As Elizabeth Atkinson, from Carhampton, nears the end of her two months living in the Indian city of Udaipur, she sends us her latest weekly letter on the unexpected similarities between life in the state of Rajasthan and West Somerset

Entitled ’How hill farming is offering help to those in need’, her letter begins: We have much to be proud of in West Somerset: not least, the support provided by the Food Cupboard and related bodies for those experiencing food poverty, the assistance given by the Exmoor Hill Farming Network to farmers meeting the challenges of low-yield environments, and the unique opportunities for training and employment provided by our pioneering Foxes Academy.

And Udaipur is equally proud of the local organisations providing help to people in need, including two life-changing organisations I was lucky enough to visit.

The first was Jhabla hill village, some 60km South of Udaipur, where I was able to spend a day with members of Seva Mandir, which has been providing support to the poorest rural communities in South Rajasthan for 50 years. ...

Elizabeth’s full letter and more photos are in this week’s Free Press (March 29).