“If there was an emergency in our village, we would have been completely stuck and given today’s circumstances, emergencies can happen anytime,” says Niketan,
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To built an active, reliable time-tested network of stakeholders in both rural & urban India ensuring our response time for generating & channelizing disaster relief & rehabilitation resources is fast & customised to changing needs.
“If there was an emergency in our village, we would have been completely stuck and given today’s circumstances, emergencies can happen anytime,” says Niketan,
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Work already started in affected areas.. We are there.. Urgently Need you too… www.goonj.org/donate
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To know more about work & to donate – https://goonj.org/support-covid-19-affected/ We are available at [email protected] / Call Us: 011-26972351,
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Including fresh vegetables in the kits, and reaching to community kitchens in Andhra Pradesh…
To know more about our work &
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With the spread of COVID-19 and the national lockdown affecting the lives of millions, Goonj teams are working round-the-clock to reach basic ration and other hygiene material to people.
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Our team, with around 7 grassroots partner organisations, local governing bodies and volunteers, has started working in the state for distribution of essentials like rations and basic utilities.
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Read more about our work & to donate for our initiatives- https://goonj.org/support-covid-19-affected/
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Bihar has seen one of the biggest reverse migration with thousands of workers, returning back in the last few weeks.
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Some glimpses of reaching out thousands of cooked meals to family kits among the migrant labours from Bihar, UP, Assam,
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In Maharastra, one of the worst-hit Coronavirus hit states, Goonj’s team, together with on-ground volunteers, community workers, is running a community kitchen reaching out cooked food packets and also essential ration kits to migrant worker families.
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Highlights of our work from the ground. Our endeavors to support people return 'to normal' life, through our Vaapsi initiative.
The recent rains in Delhi have made the city a bit colder.. surely you also must have added one more layer to your clothing..
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Every year, low-lying areas of India witness heavy spell of monsoon rains. This is followed by devastating floods and landslides. For thousands of people, this means a loss of shelter, land and livelihood. This year has been no different.
Cyclone Fani has passed but left behind a trail of devastation and distress in the life of millions!! With a commendable job of state government, NDRF and many other agencies, effective evacuation has certainly been able to minimize the life loss in a big way.
In the last 2 decades of Goonj’s work.. we have seen thousands of people walk into homes where there is nothing left or fields, with all crop finished. All of us saw the intensity of the winds severely damaging even concrete buildings..It’s impact on millions of kachcha houses- from essential belonging to livestock can be anyone’s guess.
I have said it earlier as well that in some disasters unfortunately the impact is measured by the number of deaths and not by the distress of the living.
We are there to do our bit and need you too.. to make sure that people get the basic relief- from food, utensils, tarpaulins to school material, while struggling back to life. Then we stand with them for long term rehabilitation too.
Every penny, Every effort, Every Contribution Matters.. not only for urgent survival but also to save people from getting into huge debt traps when buy essentials !
Do write back to [email protected] for any queries.
–Anshu Gupta (Founder, Goonj)
We certainly need you too.. more people, resources, material and money.
Please refer to our Campaign for details.
Critical for logistics and essential purchases, click here- https://goonj.org/contribute/ (All monetary contributions are tax exempted u/s 80G) **OR drop a cheque/ draft in the name of GOONJ in any HDFC branch or send to GOONJ, J-93, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi-110076, Tel.- 011- 41401216/26972351. with your full name, address and tel no. for receipt purpose.
Food Items: Rice (Non-Basmati), Pulses, Mustard Oil, Poha, Sugar, Tea, Biscuits and Spices
Utensils: including Pots, Pans, Cooker (3 or 5 lit. only, ISI marked)
Clothes: Wearable Sarees,Blouse & Petticoats,Nighties, New under garments, Lungi/Dhoti Childrens’ clothing, Bed sheets, Blankets & Towels, Slippers and Footwears
Toiletries: Tooth Brush, Toothpaste, Soap, Sanitary Pads, Bucket & Mug, Washing Soap/ Powder, Antiseptic Liquid, Floor Cleaning Liquid
Essentials: Tarpaulins & Ropes, Mosquito Nets, Solar Lights, Torches and Pencil Batteries, Working mobile with charger
Miscellaneous: Pain relievers, Mosquito repellants, Lighter/Matches, Candles, Scissors, Gloves, Masks, Umbrella/Raincoat, Sleeping Mat, Water purifying tablets, General Medicines
For sending material, click here for – Goonj’s offices.. I Goonj’s Dropping Centres..
ALSO,
Write back to [email protected] or call 011- 41401216 / 011-26972351. We will be updating the status on www.goonj.org and on our face book http://www.facebook.com/goonj.org regularly.
* Figures in FY16/17/18
Recent actions by the women of Sankarpurva village in Bundelkhand has not only transformed the village infrastructure but have also addressed many a persistent problems of the community.
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Even today the word ‘menstruation’ is surrounded by stigma and talked about with hesitation. People of Apithi village in Odisha are no exception.
