At the Edge of Land and Water
Debipur Gurguria village in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, sits where the land never stands still. As the river shifts, the sea pushes back, and the line between the two is always uncertain.
In the Sundarbans, water shapes people’s lives. It runs along embankments, seeps into the soil,
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Life in Sagardwip: Environment and Social Realities
Sagardwip, an island at the southernmost edge of West Bengal, about 110 km from Kolkata. Within it, Uttar Haradhanpur village lies in the Sundarban region where land, water, and life are closely tied. Most families depend on farming, though many men migrate for work while women largely remain at home.
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Where Work Once Defined Life
People of Raipur TG village in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, carry the memory of work that once held the community together. The local tea garden has remained inactive for over two decades. What was once a source of steady livelihood now lies unused, stretching quietly across the village.
Over time,
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A Landscape Shaped by Water
Molual Miri village in Majuli district, Assam sits within one of the world’s largest river islands, shaped continuously by the waves of the Brahmaputra. Here, floods are not an exception but a recurring reality — changing landscape, displacing families, and often interrupting everyday systems like schooling. In such a space,
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Living in the cities, many of us believe that our lives are very different from the people living in villages. Malls, flyovers and the rapid-paced technology does make our lives easier but some ‘basics’ tie us to the vast majority in rural India. The food on our table is one such ‘basic’, as is Water.
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The internship’s purpose is to make college students as well as other graduates from various fields strong willed, goal-oriented individuals while also presenting them with a career path. Interning at Goonj is an opportunity to have fun while creating change. We aim at opening a vault of fresh and new ideas and suggestions which can be taken up by the young changemakers.
Number of hours- 150 hours (1 month)
For a wilful, multi-lingual and inquisitive person, the sky is the limit. Here at Goonj you will be tasked with various activities and opportunities which will take you on a whirlwind of self-discovery while having tons of fun. During your internship you get to organize and be a part of various awareness initiatives organized by Goonj. If there are any specific skill sets which you have, please inform us so we can proceed in that direction.
There is no good or bad time to apply but make sure that you are available to dedicate a month fully for the social internship.
In the end, what you learn from your stay at Goonj is up to you 🙂
For individuals with a passion for social change, a curiosity to learn, and a drive to make a real impact, the Paid Urban Internship at Goonj offers endless opportunities to grow, contribute, and create change. This internship is designed for those who are not just looking for work, but a chance to immerse themselves in a mission that is bigger than themselves. At Goonj, every day brings new challenges, fresh ideas, and an exciting mix of activities that will help you grow both professionally and personally. DURATION : 3 months
For those with a drive to make a difference, a passion for innovation, and a keen interest in community development, the possibilities are endless. At Goonj, your internship experience will be a journey of hands-on learning, and impactful social change. You won’t just be watching from the sidelines – you’ll be an active participant in our mission to bridge the urban-rural divide. Whether it’s organizing awareness campaigns, spearheading resource drives, or crafting engaging digital content, you’ll have the chance to dive into a variety of exciting tasks that will challenge you and help you grow. The more you give, the more you’ll take away from your time here. So, gear up for a journey of personal growth, meaningful contribution, and lots of learning along the way.
Create your own "Gullak" (piggy bank) from discarded materials and start saving
for Goonj.
Use your skills (singing, painting, baking, etc.) to raise funds for Goonj
through a small event or showcase.
Set up donation boxes in schools, colleges,
corporate offices, or your local shop. Watch how your community's spare change turns into life-changing
support for Goonj.
Go door-to-door to spread awareness about Goonj's mission and encourage people
to get involved.
Share an inspiring story of Goonj's impact to motivate others to contribute or
take action.
Organize a walkathon in your neighborhood. Every step raises awareness, and
every mile brings us closer to creating a better future with Goonj!
Take the "One Gunny Bag" challenge and collect surplus items to contribute to
Goonj.
Ask your network to contribute their used & unused sarees and be part of this
meaningful movement. Let's turn these sarees into stories of change.
Take on the ultimate challenge by organizing five collection camps in schools,
offices, or neighborhoods. Gather surplus items. Each camp brings your community together to make a lasting
impact!
To take up a challenge or for any queries, write to us at [email protected]
The internship’s purpose is to inculcate leadership qualities in high school students, give them a platform to explore the professional sphere and increase school engagement. High school (Grades 9 to 12) is the time when students participate in extracurricular activities to develop and discover career prospects. This experience will act as a driving force towards learning while enjoying and spending time mindfully.
