The changing face--and pocketbook--of India

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FT story on how the rise of India's middle class changes the nature of charity in that country.

First glimpse I got was with the Christmas Tsunamis of 2004, when giving by the public outpaced government aid--a very positive sign.

Story details how Oxfam now raises money inside India for Indian operations.

For decades, international charities such as Oxfam, Care International and Save the Children raised money in the industrialized world--the US, Europe and Japan--to provide basic social services to the poor in remote corners of the developing world which dysfunctional local governments failed to reach.  Yet today, global charities are tapping large emerging markets' own increasingly prosperous middle classes--and their successful local companies--to address the deep-rooted poverty and profound social challenges these up and coming middle-income countries still face.

As this paradigm goes, shift happens.

As charities move from basic services to more complex goals like mitigating the effects of climate change, more local buy-in is essential, so this change is for the better.