Eye Hospital and Dental Clinic, Sayla, Gujarat

Photos taken from the Matushree Kashiben Harjivandas Sanghrajka Eye Hospital, operated by Raj Saubhag in Sayla, as well as the dental clinic. The eye hospital, equipped with the latest PHACO machines, conducts over 3000 operations annually - mostly cataract but also surgery for glaucoma, pterygium and corneal relaxing.  The dedicated team lead by Dr Kamal Shah and Dr Vidhyut have helped assess over 260,000 patients over the past 8 years of operation.

The dental surgery, having opened more recently in 2010, is the only dental clinic in Sayla - previously patients would have to travel over 30km to the nearest town of Surendranagar, and this for many would have been unaffordable.  Dr Sharma and his team extract over 100 teeth every month, and other common treatments include root canal, filings and dentures. All services, both dental and optical, are provided free of charge.

The final two photos were taken at Ladakchand Manekchand Vora (LMV) Girls High School, named after the late Pujya Bapuji who founded Raj Saubhag. Established in 1997, the school was the first girls high school in its local district of 75 villages - a sign of traditional and conservative attitudes in the local area. Bapuji always had the upliftment of the local community in his heart and particularly emphasised with the disadvantaged women. Under the guidance of educationalist and headteacher Chandrakant Vyaas, the school now tops the district league table with 100% pass rates and the majority of college students earning a distinction for their efforts. Their are nominal school fees and the educational operations are funded by donations. For more details on humanitarian activities, you can read the Janhit magazine here.

Technical details: Sony a850 with Tamron 28-75mm lens.