GOONJ

Worked under the supervision ofRuchika Gandhi (Head office coordinator) 011-41401216

Submitted byPranav Gupta Roll no-1221 PRN-11020621180

GOONJ
Making clothing a matter of

concern... A unique resource mobilization initiative providing clothes and other basic amenities to millions in the far-flung villages by turning ones wastage into a resource for another. Initiated in 1998 with just 67 clothes, Goonj now send out 80 to 100 tones of material every month, in 21 states of India. A force of over 300 volunteers, GOONJ is implementing its various initiatives through over 150 grassroots organizations, panchayats, Ashoka fellows & social activists in parts of 20 states of the country. GOONJ... brought wider attention to the most ignored basic needs of human i.e., clothing and its various aspects right from dignity, deaths during winters, opening up taboo subject of menses and explored in the absence of the most basic need such as cloth, what do women use in remote villages. The focus of Goonj was, Using material as a resource, Clothing, Recycling, Reuse, Education, Health & Hygiene and Income Generation Initiatives. Goonj Formed a structured 'Giving' pattern which was otherwise sporadic and used to happen at the time of disasters only. It has Turned so called wastage into a powerful economic resource under GOONJ's 'Cloth for Work' initiative, right from digging up wells, repairing roads, recharging

ponds, sanitation, drainage cleaning etc., many much needed activities are taken up in the far flung villages where people's wisdom and material becomes a source of motivation. It was Started in 1999, today over 80-100 tons of material, including clothes, schools material, furniture, carpets, tiles, doors, computers, utensils, Cloth sanitary pads etc. is sent across the country every month reaching out to millions of people in remote parts of the 21states of India. The work of GOONJ... through repositioning of underutilized materials in the cities turning it into a big resource for rural development for basic infrastructure, motivation for children to continue their education, address the most ignored need of rural women - the sanitary pad, has touched the varied faced of development and the common thread that connects them all is the dignity of the recipient. Turning one persons waste into another persons resource, the magnificent GOONJ project is setting a truly sustainable mindset in the heart of the Indian capital New Delhi. Taking the idea of recycling would be waste to a whole new level, the GOONJ project has become well established as a distribution network able to reach the poorest areas of India. Founded in 1998 by Ashoka Fellow Anshu Gupta, the GOONJ project collects unused clothing from all over India to then recycle the materials to provide clothes, sanitary and many other basic amenities to people living in poorer communities across the country. The 300+ volunteers and mass participation of housewives, professionals, schools, colleges, corporates, exporters, hotels and hospitals behind the recycling and distribution center help to send out over 80,000 kgs of recycled waste materials every single month! A vast network of more than 100 grassroots agencies is also helping GOONJ reach parts of 20 states of India.

Anshu Gupta (FOUNDING DIRECTOR)

The eldest among four siblings, he came from a big middle-class family with limited resources. His upbringing taught him the relevance of making the most of the little. An understanding further imbibed from his mother who has played a profound influence in his life. A brilliant mind, he studied journalism as well as Advertising & Public Relations from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, and then Masters in Economics. While still a graduate student in 1991, he traveled to Uttarkashi, North India after a major earthquake. Missing out on his classes, he lived in tents for days and helped in the relief efforts. This shocked his urban sensibilities. After completing his studies, he joined the corporate sector. Insatiate, he craved for that feeling of satisfaction that went beyond ones personal goal and selfinterest. His longing to give back to society, do something different to benefit thousands and involve peoples participation inspired an idea. He ultimately left Escorts as Manager, Corporate Communications in 1998 to work full time on his idea. Goonj, his dream for many years, was set up in the same year. From collecting clothes from his own house, relatives and friends and distributing them on the roads in the chilly winter nights of Delhi, his dream has come a long way. He has organized an effective distribution channel for disposing off reusable resources lying in urban, well-off households. Through shifting surplus urban resources to some of the poverty-stricken rural areas, he is making a difference in the lives of thousands who lack the basic resources needed for survival. He has witnessed cases where a few pieces of clothing has freed up meager resources of the poor for more pressing needs and families being saved from a debt cycle for borrowing to buy clothes before a festival or even as a dire necessity. Clothes do not involve heavy investments, but protect millions from extreme weather, shelter the homeless from the elements. His nationwide movement Vastradaan is geared toward this end. Working with local grassroots organization operating in rural areas, Goonj has built a network of about 60

