Kurtosys is a global company whose locations are as as diverse as New York and the Philippines, the UK or India. Growing the business on this global basis has allowed Kurtosys to harness local talent to drive results, finding the best people to deliver outstanding results that clients can trust. Setting up operations in the developing world is about more than just good business sense, however, it’s about helping to shape communities and offer real opportunities that inspire people to make a positive difference to the world around them.
Dean leads and impromptu English lesson with the children.
In Gurgaon, just 30km outside of Delhi, 40 Kurtosys employees work hard to maintain their reputation for world class document outsourcing, as well as getting involved in new product developments. Gurgaon is one of India’s success stories, an example of how western investment has helped boost the local community and improve living conditions. However there is more to do at the grass roots, which is why Kurtosys supports local staff to participate in a volunteering collaboration with Literacy India.
Set up in 1996, Literacy India’s vision is to make its ‘dream of an educated India’ come true using its ‘ladder of learning’ methodology. The programme is devoted to empowering underprivileged children and women by making them self-sufficient, and uses the ‘learning ladder’ to describe its package of support for all aspects of children’s development; from raising awareness of the options available to helping to secure better schooling and beyond that to sponsorship and the provision of vocational training.
Kurtosys volunteers are working in pairs to help support the teaching of Maths, English and computing skills whilst a further team is in the pipeline to provide mentoring support that will advise children on life and work skills.
The staff are very impressed with the products on sale: They even bought a Christmas present for Mash.
Further volunteers are putting their technological and business skills to work on a pilot e-bay business. The project sells locally produced Indian handicrafts and, with the potential for this to turn into an internationally focused enterprise, this type of initiative really inspires local communities to believe that life can improve.
Through its commitment to projects like this, Kurtosys is helping to invest in the future of this Indian city, building a business that not only provides western clients with an unrivalled standard of service but helps the local economy to thrive, ensuring that living conditions improve for all. And as for the volunteers themselves, they can’t wait to get even more involved in the volunteering opportunities to come. For them, these projects really are a special way of giving something back to their community.
About Hazel McHugh
Before becoming a freelance writer and digital marketeer, Hazel was Group Marketing Manager at Santander.