A Loss and a Field Left Unused
In Arundhathiyar Theru in Murugankudi village, Tamil Nadu, lived Bhavani Amma, an elderly widow whose life changed drastically after the sudden loss of her only son. Her son had supported her emotionally and financially, enabling her to cultivate a small patch of agricultural land.
After his passing in an accident, grief and financial strain left her land idle and her spirit shaken. With no means to farm and no income to fall back on, she became dependent on extended family.
But her land still held potential, and her community recognised it.
Collective Compassion: A Community Comes Together
During a Cloth for Work (CFW) visit, Goonj team members identified Bhavani Amma’s story as an opportunity for a community-led intervention. Instead of approaching this as a case of aid, the team initiated a village dialogue, and the response was deeply moving.
Seventy-five villagers stepped up in solidarity. Over two days:
- Day 1: They cleaned a nearby canal to restore water access to her plot.
- Day 2: They worked on her land to set up a kitchen garden, using collective labour and pooling funds to buy seeds and saplings.
From Bare Soil to Brinjals: A Garden Takes Root
Within two months, Bhavani Amma’s once-fallow land began yielding a healthy crop of brinjals (eggplants). In a dignified gesture of gratitude:
- She shared part of the harvest with the volunteers who stood with her
- The rest she sold within the village at half the market rate, ensuring affordability while generating income.
Her kitchen garden was not just productive, it was inclusive, affordable, and dignified.
Bhavani Amma Harvesting Brinjals from Her Garden
New Harvest, New Hope, And Another Job Created
As the months progressed, so did the yields, 50–70 kg of vegetables in just one cycle. Bhavani Amma began selling in the local town market, restoring not just her income, but her confidence.
And then, she did something powerful: she hired another economically vulnerable woman from the same village to help with harvesting and transport, creating a secondary livelihood through her small plot of land.
Cloth for Work: Restoring Dignity, Not Just Livelihoods
This is not a story of relief. It’s a story of agency restored, of a community coming together to help one of their reclaim what grief had taken away: purpose, self-respect, and participation.
Under Goonj’s Cloth for Work model, villagers were not recipients of charity but contributors of change. Bhavani Amma’s garden stands today as a living reminder of what’s possible when resilience is met with community effort.
Be a Part of Change
Our invitation to you is, start from where you are.. From a small change of starting a Goonj kee Gullak or Team 5000, joining a long and deep change process, or things in between- organising a collection drive, a volunteering journey, an internship, or simply walking with us signing for a Goonj monthly newsletter subscription.. More on www.goonj.org or write to [email protected].
Many options, but the choice is always one; Taking Action..