distribution partners with bases in West Bengal, Assam, Uttaranchal, Kashmir and Jharkhand. His uniqueness lies in thinking and putting in place an efficient, systematic distribution channel on a nationwide scale and the establishment of a nodal agency for generating vital resources for the rural poor. His idea is also the first effort where instead of focusing on a limited target group or limited product, he is trying to spread awareness at such a level that anytime an urban household thinks of disposing off reusable materials it is aware of a channel to its fullest utilization. His organization Goonj has a strong network of 300 Volunteers, works with corporate houses, schools, transporters, resident welfare associations, neighborhood communities and local grassroots organizations working in rural areas. Though Vastradaan operates as a continuous process, a part of his strategy has been also to focus on disaster preparedness. The idea is to spread the network in such a way that any time a disaster strikes, Goonj can reach them the relief material at the earliest. It made a difference in Gujarat riots where Goonj was able to collect truckloads of material within a few days time and support thousands. Beginning with 67 items of clothing from his own closet to initiate Vastradaan, he has been sending 3,000-5,000 kg of material every month. He has already reached out and benefited lakhs of people. He has meticulously linked the urban affluent and the rural poor. His idea tends to bridge the gap between the supply that exists due to the urban phenomena like space constraints and rising consumerism on one hand and demands for basic commodities that exists with millions in the country. His aim is to ultimately make large-scale resource mobilization a reality and to further apply his model with clothing to other critical resources such as medicines, books. He inspires many in the revered eighteen-day national odyssey, Tata Jagriti Yatra. He is a change maker. He is an Ashoka Fellow. He is Anshu Gupta, the Founder of Goonj.

KEY MEMBERS OF GOONJ

Mrs. Meenakshi Gupta founder member of GOONJ, Meenakshi comes from the communication background. With more than 15 years of communication related work to her credit, in May 2005 Meenakshi quit BBC after an eight-year stint looking after News Publicity in the South Asian region. She now works closely with Anshu and the rest of the team on fine-tuning GOONJs communication with its urban and rural audiences as well its interface with other organizations. Meenakshi also works as a freelance communication consultant.

Mr. Ajay K Sharma One of GOONJs founder members, masters in Hindi and a pass out of IIMC in journalism, Ajay has a rich experience of more than 16 years in the field of Electronic & Print media. He has traveled extensively throughout India as Associate Director, Krishi Katha, and a Doordarshan series on the history of agriculture in India.

Mrs. Mridula Murgaia teacher, a member of the Delhi Stock Exchange, a registered sub-broker under SEBI, the founder and Editor of the website for Indian Women, and above all a grandmother, mother and wife !! A charming young lady at heart, all of 60 years and some more. For a long while, in the tough initial years of GOONJ, Milly Ji (as everyone calls her) single handedly took up the responsibility of running its simple yet effective website. Over the years Mridula has played an instrumental role in facilitating many activities for GOONJ.

Mr. Keshav Chaturvedi an Honors Graduate in Geography from Delhi University, Keshav is a journalist by profession and a traveler by passion. During his 19 years career he has worked in almost all the branches of media be in Print or Electronic. He has been associated with TV, radio and print. A keen photographer and documentary maker, he has traveled the entire length and breadth of the country in search of documentaries and photo essays.

Ruchika Gandhi: Started off as a volunteer, Ruchika formally joined GOONJ in 2002. She is closely involved in interacting with urban audiences including corporates and schools. Instrumental in the overall management of the organization, Ruchika is also involved in motivating volunteers, organizing awareness & collection drives and interacting with rural partners.

Imran Khan Manages the central warehouse of GOONJ in Delhi; where all the material from different parts of Delhi and other cities, arrives. With a team of support people, he looks after the entire sorting, repairing, making of cloth napkins and other recycled products as well as dispatch of material to different parts of the country.

