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Dear
Friends :
Thanks a lot for the overwhelming response and reactions
on my note regarding the sanitary napkin issue (some comments
mentioned in the newsletter). .
Many of you praised GOONJ’s initiative for turning Tsunami
disaster wastage into a resource in Tamil Nadu and the media
also wrote a lot but I’m sorry to convey that the attitude
of the funding agencies has really been disappointing.
After Tsunami, millions are being spent in the affected areas
on relief and rehabilitation. We raised an issue on millions
of clothes which came as donation but ended up as wastage
in the stores. Just by spending a few lakhs this important
resource can benefit millions of people but despite being
probably the first of its kind effort, no agency came forward
to support this.
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I really wish that all of us understand the importance of
clothing as a basic need. When I spoke about a sanitary
napkin, it is nothing but a piece of cloth, when we talk
about hundreds of deaths because of cold every year- a piece
of woolen cloth can prevent that..
In the process of making clothing a matter of concern in
the last seven years we know very well the importance of
even the dirtiest and torn cloth..
Just in a small cost of 98 paise a cloth can be given to
someone needy (which includes the cost on sorting, mending,
packing and distribution). Within one month of starting
the work at Chennai, we already have more demand than material.
BUT the work is going on and will continue, with the support
of individuals like you who wrote to me understanding the
value a piece of clean cloth as a sanitary napkin. I’m
sure if all of us get together we can finish this enormous
task..
More
in the newsletter...
Happy
reading.
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RAHAT
FLOODS 2005 -
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Large
parts of Assam, Bihar, west Bengal and Gujarat are flooded
again. Every year GOONJ.. organizes RAHAT FLOODS, a campaign
to support flood victims. Our disaster preparedness work
began way back in April and in the last few months we
have been able to send out a huge quantity of relief material.
The problem is much bigger this year as many states like
Himachal Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh are experiencing
these kind of unprecedented floods for the first time.
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YOU
CAN support us by organizing collection drives at your
work place or residential areas and in organizing material
like dry ration, medicines, tarpaulin, basic clothing
& funds for transportation, dispatch etc.
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TURNING
UNUTILIZED TSUNAMI CLOTH DONATIONS INTO A RESOURCE
In Chennai the massive task of sorting, repairing &
packing has already begun with 20 people putting 8 hrs
a day, segregating on gender and age basis & also
making separate packs for school uniforms, old cotton
bed sheets, suits, saris to be turned into low cost sanitary
napkins.
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Sanitary
napkins -
- The
response as I said earlier has been very encouraging. Some
of the comments I got –
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“
I remember the old cloth napkins that mothers from my
generation stitched washed and sun dried for our babies.
Sorry to say except for the disadvantage of not being
stain proof - cloth is any day a better option than cotton
or sanitary napkins. I wonder if you know the research
that is being done on secondary infections from substandard
sanitary napkins. "- Mrs. Malini Rajendran, Deputy Secretary
General, FHRAI.
- “
Glad to hear about your sanitary napkin project –
an issue which many men would be very afraid to address
– but not you Anshu – excellent, very impressive.”-
Stephanie Parashar, Ground Manager, Intrepid Travels
- You
can help us in sourcing clean cotton and cotton bed sheets/
other cotton clothes to further boost our ongoing operations.
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GOONJ'S... project around turning the Tsunami clothes into
a resource got accolades in Zee News, on the front page of
India’s most well respected national daily
‘ The Hindu ', The
Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle all gave us front-page coverage.
Our work was also appreciated in the popular internet site
‘
goodnewsindia.com '
GOONJ.. network spreads abroad -
GOONJ.. will be initiating work in Nepal together with Mr.
Anil Chitrakar (a well known social activist and an Ashoka
Fellow) & Lucky Khetrapal (Ashoka fellow) to set up the
same network and systems, replicating our successful initiatives.
Discussions are on with similar organizations/people in Sri
Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia.
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I take this opportunity to acknowledge your role in Goonj’s
spread and success. We think the key to our success is that
all our work involves people i.e all of you. Today when our
operations are on the threshold of leapfrogging many folds
we repose our faith in this strength and seek your involvement
in our growth.
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We
urgently need ......
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Volunteers and financial support for the Chennai Tsunami
surplus/ wastage operations
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One sterilizing machine, washing powder, dettol &
large quantity of cotton for making sanitary napkins out
of waste cloth.
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People
(school kids teachers parents) for motivating more urban
schools to join ‘SCHOOL to SCHOOL’ programme.
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Material
and monetary donations to support ‘RAHAT FLOODS’
campaign
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Volunteers to organize collection camps in their colonies
RWA’s offices and schools.
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5000
People who commit their monthly lot of old newspapers
and magazines to Goonj.
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Let’s
start small..
ONE rupee given with each cloth – will go towards
reaching it to any part of the country.
THIRTY rupees from you– will ensure supply of notebooks
for a village school kid for one year.
FIFTY rupees – will provide a sitting mat (patti)
for three children in a village school.
HUNDRED rupees or more- on a monthly basis means added strength
for Goonj to go on..
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