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With an aim to spread awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene, our team decided to visit Pandua village in Puri district of Odisha.
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In a society which usually treats issues surrounding menstruation as a stigma and a taboo, the outlook of people of Rajasthan‘s Kharadi Phala village towards this subject is a testament to the positive change which is slowly,
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Kappuri Devi, 33, a Goonj volunteer from Jharkhali-III village in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. An epitome of passion,
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When we started working in Bundelkhand, our utmost priority was to reach the tribes of the hilly remote areas, and Bharatpura is one such village in Lalitpur district of the region.
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Last year (2018-19) our teams held menstrual awareness sessions with more than 400 adolescent girls and women in slums, shelter homes,
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In India, 1.8 Crore women with disability, more than 5 Crore women from tribal community, 6.5 Crore migrant women, 20+ lakh sex workers are missing their voices in addressing their challenges around menstruation.These voices must be heard..
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In Sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal’s Alipurduar district, women are the major workforce comprising tea garden estates; they are the primary labor engaged in the process of cultivation and harvesting.
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“Earlier we were eating only onion & chili but now we eat green vegetables!.” shared Jamna Devi from Dahi Mata village in Udaipur.
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Lakshmi doesn’t touch animals during menstruation because she was told that the animals might die and she could fall sick due to “impure blood”.
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To recognize and value the potential of local resource and traditional wisdom of people.
To focus on the receiver’s dignity instead of the donor’s pride.
To promote circular economy by ensuring maximum use of each material.
To collaborate with partner organizations to increase effectiveness and scale.
To view every entity as equal stakeholder in the process of development rather than observing hierarchical relationships.
In the race of development we all are too focused on machines i.e. the big, known issues, ignoring the needles- the most important basic needs.
No third party agency is working on behalf of Goonj for any recruitment, trainings, camps or other activities related to Goonj. Please check/consult with Goonj directly to get correct information or assistance. Please beware of any unwarranted claims made by anyone on our behalf. Kindly bring any such claims to our notice for immediate attention and action.
Goonj doesn't charge any money from anyone for these activities. So if you come across any individual/ organization making a monetary demand in our name please bring it to our notice immediately on [email protected]
Arvind and Anjali Agarwal
Two of the oldest volunteers, they have been a part of Goonj’s journey for the last 17 years. Having organized more than 40 collection camps, their camps stand out for the efforts they make and the massive collections they make, and have created their own network of volunteers. Arvind shares, “Simplicity at its best is synonymous of Goonj. It’s a rare organization, which uses old resources in an innovative and effective manner. Goonj gives individuals receipts using recycled paper!”
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.
Nikita, a Goonj Fellow, depicts her experience of JGW where she observed different emotions and perspectives of people sharing or contributing their possession to the society’s good.
One of such touching stories is of a little girl of 3 years who got all her savings in a box and contributed it to the donation box. This incident took place at a camp in preschool called Toddler’s Den in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad on 21st of October, 2022 where Nikita went for a JGW camp. Every little kid was dressed up in ethnic wear as the school was celebrating diwali and they made sure to inculcate the cultural practices of Diwali, be it rangoli making, or lightning diyas. The school comprises kids from a year old to 5 years. The teachers introduced Goonj to the kids and their parents and called us for a camp on the day of Diwali celebration.The children came up with struggling hands full of toys and clothes to give in the camp with their parents. They also put monetary contributions in the box by themselves. Overall the school did a valuable lesson of sharing and doing good for the society. Talking to the teachers, it was evident that they do practice such habits among children during classes too and because of that, the kids turned up to give their contributions with smiling faces. Seeing the little girl do that, another boy turned up doing the same. He got money from his mother and sat next to the girl and then both started putting their contributions in the donation box. It was a beautiful moment, as Nikita explains and she believes that these forms of initiatives must be taken up in the urban spaces for children so that they understand the value of what they have and also the needs of those who don’t have.
What started as a personal journey in 2015 to dispose a few bag of clothes in an optimal manner, my google search led to Goonj. However As the Vashi dropping centre got closed, I called up at the Goonj Mumbai office to know about how to conduct a public collection drive.
Since then, every 26th January we’ve been regularly conducting collection drives in the locality and kind of becoming a festive ritual and people are expecting us to be there.
In the journey came across many volunteers, who help us to catalyse and get connected with many housing societies and companies where we could organize collection drives.
Also conducted a few walkathons amongst the volunteers of Goonj to spread awareness in the public and along the way wherever we found opportunities to exhibit Goonj As an organisation like every year in Navi Mumabi and Thane Happy Streets, Goonj is able to interact with lots of citizens on a Sunday morning.
All the while, got to learn a lot about social work, the kind of impact Goonj’s initiatives is making and the various issues and challenges in the social sector.
Goonj team is always eager to engage with volunteers, is open to their ideas and willing to do new experiments in the social lab.
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 🙂
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 🙂