Main Initiatives of Goonj

SANITARY NAPKINS
Some harsh realities:In the absence of clean cloth, women use the dirtiest rags. Living with meager resources, a clean cloth is the last priority in the minds of most village women. There are even cases where women dont use anything during menses. In some parts of Rajasthan, women use sand or rags during menses. In Uttaranchal, Bihar and many other places women even use ash as an absorbent during menses. In Sunder bans (WB), women use the same cloth for almost a year or two. The lack of appropriate and adequate sanitation facilities prevents adolescent girls from attending school, particularly when they are menstruating The idea behind sanitary napkins:Addressing a woman s basic need Turning old cotton cloth into clean cloth sanitary napkins Campaigning among urban masses especially women, to raise awareness and material for cloth napkins. Initiating discussion among women in the villages & slums of India, on the health and hygiene aspects of this taboo issue Giving training to various NGOs to start the production of cloth sanitary napkins at a local level and helping them understand the gravity of this subject

VASTRA-SAMMAN:
Our nationwide movement highlighting the importance of cloth as a basic need of poor. Started with 67 personal clothes, now reaching over 80000 kgs of material every month.

Goonj believes that just by re-using our old clothes the problem of clothing for the poor can be solved to a very large extent. They organize collection campaigns where they collect used goods like clothes; utensils etc. from the urban India and distribute it among the needy in rural India. These products go through a thorough inspection so that they are in the proper condition to be used by the poor. If they are not, they are repaired in the processing centers of Goonj in various parts of India. This process involves urban masses in spreading awareness about the needs of the village India.

CLOTH FOR WORK:

The implementation of VASTRA SAMMAN takes place through Cloth for Work where clothes and other material are not provided as charity but as a development resource. Initiating village level development activities, using cloth as a motivation, generating employment & adding an element of dignity to the recipients in the process.

Repositioning cloth as a development resource instead of a traditional charitable item. Village communities are motivated to identify the pressing development needs of their own area. They are encouraged to do shramdaan (community labor) and get material in return, with dignity; as a reward. It helps develop a stronger relationship between our local partner organization and the communities they are working with. Ultimate wastage is used a resource.

RAHAT:
Our initiative for reaching relief in natural and human made disasters apart from annual disasters like floods and winters, active since the Chamoli earthquake in 1999. RAHAT Winters is our regular campaign to build up awareness on treating winters as an annual disaster. It seeks support of people to reach material in the villages where countless people die or suffer due to the scarcity of a basic pair of clothing or cut jungles to keep themselves warm.

RAHAT FLOODS

In the last few years Goonj... has annually been initiating RAHAT-FLOODS to collect relief material for the lakhs of victims in Assam, Bihar & West Bengal during floods.

RAHAT WINTERS

Before every winter GOONJ actively initiates RAHAT Winters, its winter campaign, as a response to a recurrent but often ignored problem for the underprivileged

SCHOOL TO SCHOOL:
Establishing a relationship between urban and rural schools by channelizing school supplies from one to another. Building a sense of empathy among urban children towards the needs of their rural counterparts.

S2S is one of GOONJs flagship initiatives channelizing educational and recreational material from the cities for the children in villages & slums across the country.

This is not a donation or charity program BUT it builds better awareness among city kids about the realities of millions of their rural counterparts.

TURNING TSUNAMI WASTAGE INTO A RESOURCE:

A first of its kind initiative; after tsunami GOONJ worked on over 2 million pieces of waste or undistributed clothes. Around 50 women worked for two years and converted every single unit of this massive wastage into a valuable cloth or product; right from school bags to sanitary napkins.

PRATIBIMB:
Every year GOONJ organizes a one to one interaction event between urban and rural children to further cement the relationship between them as also to move them away from the bias led donor beneficiary mindset. The event has not only proved to be a great success, it has opened up many minds and become GOONJs flagship event.

NOT JUST A PIECE OF CLOTH:

Clean cloth sanitary napkins: Addresses a basic need of village women, by providing clean cloth sanitary napkins. GOONJ is actively campaigning in rural & urban India to generate awareness on this taboo issue

RECYCLING:
A step ahead: Converting waste paper and cloth into a range of useful products. Two different ranges are developed keeping in mind the utility in urban and rural/slum India. If school bags, tents and mats are developed for rural areas, a range of fancy bags, yoga mats and wallets are developed to suit the urban demands.

