In 1989, Ms. Abhilasha Singhvi’s philanthropic instincts led her to perform a small experiment. She founded a tiny rehabilitation camp in South Gujarat, welcoming a few underprivileged impoverished locals whose lives had been complicated by the loss of a limb. The idea was simple: to not only provide each of her guests the prostheses they needed, but also to personally oversee their acclimation to them.

Over twenty years later, her experiment has blossomed into an institution of hope and healing showing consistent, passionate and rare commitment to the cause of the disabled and the limbless. There are now camps held all over India in places such as Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Delhi. Manav Seva Sannidhi has provided artificial limbs and polio calipers, as well as support and training to over 50,000 people. The camps emphasize a personal touch: each prosthesis and caliper is worked on and personally fitted by expert craftsmen, each resident is given hand-on training by Ms. Singhvi and her volunteers. More importantly, however, MSS has given thousands of Indians the confidence and ability to support themselves in ways they can be proud of. Not only do they leave her camps with new limbs, but also with the sense of friendship and emotional support they need to believe in themselves again.