Support U&I at the World 10K Run

When U&I volunteers ask their students about their dreams and goals, they get varied answers. Some want to be teachers (just like their volunteers). Others want to be pilots. Some want to be doctors and give back to the community. Some want to be dancers and artists and authors.

While all those dreams are heartwarming, we don't see too many children with dreams as specific as Aditya's, a student from one of our Learning Centers in Ahmedabad. When his volunteer teacher asked him what he aspires to become, the answer was very clear: Aditya wants to be an astronomer.

Why, we asked him. His answer inspired his volunteers. “The sky always makes me smile and I want to know more about the space," replied the 8th grader. This determined young boy doesn't just have a big dream. He also has a clear game plan on how to get there. From his junior high school from St. Xavier’s College to his Master’s Degree from London School of Astronomy, Aditya has all the details mapped out.

It's children like Aditya who you are supporting. Children with big dreams. Children with a vision. Children with passion and determination. What they lack, however, are the resources to get where they want to go. But through U&I, their future opportunities are no longer just pipe dreams.

Thank you for helping kids like Aditya. One day when you read about a famous astronomer from a shelter home in Ahmedabad you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you helped make that dream a reality.

With the start of the new academic year, all U&I's Learning Centers have been actively meeting their goals for the semester. But we are having fun doing it - because we know that's hands down the best way to teach children!

After being exposed to nothing but rote learning at school, U&I gives our students the chance to experience their learning through practical activities wherever possible.

Just a couple of days, for instance, while studying the parts of a plant, students at a Bangalore Learning Centers took time out to plant saplings and sow seeds. While these students are accustomed to memorization at their low-income or government schools, hands-on activities get them excited about learning and help them understand concepts much better.

U&I reaches 2000 students in 54 Learning Centers across India. We are changing lives, one child at a time, one practical lesson at a time, one affirmation at a time. 

Maybe ten years down the line, these students won't remember exactly what the volunteer teachers taught them. But they sure will remember how these U&I teachers made them feel!

Today about 2000 young people in college or working professionally devote 2.5 hours of their time every single week to build the community, one child at a time.

A simple gardening activity - something these children would never otherwise have the chance to do - builds the teacher-student relationship, ensuring learning for a lifetime.