Goonj - I think the word itself is so beautiful. Goonj means echo. But here, the literal translation would be resonate. I'm referring to an NGO, an organisation named Goonj, which is creating a huge impact on rural India. A few days ago I had the privilege of visiting this place from work. Accor decided to partner with Goonj to help the earthquake and flood victims of Sikkim and Orissa. We, at the hotel had put up boxes to collect things from employees. From the hotel's side, we added loads of uniforms, and alot of linen and towels. I was quite proud of everything we had put together. Then we visited the NGO to drop off all the boxes. I was quite excited about the visit but didn't expect it to move me so much. I expected it to be like one of the many NGOs I have visited. But I was surprised.
To give some background about Goonj, it was started in the late 90s by a media person, who knew a person who's job was to pick up unclaimed dead bodies and deliver them to the cops(for a very small amount of money in return). This man mentioned how his business would flourish during the winters. And also how his daughter would keep warm in the winters with the help of the extra dead bodies. When I heard this story, I was moved. Clearly so was the founder of Goonj. He then decided to make some effort to increase the mobility of cloth and ensure that the underprivileged have enough(especially during winters since more people died because of the cold). They now run a huge workshop, where thousands of clothes come in every week, are repaired, segregated, packed and transported to areas that require them. They don't just do this with clothes, they also help mobilise shoes, toys, utensils, books, sanitary napkins, stationary, medical help like walkers and wheelchairs apart from medicines and many more things.
I'm sure this is something that alot of NGOs are working on in India. Then what makes Goonj different, that made me fall in love with the work they do? They don't just concentrate of issues like poverty, famine, natural disasters or women's hygiene, but also make a conscious effort to help the rural population improve their living conditions, and focus on malnutrition among children in rural India. That how keeping a couple of toys in a local creche in a village helped some mal-nutritioned children to start eating, and eventually learning. Did we ever realise the power a couple of toys would have over such children? They have encouraged villagers to build bridges for themselves, clean their ponds, and learn personal hygiene, in exchange of some clothes, ration and basic utilities. What amazed me most was their sanitary napkins unit. The workshop was pretty big, where they made sanitary towels for all the extra leftover cloth that was of no use. By running this particular unit successfully, they're not just preventing thousands of women from dying or getting infections, but they're helping future generations of women to be more aware and not be ashamed or neglect this monthly cycle.
I've been to alot of NGOs in Pune because of the Development Sector. NGOs that cater to needs of blind people, mentally challenged people, orphans, sex workers' children, HIV positive people. But what I haven't seen is something so basic, cloth, creating such an impact. It might not be considered a major issue, it might not suddenly come into the spot light, like HIV/AIDS or Children's Rights, but its the most basic way of improving the condition of rural India. And that's what they're doing.
What I like even more about them is their financial independence. They don't ask for funds, they mostly don't require them. They realised that the concept of begging only exists in urban India. In rural areas, they're extremely self respecting and refuse to accept anything for free. So they like to pay for whatever they receive. Of course they pay in whatever way they can. Not necessarily in cash. But it helps the organisation raise enough funds. They have other sources as well like book fairs and hand made products. Even when people come and give anything to the organisation, they don't consider it a donation. Because 99% of the times, we end up giving away things we don't require. So they don't need to feel obligated to you, for parting with stuff you didn't need or want anyways.
That evening, I felt good. I felt alive. After a long time, I realised that there was so much more that I need to do to make this lifetime worth it. The visit made me miss Pune alot. It made me miss my DT days filled with NGO appointments, regular visits to some of them and learning events to impart some of this great knowledge to more people. But I also realised I need to do more learning events here. Just because I'm not in Pune and I don't know the NGOs here, is no excuse for me not to contribute or learn or spread the word.
And yes, I do love my job. It lets me do stuff like this. Stuff that I love.
To give some background about Goonj, it was started in the late 90s by a media person, who knew a person who's job was to pick up unclaimed dead bodies and deliver them to the cops(for a very small amount of money in return). This man mentioned how his business would flourish during the winters. And also how his daughter would keep warm in the winters with the help of the extra dead bodies. When I heard this story, I was moved. Clearly so was the founder of Goonj. He then decided to make some effort to increase the mobility of cloth and ensure that the underprivileged have enough(especially during winters since more people died because of the cold). They now run a huge workshop, where thousands of clothes come in every week, are repaired, segregated, packed and transported to areas that require them. They don't just do this with clothes, they also help mobilise shoes, toys, utensils, books, sanitary napkins, stationary, medical help like walkers and wheelchairs apart from medicines and many more things.
I'm sure this is something that alot of NGOs are working on in India. Then what makes Goonj different, that made me fall in love with the work they do? They don't just concentrate of issues like poverty, famine, natural disasters or women's hygiene, but also make a conscious effort to help the rural population improve their living conditions, and focus on malnutrition among children in rural India. That how keeping a couple of toys in a local creche in a village helped some mal-nutritioned children to start eating, and eventually learning. Did we ever realise the power a couple of toys would have over such children? They have encouraged villagers to build bridges for themselves, clean their ponds, and learn personal hygiene, in exchange of some clothes, ration and basic utilities. What amazed me most was their sanitary napkins unit. The workshop was pretty big, where they made sanitary towels for all the extra leftover cloth that was of no use. By running this particular unit successfully, they're not just preventing thousands of women from dying or getting infections, but they're helping future generations of women to be more aware and not be ashamed or neglect this monthly cycle.
I've been to alot of NGOs in Pune because of the Development Sector. NGOs that cater to needs of blind people, mentally challenged people, orphans, sex workers' children, HIV positive people. But what I haven't seen is something so basic, cloth, creating such an impact. It might not be considered a major issue, it might not suddenly come into the spot light, like HIV/AIDS or Children's Rights, but its the most basic way of improving the condition of rural India. And that's what they're doing.
What I like even more about them is their financial independence. They don't ask for funds, they mostly don't require them. They realised that the concept of begging only exists in urban India. In rural areas, they're extremely self respecting and refuse to accept anything for free. So they like to pay for whatever they receive. Of course they pay in whatever way they can. Not necessarily in cash. But it helps the organisation raise enough funds. They have other sources as well like book fairs and hand made products. Even when people come and give anything to the organisation, they don't consider it a donation. Because 99% of the times, we end up giving away things we don't require. So they don't need to feel obligated to you, for parting with stuff you didn't need or want anyways.
That evening, I felt good. I felt alive. After a long time, I realised that there was so much more that I need to do to make this lifetime worth it. The visit made me miss Pune alot. It made me miss my DT days filled with NGO appointments, regular visits to some of them and learning events to impart some of this great knowledge to more people. But I also realised I need to do more learning events here. Just because I'm not in Pune and I don't know the NGOs here, is no excuse for me not to contribute or learn or spread the word.
And yes, I do love my job. It lets me do stuff like this. Stuff that I love.
No comments:
Post a Comment