Headed to Malawi (East Africa): Project Start July 2, 2023
Malawi is consistently ranked among the world’s 20 least developed countries on the UN Human Development Index. Seventy-one percent of the country’s population lives below the poverty line of US $1.90 a day. Nearly half of primary school-age children dropout before advancing to secondary school and the literacy rate in Malawi is only 62% among people 15 years old and older.
Team Dayā is scheduled to start its school groundbreaking in Malawi on Sunday, July 2, 2023. If you are interested in learning more, or possibly traveling with us to work on the groundbreaking, please contact us.
Riley Jacobson – Hermosa Beach, California
Bio: Riley is fourteen years old and is a freshman at Mira Costa High School. Riley is on the Mira Costa Water Polo team as well as plays for a club soccer team, AYSO united. She gives back to her local community as a member of the National Charity League.
Why: Travel has been an important part of my life experiences, thanks to my parent’s influence. In addition to traveling, I have also had the opportunity to study and play sports in Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Studying and traveling abroad exposed me to the different ways of learning and new cultures but most important was understanding that access to education isn’t the same for everyone.
The most impactful experiences I have experienced were the trips that involved giving back to the local communities around the world. My first time helping a school was in Kenya. Before leaving, I deconstructed all of my Lego sets to donate to the school. At first, I was upset that I had to not only break down Legos that took so much effort to build but also give them away. But the smile on the student’s faces as I taught them how to build Legos was so rewarding. It is now my personal mission to live my Girl Scout honor ‘leave a place better than you find it’.
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