Beautiful India

Kalki has recently undergone a change in management and I have been asked to review their current accounting system and their new financial policy. With two donors it is necessary to develop systems for recording the expenditure relating to these donors, information which can be reported to them monthly. I will also be looking at developing a database of the students and methods of recording and keeping track of inventory across a number of sites.
 
I begin by sitting with the Accountant and discussing with her the current systems. She uses a hand written cashbook and a program called Tally which is required for the audit. Her methods are very similar to those I have seen in many small UK business and charities and the similar issues arise as they do in the UK, such as lack of segregation of duties due to the limited number of employees. She is very helpful and happy to show me how she undertakes her work. She's also interested to hear how things work in the UK.
 
I discuss with the new Administrator how she would like start developing new systems and working with the budget and inventory. The office is large with two computers and a laptop and I begin to show the Administrator how to use Excel (with my limited knowledge(!))  The office is always full with people coming in to work, have a gossip or give out teas and it leads into a classroom so there is always the sound of the children's little voices learning to count or learn colours. Its certainly never boring!
 
On Saturday afternoon we take about twenty 3-7 year olds to the park to play. I make the 'mistake' of lifting one up to reach an overhead bar and then get presented with 10 more wanting a go. I am exhausted but have so much fun. We have a rest and everyone munches on biscuits.

They seem so happy despite the things they have had to face, and continue to face. They are amazing musicians, creating drums out of anything and can sing and dance for hours. They are a pleasure to be with and make me very happy to have made the decision to come to India