Number of hours- 15 hours Per Week
Students will be tasked with making the people around them aware of Goonj and its various initiatives. They will also encourage them to recycle, up cycle and contribute underutilised goods to Goonj so that they can be reused. The students will additionally be engaged in observing and learning what happens behind the scenes. If there are any specific skill sets you have, please inform us beforehand.
In the end, what you learn from your stay at Goonj is up to you 🙂
An 11-year-old girl from Srimitra Solitaire Apartment in Kasanavahalli, where the collection drive and gullak-making session were held, not only participated in the gullak-making session but also assisted her friends and other participants by sharing the extra materials she had brought. She was extremely helpful and enthusiastic in sharing the idea of making gullak more creative.
She made three gullaks out of various sets of materials she had gathered. The first gullak she made was from the hard box cover of Horlicks, the second from an old tin jar, and the third from the potli she had brought. During the interaction with her, she emphasized that gullak is a reminder that we must give back to the world in order to make it a better place. The session like gullak making clearly made Goonj’s continuous effort and vision to make the world a better place to live into a pragmatic sphere.
Toward the end of the session, the children created the innovative gullak with the intention of saving money and contributing it to a good cause.
On the same lines of the Dalai Lama, who says that our prime purpose in life is to help others, we wish to highlight the story of a selfless volunteer whose persistent help is reaching the needy through Goonj.
Dipanjana ji has been associated with the Kolkata team for the past 3 years. In the early days, she used to send material to the office and for the past year she has been actively involved with Goonj in various ways. Previously, she has participated in offline crowdfunding during the Nepal earthquake and cyclone Amphan, where she had collected a good amount and contributed to Goonj. Her affinity to be of help didn’t stop there, she now voluntarily keeps aside some amount every month to help Goonj in some way possible and has opened her place to be one of Goonj Kolkata’s dropping centers.
She has had a zero-waste outlook in life, from the time she used to shift places and had to make the most of every resource around her, to now when she is making use of every possible piece of material in her capacity to repurpose it into wearable clothes for Goonj. Her flare to carve sculptures out of unused wood has translated into upcycling clothes for the needy.
She recently procured bulk material and worked upon how to get it stitched and mended. A lot of ideations went into making the best use of them. Some ways she adopted to repurpose different pieces of clothes include making tops and petticoats out of oversized pants, transforming swimwear into a set of top and bottom wear, made tops out of cushion covers and covered some unwanted spots and faults using her unique ideas. Her outlook was to make clothing that the communities in need can utilize. Later, finely ironed and folded pairs of cloth in bulk were dropped at Goonj. It’s unlike her, she says, to give away something that is not in proper condition and it not just aligns with the outlook of Goonj but highlights that dignity is deserved by all.
It is always possible to be kind and Dipanjana ji is a living embodiment of it. She came down to the office and interacted with all the processing unit workers, showed them how she looked at different material, taught some tips and tricks to upcycle so that they could also implement it by themselves. The interaction was loved by processing center workers and she left them with many insights, a fresh spirit and in awe of her work.
Her approach echoes, ‘I want to teach someone, learn something, help somehow’. She draws satisfaction from helping the society, as much as she can in her capacity. Goonj is ever happy to be the platform for her kind gestures of selflessness, towards making society a better place. It is not often that we come across volunteers like Dipanjana ji and when we do, it feels imperative to highlight such stories to inspire the generosity in mankind.
A Public collection camp is conducted in the Besant Nagar by the volunteer Mr. Aravind Srinivasan in his home. Once the Goonj team member reached there to co-ordinate with collection drive, he welcomes the person with water and breakfast. The hospitality was very nice. He arranged the tables, chairs, etc which are needed to start the camp. Once, all are set, he shared the information in a WhatsApp group. All the contributors started coming to the drive and dropped the material. He came forward and explained to the contributors about the process in the processing unit and also about the initiatives of Goonj. The contributors who are not aware of the location, he shared the map and also guided them to reach to the drive while going to some walkable distance. This was a great and tremendous support from him. When handed over the souvenir to him, he politely refused stating to give to the contributors. After successful completion of the drive, he requested a person from his neighbour to load the material in the vehicle. Not only he supported in loading the material, her daughter also supported in loading the materials in the vehicle. The volunteer is soft hearted, down to earth person.
