Photos and words by Martin Moodie
Sojournposse, and especially its two editors, has helped me understand the importance of photo journalism and to look for new and fresh angles in what I do - even though I am a journalist not a photographer.
These are a couple of images I took during a recent trip to India - pretty basic photography I am afraid on my camera - but I liked what they captured.
They are from the children's cleft ward at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, which is largely funded by The Smile Train charity, with which I have become closely involved.
The gentle grey-haired man is Dr Mukunda Reddy, who heads the unit. He has the heart of an angel and the hands of a master craftsman.
Every day he transforms the lives of Indian children - many of them among the country's poorest - and those of their families.
The little girl in the picture is yet another of his success stories. She had a severe cleft lip and palate.
Now she is a beautiful young girl. In this picture she is counting to 10 (in her local dialect) to show Dr Reddy (and me) how well her speech has come on. Note the mother's expression, guarding over her brood.
Many cleft children are abandoned in India. This mother, despite her poverty, has raised her child with immense love.
Litte Rajesh's picture appealed too. He is a cheeky little chappie who had his cleft operation early so his speech should be fine.
Look at his young mum's pride. The father is to the left and sister to the right. It's a nice happy family shot. A few months ago it would have been a very different image.
www.smiletrain.org
CHECK OUT MORE PROBONOS WE SUPPORT
