Our local partners, the BET Board of Directors: Mr. Gnanaprakasum, Treasurer, Hilda Isaac, Managing Director, Mrs. Tilaga; and Mrs. Jayanthi, Head Teacher at Helping Hearts Preschool. Mr. Jesudass, BET’s President, couldn’t be there for the photo.

A quarter century ago, in a mountainous village in South India, poor working women needed safe care for their young children. They appealed to Hilda, newly arrived from the plains and possessing a college degree in early childhood education. With backing and support from Betsy Dailey, an American teacher, the first “creche” was born.

Far more than just safety, Hilda and Betsy wanted health care, good nutrition, education, and socialization for children of the poor. They exhausted a small inheritance from Betsy’s grandmother, then looked to other American friends. Founded in 2008, Help Kids India answered the call to play a supporting role for BET and its preschools.

“Localization” is the name given to placing funding directly in the hands of local partners. Local organizations have intimate knowledge of local needs. They know best how to meet needs with their own context, drawing on local resources. They need money, yes, but the vision and motivation, the work, is their own. This is the HKI model.

Global aid agencies, from Oxfam to US AID, are moving towards localization. HKI has been doing this for years. With properly monitored audited accounts, localization has far lower over-head and is cost effective: local people are running their own projects and benefiting their own communities. For HKI donors, our local partner in India is delivering an astonishing return on your donations. This is the way aid should be.

Why didn’t global aid agencies catch on sooner?

Mrs. Tilaga plays a rousing game of tag with the preschool children.

Mrs. Jayanti accompanies students needing doctor’s care on the weekly clinic trip.

Hilda reviews teacher’s lesson plans.