Where It All Began
At 51, Sheeja has been part of Goonj for over 15 years, long before social media made volunteering visible.
Her first memory isn’t of giving, but remembering.
Growing up in a small village in Ernakulam, she recalls a time when sanitary pads weren’t available. Torn cloth was reused discreetly, dried in corners, and hidden from men.
“The men shouldn’t see it,” she says. “We never even heard the word sanitary pad until after marriage.”
When she moved to town post-marriage, access changed. But the memory stayed. So when she started contributing to Goonj, it was not as charity, but as continuity, for every girl still living in that silence.
A Flyer, A Face, A Name
She discovered Goonj through a newspaper flyer, a drawing of a man carrying a bundle.
“I couldn’t read the articles. But if I saw the names ‘Goonj’ or ‘Anshu Gupta,’ I read whatever I could.”
It wasn’t digital campaigns or referrals that brought her in; it was a visual that stayed in her heart.
The First Camp and the First Heartbreak
Sheeja began collecting. She stored materials and waited weeks to send them to Bangalore. Her first collection camp, hosted at her uncle’s place, was smooth.
But her second camp, held in her own shed, left her broken.
“They didn’t give clothes. They gave away whatever they didn’t want. Some gave only undergarments, even though I’d said not to.”
She had to hire help to sort and discard most of it. It hurt deeply.
“I cried that day and thought: people don’t care. Why am I doing this?”
“That day broke me,” she adds. “But even in that moment, I knew: stopping wasn’t an option.”
From Misunderstanding to Meaning
Back then, many questioned her:
“Why are you collecting this? Are these things sold later?”
“It hurts when something done with heart is misunderstood,” she says. “But I didn’t stop.”
She credits Goonj’s growing digital presence and transparency with shifting public perception, especially in Kerala.
“Earlier I used to call people. Now they call me.”
Giving as Rhythm, Not Role
Over the past 15+ years, Sheeja has hosted at least 1–2 collection camps annually. She’s also a counsellor, working with children with learning disabilities and their families.
“Goonj is my life. It’s an inconvenience to me if I can’t help.”
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..
