I wish to raise funds to support the publishing of a book with a significant collection of images commemorating a period of Mahatma Gandhi’s life which receives little attention. I also intend to hold a photo exhibition of some of the images from the book. Please read more below.                                                                                                                                

My name is Jorge Ruiz Villasante. I am originally from Madrid, Spain, but I have been living in Ireland for thirteen years. I am a freelance photographer and a community educator working in several community and family centres around Cork city. I'm also a volunteer with several organisations in Cork.

In the summer of 2012, as a student of Community Development & Education at CIT, I was awarded the “Study Abroad” grant that allowed me to make the most of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to fulfil a long-running dream of mine: to travel to India. I got the opportunity to volunteer with EIL in that wonderful country for nearly three months, pursuing a project in connection to one of my all-time heroes, Mahatma Gandhi.

During my time in Gujarat, the state where Gandhi was born, I was based in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat and the city he settled in after moving back to India having spent nearly 23 years in South Africa fighting for people’s rights and freedom. I also travelled around the state to visit, among others, Gandhi’s birthplace and had the opportunity to follow the path of the salt march, which signified the beginning of the nonviolent civil disobedience movement that led to India’s independence from the British rule.

My aim was to follow Gandhi’s steps in Gujarat and document—with photographs—as many places, institutions, and locations as I could where he had stayed, visited, or even founded. Thus, I walked around with my camera and tried to locate these sites after doing all the research I could during my first weeks there. The end result of this assignment was meant to be a photo book that could serve as a reference for Gandhian scholars, and be of inspiration to anyone interested in Gandhi’s life. The book would also be proof of the India that still exists, and, in many cases, remains similar to early 20th century, or just as collection of images with a common theme: Gujarat in the 21st century.

This piece of work means a lot to me for many reasons:

~ It was my first time in India.
~ Creating the book allowed me to learn more about Gandhi and to visit many people and places associated with him.
~ The process of collecting material for the book provided crucial opportunity for reflection  in my life, both personally (as a global citizen and long term volunteer in Ireland and abroad, as well as an advocate of the many benefits of volunteering) and professionally (working as a community educator and facilitating numerous workshops and trainings to other volunteers).
~ By considering Gandhi’s life and approach, my mind opened to the broad and different ways in which I can get involved and help improve my community, society, and even the world.
~ I put all my effort and energy in the completion and success of the project, and it would be the first photographic book I publish.


The book has not yet seen the light of day for various  reasons, but 2nd October 2019 is Gandhi’s 150th birthday and I would love to publish it and make it available to anyone interested in Gandhi, India, social justice, or photography.

I intend to celebrate this remarkable day with the launch of my book and a photo exhibition in Cork city but I need some funds to finance this function guaranteeing the favourable outcome of this undertaking.

This is the main purpose of addressing you:

~ I hope that you could help me achieve my goal.
~ If you are interested in being part of this project, support / sponsor me, or if you want more information about it, do not hesitate to contact me, please.
~ Any amount you can contribute would be helpful to achieving the goal of publishing the book and offering a photo exhibition.

The costs of this project are as follows:
~ Publishing of the book  
~ Printing and framing 
~ Food and drinks for the launch 

Total: €3,700