|
|
|
APRIL
NEWSLETTER
Over
100 trucks of unutilised Tsumani cloth donations
entrusted to GOONJ..
|
|
Dear
Friends :
Welcome to the second issue of the GOONJ..
newsletter.
April was a month of new initiatives for us.
The big one is work taken up to channelise as a resource over 100
trucks load of unutilized cloth donated for Tsunami, lying unused
in the Tamil Nadu government godowns.
Our talks with AWWA (Army Women's Welfare Association) has made
GOONJ’s
entry possible in many more inaccessible parts of India
through the Indian Army- extending a relationship begun with joint
work in Jammu and Kashmir.
GOONJ.. is getting
better at disaster preparedness with the RAHAT- FLOODS launched
in April itself for collection of relief material and directing
it to flood prone areas well in advance.
|
Before
I go into other highlights of the month I have a thought to offer,
especially to the women among you.
Have you ever thought how women in the poorest
parts of the country deal with their monthly periods? Remember,
one can go without food for a day but not without a piece of cloth
during periods. While working towards making cloth a matter of
concern, we discussed this issue in many villages with hundreds
of women and found out some very disturbing practices. Stretched
as they are for the basic needs, expenses on a sanitary napkin
is unthinkable. They end up using the dirtiest and possibly the
most useless cloth available in the house. After washing it they
even reuse that dirty piece, which perhaps causes various diseases
in their lives. I am keen to know your thoughts and experiences
on this issue.
GOONJ..
is in the process of developing a very low cost sanitary napkin
made out of useless cloth. For this, we immediately need large
quantity of old/new cotton bed sheets and soft cotton cloth, cotton
and financial support.
More
in the newsletter...
Happy
reading.
|
ACTIVITY
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS MONTH
-
GOONJ..
launches ‘RAHAT FLOODS 2005 ’-
Floods in somer parts of India are an annual feature during
monsoons, happening every year, but yet not considered a
disaster. In 2002, GOONJ.. initiated Rahat Floods - an initiative
to provide relief to people affrected by this annual disaster.
This year we started the campaign in April itself. In these
past years, we have been working in the worst affected districts
of Assam, Bihar & west Bengal with our existing network
of local NGO's , social activists and Ashoka Fellows.
Our
appeal -
Without waiting for the monsoons to arrive or floods reports
to appear in the papers, Please support this initiative to
help us reach relief well in advance. We may save some people
from becoming just a statistic in the death toll.
|
-
Un-utilised
Tsunami cloth for the needy
We all know that the entire country generously donated clothes
and other material for the Tsunami victims in Tamil Nadu. What
most of you don't know is that a lot of this cloth, which was
not suitable given the weather etc is lying in huge godowns
of the Tamil Nadu government. GOONJ..
approached them to channelise this cloth to the needy across
the country. Given GOONJ 's track
record and credibility in the successful use of cloth as a resource,
this proposal has been accepted. We have a massive task of sorting
and packing of more than 100 truck load of material.
We need support in terms of manpower, transportation and finances
to make use of this huge resource.
|
- Supporting
Kashmiri migrants -
Most of you are aware that every year thousands
of Kashmiri migrants temporarily shift to Delhi & other areas
during the severe winters and go back once the snow melts.
They live in some of the most unhygienic and pathetic conditions
at Shastri Park in Delhi near sewage lines with limited employment
opportunities due to their short stay. GOONJ..with the help of
volunteers, has been supporting them for the last few years with
essential items like dry rations, clothing, blankets etc. This
year till April alone GOONJ.. provided
3 TATA 407 full load of necessary material.
|
|
|
|
-
SCHOOL
to SCHOOL
-
Most of you may be aware of this initiative introduced last
year, having won world-wide recognition after winning CHANGEMAKER's
INNOVATION AWARD this year. Our aim is to motivate urban
schools who can not only dispose off their under-utilized school
material and save the environment but in the process give a
rural school student an opportunity to realize his dream of
schooling.
Many
new schools have joined this initiative and we are targeting
many
dispatches immediately after the summer breaks are over. One
case we are particularly proud of- Panchayat Union School (secondary
level) is in Kuthambakkam -a village in Tamil Nadu, headed by
Mr. R. Elango, an Ashoka Fellow. After two years of sustained
efforts by Goonj and Mr. Elango, now about 600 students of three
schools have similar school uniforms and everyone now has a
mat to sit on, developed by GOONJ..
out of waste cloth.
More support is required to make this happen in many other village
schools across the country. We also require material like fans,
old bicycles etc. to provide to these schools and students.
|
This
image is of a school in Baflia block in Kashmir, which got water
bottles and stationery, collected from an urban school in Delhi.
|
|
|
Here
are some pictures of a school in Uttaranchal, which recently got
mats from us, sponsored by a well-wisher.
Most of the rural schools can't afford furniture or mats.
GOONJ.. has developed School mats ( Asanas & pattis ) out
of waste cloth which are washable and very handy.
This
is an oppurtunity for everyone, who feels strongly about this
to make an impact. You can sponsor these mats for one entire school
at a cost of Rs. 3,000/- to Rs. 5,000/- .
|
Major Dispatches-
We’ve
dispatched about 12000 kgs of material to various remote areas
including some local NGOs of Delhi & NCR in the month of Arpil
2005.
| Serial
No. |
Date
of dispatch |
Name
of Organisation |
No.
of Bags |
1 |
9/04/05 |
Gram
Vikas Parishad , assam |
100 |
2 |
9/04/05 |
Kuthambakkam
Panchyat, Tamil Nadu |
14 |
3 |
13/04/05 |
The
Necard, Assam |
50 |
4 |
13/04/05 |
Harijan
Adivasi Mahila Kendra, Bihar |
40 |
5 |
16/04/05 |
Pragati
Sevayatn Kendra , Bankura, West Bengal |
50 |
6 |
16/04/05 |
L.N.
Mishra College of Business Management, Muzaffarpur, bihar |
50 |
7 |
30/04/05 |
Center
for Rural Development , Guwahati, Assam |
125 |
|
Immediate requirements -
·
- Given
the growing scale of operations we urgently need two computers
and printers to manage our work more effectively.
- Volunteers
and financial support for taking care of trucks loads of unutilised
clothes in Chennai.
- Financial
support for our initiative of developing sanitary napkins out
of
waste cloth.
- Support
for RAHAT- FLOODS & SCHOOL to SCHOOL.
- Commitment
from 5000 people for their old newspapers and magazines
|
| Please
log on to the VVolunteers
Page get
a list of activities in which your participation as a volunteer can
play a critical role in the effective implementation of these activities.
|
Our contact Details-
GOONJ..
Tel.- (m)-98681-46978, (o)-011-26972351
J-93, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi-44
E-mail - anshugoonj24@gmail.com,
anshu_goonj1@yahoo.co.in
Website-www.goonj.info
|
|
|
