Built by students, for students
UniVerse Education is 100% youth-led and youth-empowerment focused. We believe that age isn't a barrier, it's an asset — young people have the power to pioneer change for other young people around the world.
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How it started
UniVerse Education was founded in January 2024 by sisters Alisha and Ananya, two high school students living in San Jose, California. The idea began on a memorable trip to their grandfather's beautiful, charming hometown village of Wazirpur, India.
There, Alisha and Ananya spent the day at the Mahatma Gandhi Government School, an all-girls institution at the heart of the village. They quickly bonded with the girls, sharing stories and learning what each of them hoped to become. Many dreamed of becoming doctors, teachers, and lawyers. However, it was evident that the school had no computers or internet service, and that this disconnect from the rapidly evolving digital world made those dreams much harder to attain.
The sisters returned home determined to change that. They began raising money through a series of bake sales and extensive outreach at school events, eventually raising enough funds to purchase and install eight computers at the school, creating its first computer lab.
That lab became the first of many. Today, UniVerse Education has brought over 40 computers to schools all across India and Nepal, and our passion for what we do has kept us growing.
Our journey so far
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images/milestone-1.jpgJanuary 2024UniVerse Education is founded
Founded by two students with a goal of getting rural students online.
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images/milestone-2.jpgMarch 2024Launching our fundraising
We began our mission back home in San Jose. Through organizing several bake sales and a community dinner night, we raised our first $2,500.
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images/milestone-3.jpgMay 2024Our first computer lab
After a month of logistical coordination, UniVerse successfully installed eight computers with Wi-Fi at the Mahatma Gandhi Government School in Wazirpur, India, creating its first computer lab.
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images/press-first-india.jpgJuly 2024Recognized in the press
Our first computer lab made the Rajasthan news, with First India sharing UniVerse Education's story and the students enjoying their new lab.
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images/milestone-5.jpgJanuary 2025Expanding to Nepal
We took UniVerse to Nepal, where we partnered with the Koseli Foundation to install a computer lab at the Koseli School in Kathmandu. There, we spent about three weeks on site training teachers.
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images/milestone-6.jpgMarch 2026Our biggest night yet
On one special evening in Fremont, we brought hundreds of families together for a dinner night filled with food, music, and the shared goal of bringing classrooms online! We are so grateful for all of the generous donors that made the night a success.
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images/milestone-10k.jpgMay 2026Passing 10K
With the support of our community, we officially raised over $10,000! These funds have impacted the educational careers of more students than we ever could have imagined.
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images/milestone-7.jpgJuly 2026Continued Impact
Back to back, we brought two more computer labs to India, one in Rajasthan and one in Gujarat.
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images/partner-owed-soap.pngAugust 2026Partnering with Owed Soap
We partnered with Owed Soap, an incredible youth-led nonprofit that turns used cooking oil into soap, to combine our missions and expand access to both education and hygiene in underserved communities.
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images/milestone-maharashtra.jpgSeptember 2026Our most recent lab in Maharashtra
Our newest computer lab went to a school run by the BVJSS organization in Maharashtra, where students are now using the computers to learn how AI works and how to use it safely.
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images/milestone-today.jpgTodayWhere we are today
Today, our labs have reached over 550 students across India and Nepal. Looking forward, we are hoping to reach another school in Bhilwara and grow our student team to reach more classrooms.