An Austin lemonade stand started by two young siblings in 2018 has grown into an educational non-profit that has shared 100,000 books, 125,000 learning supplies, and thousands of mental health kits across Texas. Indian-origin brother and sister Rohan and Anya Satija began their work after learning about “book deserts.” These are neighbourhoods where children have limited access to books suited to their age. What started as a small local fundraising effort soon grew into the Let’s Learn Foundation, a non-profit that now works with 13 Texas school districts, hospitals, and youth centres. According to figures published by Global Indian, the foundation has directly reached more than 15,000 students. It provides books, classroom supplies, and kits to support emotional well-being in low-income and underserved communities.
Personal struggles inspiring community action
The idea for the non-profit came from Rohan Satija’s own experience of adjusting to life in the United States. After his family moved from New Zealand to Austin, Texas, in 2018, Rohan struggled with anxiety and panic attacks because of the sudden change in culture and surroundings. Books gave him comfort during this difficult time and helped him understand his unfamiliar surroundings. During a middle school project, he learned that many children in his local community did not have enough reading materials. This inspired him to take action. “I was alarmed to hear of the prevalence of book deserts in Texas,” Rohan told Global Indian. “I found comfort in books and storytelling, but I was alarmed to hear of the prevalence of book deserts in Texas, areas where reading materials are difficult to obtain.” Rohan, who was then 10 years old, joined forces with his sister Anya, who was two years younger. At first, they baked cookies and sold lemonade in their neighbourhood to raise money to buy books. Within nine months, their small community effort had grown into a registered non-profit organisation working to reduce educational inequality.
Expansion into mental health and youth advocacy
Over the past six years, the siblings have expanded the foundation’s work beyond reading and literacy. They have added mental health support to their programmes and started providing resources to help students manage their emotions. Understanding that school performance and emotional well-being are closely connected, the team began preparing and distributing special mental health kits to schools. “Mental health and education are deeply intertwined,” Rohan explained to Global Indian. “By addressing both simultaneously, we can create environments where students are not just learning but thriving.” The foundation has also started the Vibrant Voices Project, a creative writing and theatre programme at the Hays County Juvenile Centre. It encourages young people in detention to work through mental health challenges by writing and performing monologues based on their own experiences. “This program emphasizes the impact that storytelling can have on youth mental health, fostering therapeutic self-expression and reducing mental health stigma,” Rohan said.
Institutional partnerships and corporate support
The Let’s Learn Foundation has grown with help from partnerships with educational publishers and national charitable organisations. It has worked with Scholastic to obtain large quantities of reading materials. It has also received financial support and grants from Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. The non-profit also works with local medical and social support organisations, including Dell Children’s Hospital, Active Minds, and SAFE Austin. These partnerships help ensure that books and care packages reach children facing difficult situations. Alongside his work with the foundation, Rohan has taken on public advisory roles focused on youth mental health policies. He is the youngest representative on the Texas Children and Youth Behavioural Health Subcommittee and is also a member of the Williamson County Child and Youth Behavioural Health Taskforce. He has also led workshops at regional mental health conferences, including the 2023 NAMI Texas Conference.
Future goals and ongoing campaigns
Despite gaining national attention and corporate support, the Satija siblings continue to organise local donation drives and manage the delivery of supplies to schools themselves. “The real reward is seeing the joy on children’s face when they receive their first book or realizing that our mental health kits are helping students feel supported,” Rohan told Global Indian. According to figures published on the Let’s Learn Foundation’s official website, the organisation plans to expand its distribution network to more school districts across central Texas. It will focus on rural communities and low-income urban areas where access to public libraries remains limited. As the siblings balance their high school studies with running the non-profit, their main goal remains the same. “We want to ensure that every child, no matter their background, has the resources they need to learn, grow, and succeed,” Rohan said.
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