ELIZABETH Atkinson, from Carhampton, who has been living in the Indian city of Udaipur, sends us her latest weekly letter on the unexpected similarities between life in the state of Rajasthan and West Somerset.

This week’s letter begins: Last week I reported on my visit to one of the hill-farming projects in rural Rajasthan supported by the Udaipur-based NGO (non-government organisation) Seva Mandir, which enables subsistence farmers to break free from extreme poverty, provides immunisation and healthcare training to rural families and empowers village women to take more control over their lives.

This week, I focus on another life-changing Udaipur organisation, Narayan Seva Sansthan, which has provided free surgery, support and employment training to more than 370,000 people with disabilities from all over India since 1985.

Elizabeth’s letter, entitled ’A new life for people with disabilities’, and more photos are in this week’s Free Press (April 5).