GOONJ....
J- 93 Sarita Vihar,
New Delhi - 110076.
Tel. -  2697 2351, 4140-1216

E- Mail :- anshugoonj24@gmail.com

Like every winter, this year also GOONJ.. actively executed its winter campaign. This campaign is a simple answer to a recurrent but often ignored problem. Many people die needlessly every year due to cold simply because they don’t have sufficient clothes - a basic need that we campaign for all year round.
An extension of our nationwide movement ‘VASTRADAAN’, the simplicity of this concept isn’t its only appeal; the involvement of volunteers and individuals from all walks of life in the beneficiary identification and distribution process, adds to its effectiveness. This is one way our large family of volunteers keeps in touch with our activities. It is these enthusiastic and energetic people who lead the work of distributing woolens and blankets on the streets of Delhi at night, getting a sense of ownership towards this campaign in turn.

With intensive campaigning and through collection camps we usually collect a large quantity of blankets and warm clothes in the winter. Sometimes corporates, organisations and individuals also sponsor new blankets for distribution in chilly nights. We forward some of this material to organisations running night shelters or supporting needy people. Volunteers from different walks of life also offer to help with distribution among the right people. For the development organizations these blankets and clothes are a resource for the limited set of people they work with. Volunteers, on the other hand, fill up their cars with this material, and scan the dark, cold streets of Delhi and NCR, looking for their needy co-habitants in the city. Our work is complete only when the last link in the chain is reached– the homeless shivering families left to fend for themselves in the cold…probably just a kilometre away from our cosy, sheltered homes. It is these people we reach out to, for whom our Winter Campaign was envisaged.

Some people have questioned this move by raising the issue that this giving, instead of making people independent, makes them perennially dependent. This may hold true for those who are otherwise capable of earning a decent living (includes basics like two square meals for them and their families, clothes to wear, a shelter and education for their children) but are not making efforts for the same. However think about those who don’t even have the means to procure a shirt? Or those who, given their meager resources, are forced to choose between food and clothing? Food will be the obvious priority. Our distribution of woolens and blankets is just a step to add to their meagre resources so they can direct the little that they have to address more pressing needs.

AND what we call for is only the extra woolens lying waste in our wardrobes. It’s a valuable resource for those who have none. Even if each person involved in the campaign gives out just one old sweater/jacket/shawl/blanket we will be able to provide for thousands of people on the streets!!

“With my personal experience, I can say while we keep crying ‘cold ...cold’ wearing so many woolens and under the covered house, there are so many people who are spending the nights under the open sky with very few clothes/woolens” says Arvind Agrawal, an active volunteer of GOONJ.., after his first experience of night distribution.

Arvind’s experience highlights how volunteers have imbibed the significance of ‘planned and organised distribution’-the bedrock of GOONJ’s philosophy. It’s only after tedious surveys at night that volunteers zero in on the places to distribute material. As volunteers Rohit and Ritesh put it “It was a very effective exercise as we clearly identified who to give to.” This is important to make the most of our time, energy and resources. Efforts are also made to match the needs with the supply. “All out efforts were made to give clothes to workers as per their size and choice. Few clothes at a time were taken and placed on a cot. Some workers were very choosy but on the whole the distribution was smooth”, explained Mr. S.D. Gupta, one of GOONJ’s dedicated volunteers who looks after its Gurgaon operations.

Speaking from the experience of many night distribution trips, Mr. S.D. Gupta feels that it’s a lot easier when the recipients are less than fifty. This allows smooth distribution without any aggression or greed being brought to the fore. Rohit, Ritesh and their friends Ujjwal, Abhishek & Shubhendu followed GOONJ’s favored way of silently taking blankets and covering the most needy people while they are fast asleep.
So far, blankets and woolens have been distributed by volunteers in the following areas – Gurgaon, Dwarka, Safdarjang, Lodhi Road, Nizamuddin, Delhi Cantt. Station, Palam Railway Station, Faridabad and Geeta Colony. We have also given blankets to the following organisations – Human Care ( Leprosy patients), Naz Foundation ( AIDS patients) , Saksham ( School kids & their families ), Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan ( for Ren Baseras ) apart from our regular implementation partners in Uttaranchal, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh & Kashmir.

The contagious nature of this act is demonstrated by Arvind’s statement “One night when we had finished distribution a person wearing very little clothes came to us and asked for some woolens. We told him we didn’t have any clothes left. Suddenly a lady behind our car, who was watching us, took off her shawl and gave it to this poor man. Perhaps she was also motivated by our move”. “Even our taxi driver got sentimental and started helping us!” exclaimed Ritesh while taking care of a distribution in South Delhi.

In fact during the campaign a lot of people are eager to join us as volunteers – as Mr. Kaushal said to his friend, Rahul (volunteer) “Being a member of the GOONJ team, distributing blankets, was a worthy and satisfying experience. This kind of efforts must continue forever.” Rahul spoke of a contagion of a different kind –“As they got the blankets, the thought of sleeping in a little more warmth the following nights brought a beautiful smile to their faces. A smile contagious enough to cheer us up for a long time. Once you do something like that you realise the meaning of the statement - ‘we don't need a disaster to help somebody’

Yes…the campaign still has a lot of scope for growth. And this is where we need YOU –