The World of Mr Shoe

Polio survivor Gautam Lewis fight against Polio Comes Full Circle

Thirty-two-year-old polio-survivor Gautam Lewis who lives in London will travel to his birthplace of Kolkata India to help in the effort to eradicate polio – a crippling and potentially fatal disease that is still endemic in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

After learning about the commitment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a partnership of UNICEF, the World Health Organization, Rotary International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Gautam was inspired to help the campaign to eradicate the disease in India and worldwide forever.

“Full Circle,” an exhibition of thought-provoking photographs centered on GPEI final stand against polio will take place on 4^th December 2009. It will be held at Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarshasal. Kolkata, India. Full Circle will depict the valiant fight against polio in India through the photographs of Gautam Lewis.

Full Circle will tell the extraordinary story of Kolkata-Born Gautam Lewis’s emotional journey back to Kolkata to take part in India’s epic polio immunisation campaign. Children are particularly at risk and Gautam was just one among many millions to contract the virus

The photographic exhibition will be open for one week from 4^th December through 7^th December 2009. Representatives from Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charity, Rehabilitation Centre For Children, Child In Need Institute and Sanchar will be present, as well as several prominent citizens of Kolkata.

Abandoned after contracting polio at the age of three, and raised by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, followed by two more years of operations at the Rehabilitation Centre for Children. His life might have remained one of grinding poverty – had he not been adopted and taken to live in privilege and comfort in Britain. A stark contrast to his days as one of India’s poorest children. Gautam’s motive for this effort is that he is passionate about experiencing life to the full and enabling others to do likewise. His passion stems from his early childhood and disability, when he learned how it felt to have few opportunities due to poverty and geography. He was lucky and escaped poverty as destiny but is so aware how many others never get the break.

The number of polio cases reported annually has decreased by over 99% – from 350,000 in 1988 to 1,625 cases in 2008. Massive efforts to eradicate polio in the last 20 years have resulted in the number of endemic countries dropping from 25 to just 4 today: Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria.

In spite of continued collaborative efforts of the State Government of West Bengal, WHO and UNICEF to ensure that each and every child is immunized and protected against Poliovirus, there are still pockets of resistant households in high-risk areas of West Bengal where parents are reluctant to let their children be vaccinated against Polio. Gautam realized that these resistant parents and caregivers could relate to his early childhood and accepted Oral Polio Virus vaccine as a result of his advocacy. These parents and children who accepted vaccine after meeting Gautam will be invited for this exhibition. This will increase confidence and visibility within the underserved vulnerable communities and will spread the message by word of mouth within the communities.

Full Circle will highlight the achievements of the Indian Government, and endorse their commitment towards the completion of the polio eradication campaign. The weeklong photo exhibition, is being jointly organized and funded by The Prabha Khaitan Foundation (a Kolkata based NGO), UNICEF Office for West Bengal and Radiant Capital (private equity firm in UK and India)

Gautam was recently presented with the prestigious “Asian Leadership in Charity” award at the annual Asian Who’s Who dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel for his work. Gautam has had great opportunities in his life. He believes that his calling is to help others less fortunate and celebrate in the spirit that the sky is the limit.