SOURCES OF FUNDS GENERATED

GOONJ manages its funds through income from three different sources: 1. Self-generated income from various fund raising activities like sale of old newspapers, one rupee one cloth, team 2000 and through sale of products from recycled material or sponsorships. 2. Individual donations: from people who have gone beyond giving us their material only and understood the fact that we also need money to manage the entire logistics of reaching material from cities to the villages. 3. funding from funding agencies: from time to time we get funding limited to certain projects or for certain duration.

ALLOCATION OF FUNDS GENERATED

All the contributions Goonj gets goes into a big pool of funds Goonj has for carrying on their activities. It is thus difficult to specify the exact utilization of each persons contribution. People can however get all information about Goonjs work, where all they are working, what activities are happening, what is the impact. An easy way to find that out is to refer their newsletters.

BALANCE SHEET OF GOONJ (2010 -2011)

RECOGNITIONS
2004- Changemakers innovation award for school to school. 2004- Ashoka fellowship to Anshu Gupta. 2006- Changemakers innovation award for Rahat. 2007- Recognized as one of The good practices in Dubai international awards. 2007- World Banks global DM award for not just a piece of cloth. 2008- India NGO of the year award. 2009- CNN IBNs real heroes award to Anshu Gupta. 2009- Ashokas changemakers innovation award for not just a piece of cloth. 2009- Lien i3 challenge award for cloth for work. 2010- Jamnalal Bajaj CFBP. 2010- Innovation for India award by Marico. 2010- Forbes listed Anshu Gupta; founder Director Goonj as one of the Indias most powerful entrepreneurs. 2012- Edelgive award for health and well being

AREAS OF IMPLEMENTATION

GOONJ has built up a network in 21 states of India. The network has grown to over 250 partner groups like grassroots organizations, Ashoka Fellows, Indian Army, Panchayat etc.

GOONJ BRANCHES

GOONJ has its own offices as collection hubs/processing centers in seven citiesDelhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jalandhar & Saharsa (Bihar) while Pune is being managed by volunteers right now.

CONTRIBUTION AS AN INTERN
Helped in building the library of the NGO by coding, pricing and sorting the books donated to the NGO in large numbers. I as an intern had to spend long hours coding, pricing and sorting books donated to Goonj. This took a lot of time as Goonj gets donations in huge numbers. We also had to suggest different ideas on how to improve the condition of the library and implement a plan to fasten and make the coding and pricing process easier. It was decided that the books which are for the young children will be sent to the villages and distributed amongst the poor free of cost and the books which were too complicated and advanced for the villages would be sold in book fares and put in the library. Everything was done serial wise and the data was entered in an excel sheet by one of us. This resulted in an official count of the number of books remaining in the library and the number of books sent to the book fair.

Went from society to society spreading awareness about Goonj and trying to get permission to organize a camp. One of my jobs as an intern at Goonj was to organize collection campaigns in Delhi. These collection campaigns are held to collect second hand clothes. We went from society to society in search of people willing to set up collection campaigns in their colony. We had to take the number of residential welfare association in that area and convince them about what Goonj is all about and why do we want to organize a collection campaigns in your society. Majority of the people were unwilling to cooperate and give a green signal to the collection campaign but some who did give a good response were very helpful as well.

Tabulated and sorted the data given to me using Microsoft Excel. There was a lot of tabulation of the data to be done as well. Goonj used to be an organization which could not afford computers because of this most of the data was in loose sheets of paper. This resulted in a lot of papers and no permanent record of them. So we were asked to tabulate the data in excel sheets. There was also a requirement of new list of ngos in India as well as an updated list of schools and colleges in Delhi. This resulted in us making the updated list of schools as well as ngos and calling them to confirm the information. The data of the sorted, coded and priced books was also entered in the excel sheet to make it easy to access. This procedure made the working of the business easier and more efficient.

Helped in organizing and setting up collection campaigns in various parts of Delhi. When we had got the permission to set up the collection campaign, there was a lot of work to be done, like there were official papers to sign and formalities to be fulfilled. We were supposed to go from house to house, spreading awareness about Goonj and requesting people to take out time to come and donate as many goods as possible. During the collection campaign we were supposed to collect clothes from the people and helping them understand how they are helping the society and the poor. Collection campaigns were a very major area to spread awareness about the problems in India and how everybodys small effort can make a difference. Goonj also displayed products made out of waste material which people could buy and use in daily life. The prices of these products were very minimal and were used to generate funds for Goonj.