How U&I Built a Mentorship Program Across 40 Indian Cities That's Actually Closing the Learning Gap

India has 96–97% school enrollment. So why can't 50% of Grade 5 students read a Grade 2 sentence? That's the question at the heart of this conversation and it's the exact problem that U&I has spent years trying to solve on the ground. In this episode, we go deep inside U&I Teach, one of India's most innovative after-school education programs, now running across 150 learning centers in 40 cities including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Chennai. We break down: Whether you work in the social sector, care about education reform in India, or want to understand what it really takes to build a scalable impact program, this episode is for you. Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes:    / @twofounderswalktinto   Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+. About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership. Follow them on LinkedIn: Ajit Sivaram -   / ajit4949   Satish Manchikanti -   / satish-manchikanti   Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/ Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/ Follow Us: Instagram:   / uandi.org.in   LinkedIn:   / u&i-charity   YouTube:    / uanditv   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7H... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5... Timestamps: 00:00 — Intro 01:30 — India's real education crisis: enrollment vs learning 04:00 — The lived reality of children in shelter homes 07:00 — U&I's Theory of Change explained 10:00 — Academic Skills: foundational literacy & numeracy 14:00 — Life Skills baked into the curriculum 17:00 — Career Skills & the Career Compass app 20:00 — Inside a U&I classroom: structured chaos 25:00 — Scaling across 40 cities: the Learning Circle model 30:00 — How U&I measures real impact #Teach #EducationIndia #SocialImpact #NGOIndia #LearningGap #TheoryOfChange #VolunteerIndia #FoundationalLiteracy #MentorshipIndia #AfterSchoolProgram #IndiaEducation #ShelterHome #ImpactPodcast #BengaluruNGO #HyderabadNGO #MumbaiNGO