 In 1996, after completing his PhD in Maryland University in the Unites States of America, Balaji Sampath returned to India to start AID INDIA and work fulltime on education, health and livelihood. He spent the first few years building a team in Tamilnadu, creating a volunteer base and partnering with several NGOs.
From 2000-2003, our volunteer base in Tamilnadu grew quite significantly. The team had several IITians and BITSians who quit their corporate careers to join AID INDIA fulltime. Soon we were able to draw a much more diverse group of people. A team of young college students and fresh graduates also joined us. Our field team also developed with a number of experienced field coordinators. Educationists, Dr. V. Vasanthi Devi and Dr. R. Ramanujam also joined our team as advisors. Our work on the field began to grow. It was around this time that it was realised that the chief focus should remain on education for children and thus the Eureka Child Foundation was founded. With the renewed focus being on building model villages based around the strength of education our base grew to about 1000 villages across the state. |
