• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • News
    • Localization

    Localization? I hate the word. Decolonization? I hate that even more

    Jeroo Billimoria is a serial social entrepreneur, involved in some of the biggest projects in India. She's a passionate advocate for measures to transfer power to a local level. But she's not such a fan of some of the language which describes that process.

    By David Ainsworth, Amruta Byatnal // 21 November 2022

    Jeroo Billimoria has had enough of the jargon surrounding aid.

    The serial social entrepreneur believes it is time for the sector to change in some of the language that she says portrays countries in the global south as if they’re at a lower level than their richer counterparts.

    Billimoria sprang to prominence in the world of development with the establishment of Childline, now one of India’s largest NGOs, and since then has gone on to found several other organizations.

    This article is free to read - just register or sign in

    Access news, newsletters, events and more.

    Join usSign in

    More reading:

    ► How philanthropy can help catalyze the localization movement

    ► Opinion: Localization isn't working. Here's why.

    ► Opinion: To truly walk the talk is to decolonize philanthropy

    • Humanitarian Aid
    • Institutional Development
    • Social/Inclusive Development
    • Catalyst 2030
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

    About the authors

    • David Ainsworth

      David Ainsworth@daveainsworth4

      David Ainsworth is business editor at Devex, where he writes about finance and funding issues for development institutions. He was previously a senior writer and editor for magazines specializing in nonprofits in the U.K. and worked as a policy and communications specialist in the nonprofit sector for a number of years. His team specializes in understanding reports and data and what it teaches us about how development functions.
    • Amruta Byatnal

      Amruta Byatnalamrutabyatnal

      Amruta Byatnal is a Senior Editor at Devex where she edits coverage on global development, humanitarian crises and international aid. She writes Devex CheckUp, a weekly newsletter on the latest developments in global health. Previously, she worked for News Deeply in the United States, and The Hindu in India. She is a graduate of Cornell University where she studied international development. She is currently based in New Delhi.

    Search for articles

    Related Stories

    NGOsWill USAID cuts bring new opportunities for the global south?

    Will USAID cuts bring new opportunities for the global south?

    The future of US aidHow Samantha Power performed a delicate balancing act as USAID chief

    How Samantha Power performed a delicate balancing act as USAID chief

    Sponsored by data.orgFrom Cambridge to Bogotá: Accelerating a locally led AI movement

    From Cambridge to Bogotá: Accelerating a locally led AI movement

    Devex NewswireDevex Newswire: Would Trump 2.0 be a boon for localization?

    Devex Newswire: Would Trump 2.0 be a boon for localization?

    Most Read

    • 1
      Opinion: Mobile credit, savings, and insurance can drive financial health
    • 2
      How AI-powered citizen science can be a catalyst for the SDGs
    • 3
      Opinion: The missing piece in inclusive education
    • 4
      Opinion: India’s bold leadership in turning the tide for TB
    • 5
      How to support climate-resilient aquaculture in the Pacific and beyond
    • News
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Talent
    • Events

    Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

    A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

    • About us
    • Membership
    • Newsletters
    • Advertising partnerships
    • Devex Talent Solutions
    • Post a job
    • Careers at Devex
    • Contact us
    © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement