Every year, almost 7 million people living in India suffer from devastating burn injuries. More than 140,000 lose their lives, while countless others find themselves facing lives of pain, crippling deformities and psychological scars.

The new Varanasi Burn Center is now under construction, and when it is completed in November 2026, it will be the largest and most comprehensive burn center in India. Led by Dr. Subodh Kumar Singh, a renowned plastic surgeon with 27 years of experience in burn procedures, the institute will become a national training hub and state-of-the-art medical center.

Otto first learned about the Varanasi Burn Center through Bill and Nancy Thompson, whose Thompson Family Foundation is a major donor. We were determined to help, too. We created a new logo and branding, and we sent our creative director Mark Atkinson to India to collect personal narratives, images and video. These powerful stories are now central to the Varanasi Burn Center’s new website, designed by Otto to generate awareness and raise the funds needed to support the institute’s lifesaving work.