings – was… err… challenging but also rewarding. Despite the rain and the demanding work, the energy among our group and the community remained high throughout.
Beyond the worksite, we spent afternoons learning about the daily lives of the people in Bambu 2. We discussed religion, family structure, gender roles, politics, and work. We shared our experiences from the U.S. while gaining insights into the traditions and challenges of this Nicaraguan community. We learned firsthand about the cultivation and processing of coffee and corn—two vital crops in the region.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member David Danziger playing a competitive UNO card game at home in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)
After dinner in the evenings, we had fun at our host house with members of the family and their friends. We introduced games like the card game Uno as well as Jenga with the kids and adults. We found that friendly competition, playful rule-bending (yes, a mirror was used by players to spot another person’s cards!), and good-natured trash-talking translate across languages and cultures.
The days in the community passed quickly, with hard work in the mornings and learning + fun in the afternoons and evenings. Wednesday evening, we introduced the kids (and the community) to the US “tradition” of campfires and s’mores…a big hit!
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Jay Sears demonstrates a proper s’mores roasting technique to local residents in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)(PHOTO: Community piñata fun in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)
On Thursday afternoon, we participated in a deeply moving closing ceremony, celebrating the progress made and the bonds in the community formed. The closing ceremony highlight for the children was undoubtedly the piñata, which, unlike the gentle swings I’d seen at American parties, turned into a high-energy, chaotic, and hilarious event. That night, our usual fun and games were also a bit bittersweet as we said our goodbyes to those we’d not necessarily see before our early Friday morning departure from the community.
As we departed Bambu 2 and made our way back to Managua, then onward to the U.S., I found myself reflecting on the things that truly connect us as humans across cultures and backgrounds:
A desire for connection and shared understanding.
A shared hope for a better future for our children and all children.
The joy of working together toward a common goal.
A mutual curiosity about the lives of people different from us.
Above all, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude—gratitude from the people of Bambu 2 for our fundraising and traveling to help build the school, and gratitude from our team for the warmth, generosity, and hospitality extended to us by the entire community and especially our wonderful host families who opened their homes and their lives to us.
Returning home brought the comfort of modern conveniences—electricity, plumbing, internet—but it also deepened my appreciation for the simple yet profound sense of community we had seen in Bambu 2. This trek was not just about constructing a school; it was about building relationships, understanding, and hope for today and in the future.
For anyone considering joining a trek with or supporting Team Dayā, I can say with certainty that the experience is powerful. Whether through participation or donation, your contribution will have a lasting impact—not only on the community receiving a new school but also on your own perspective of the world and our shared humanity.
Listen to Team Dayā member David Danziger explain why Building Change is important:
(PHOTO: Team Dayā members Brianna Rozzi, Jay Sears, David Danziger and Lauren Rose during the groundbreak week for the school in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)(PHOTO: Students of Bambu 2, Nicaragua in front of their existing school. Team Dayā funded a collaboration with the community and other stakeholders to build a new school that will be enjoyed by these students. Groundbreaking for the new school took place in February 2025.)
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
(PHOTO: Team Dayā members Brianna Rozzi (left) and Lauren Rose meeting their host family Frank Arauz Torrez, Jorbeli Centeno and their children Frander Arouz (age 12) and Francis Arouz (age 5) in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)
If you travel 2,300 miles from New York City to Managua International Airport, drive to the city of Matagalpa to the north, then drive east a few more hours north east, cross a few rivers, and follow a winding, mud-filled road through lush mountains, you’ll arrive at a Nicaraguan community called Bambu #2. This is where Team Dayā and I called home for a week in February. We joined our hosts to break ground on their new school—a project that, thanks to Team Dayā’s generous network of donors, will be completed in just two months (though our fundraising work isn’t done yet (please make your donation)!).
One might assume that the miles between us, the language barriers, and the community’s limited access to fresh water, electricity, and Wi-Fi would make it difficult to connect. However, I found quite the opposite:
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Brianna Rozzi (center, in the blue shirt) in the morning huddle at the school worksite in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025. The old school building is visible in the background.)
For starters, no matter where you are in the world, little boys love trucks. Upon our arrival, the children were mesmerized by our 4×4 pickup trucks, swarming around them with wide-eyed excitement.
Second, a kitchen brings people together. Throughout the week, I found myself in crowded kitchens rolling tortillas, roasting coffee, kicking a soccer ball, and even shooing away a pig. Growing up Italian, I learned that kitchens are where generosity thrives, and these kitchens were no different. Two chickens—alive at the time—were generously donated to Team Dayā for a meal, a true act of hospitality.
And, as they say in Ted Lasso, “Football is life.” As part of my introduction to the community, I gifted my host-brother, Freer, a soccer ball. Within minutes, the neighboring kids gathered at our house for a kickabout, ignoring bedtimes and embracing the game. I can confirm that Messi’s reign extends deep into the mountainous jungles of Nicaragua.
While my career is difficult to explain in either English or Spanish, the people of Bambu #2 are farmers of corn, beans, and coffee. They are deeply connected to their faith and understand the true meaning of “it takes a village.” Cousins carry younger cousins on their hips. Teenage boys transport small children to school on motorcycles to spare them the steep, muddy walk. A bag of bananas appears mid-soccer game for a shared neighborhood snack. This village mentality is something I internalized during my time there and hope to carry with me.
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Brianna Rozzi digging the foundation of what will be the new school in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Brianna Rozzi tying rebar for the column supports of the new school in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)
I was struck by the community’s dedication to education. On that first muddy day, as we broke ground on the school, farmers set aside their daily work to begin construction. They will continue to do so for two months, fully committed to building a safe, dry place for their children to learn. They understand that a school builds confidence in the next generation, expanding their vision of what’s possible. And beyond that, a school can transform a community: a new school brings the promise of further progress such as electricity and the promise of better roads.
There are many worthy causes to volunteer with and donate to. What stands out about this work with Team Dayā is that it is truly life-changing—for the community and for me as a volunteer. The money that we fundraised bought the shovels, the wheelbarrows, the cement, the cinder blocks— the materials to build the school.
As Anthony Bourdain once wrote about travel, “It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you… It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart and your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
(PHOTO: Team Dayā member Brianna Rozzi signed the covenant, the agreement between the community, Team Dayā and stakeholders to come together to build the school in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)(PHOTO: Team Dayā members Brianna Rozzi, Jay Sears, David Danziger and Lauren Rose during the groundbreak week for the school in Bambu 2, Nicaragua, February 2025.)
Listen to Team Dayā member Brianna Rozzi explain why Building Change is important:
(PHOTO: Students of Bambu 2, Nicaragua in front of their existing school. Team Dayā funded a collaboration with the community and other stakeholders to build a new school that will be enjoyed by these students. Groundbreaking for the new school took place in February 2025.)
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
