Making it count: Goonj redistributing old clothes among the poor

Goonj has been distributing clothes to the poor for decades, but now it wants to make ordinary people a part of the solution

It was a chance meeting in the winter of 1999 that changed the course of Anshu Gupta’s life. Gupta, then a journalist, was on a reporting assignment when he was drawn to a rickshaw-puller, who carted unclaimed dead bodies to mortuaries in return for some cash. Most of the dead were migrants wearing tattered clothes. 

The sight moved Anshu. He and his wife, Meenakshi, later went through the wardrobe in their two-bedroom house in Delhi’s Sarita Vihar and counted the unused and unwanted pieces that filled the space. Between them, there were 67 pieces of clothing they did not need. What if their unwanted clothes could be reused and distributed among those who needed them?

This story about the start of Goonj, a non-profit organisation that works to redistribute discarded pieces of clothing among people who might need them, has been told and retold several times. But each time it acquires a new urgency as millions in the country still suffer from extreme deprivation with barely enough to cover themselves. Goonj has been working to meet their requirements for clothing for nearly two decades, but now it wants to take its effort one step further and craft a system to redistribute and recycle clothes systematically, and change the mindset about “donation”.

“We’re looking at two currencies here, one is urban surplus and the other is how this surplus can be converted for development,” says Meenakshi, co-founder Goonj. She notes that the idea is to count the recipient of recycled clothing as a resource rather than just an unknown face by incorporating them in the recycling and reusing process.

Goonj is attempting to draw the attention of the masses to the thought of empowering the rural poor so that they can take control of their lives and become a part of the solution that brings a change in their own lives, and consequently, in society. “We don’t want people to look at us as just an NGO, we are a social enterprise run by the people who are making a living on their own by working with us,” says Anshu. 

At the heart of this change has to be a change in the mindset of those who donate clothes. “When you are donating something that you are not going to use any longer, it isn’t really donating. You are simply ‘discarding’ what you do not need. Thus, it is important that people give mindfully,” says Meenakshi.

The clothes people donate do not go to the poor directly. It first passes through Goonj’s production unit where they are altered, washed and, if they are not wearable, they are repurposed.  

Walking through the alleys where the production unit has been established in Delhi, one can spot women sorting and segregating the wearable clothes from the unusable ones and into clothes meant for the adults, for children, clothes that need to be washed, or discarded. Each unit has a certain number of women working on sorting, segregating, labelling, and packing the material. 

The organisation has also set up units for keeping and segregating books, stationery, toys, footwear and the like. A separate unit takes care of all the ‘discarded’ pieces of clothes and converts them into trendy bags, wallets, pouches, etc. “Not a single piece of cloth is left unused in Goonj,” says Meenakshi. 

One of Goonj’s most important initiatives has been the “My Pad” campaign, wherein it makes cloth pads, and distribute them among women in rural areas. “More than the distribution of these pads, it is the conversation with the rural women that is often a herculean task,” says Meenakshi. 

With over 4,000 tonnes of material being distributed every month, Goonj is now looking at funding to take care of the logistical aspects of its work. “We want people to realise that giving us the material is just one part. What we need, in fact, is not just a material contribution but also funding to reach more people,” says Anshu.

“People need to realise that we’re not just collecting clothes but are also converting donated clothes into usable ones for someone who needs it. Our efforts involve all possible resources around us, and to sustain them, all kind of help is required,” he adds.

Goonj has over 900 people working across the country in different units and capacities. All the items in their office and units are donated products. Mindful of the environment, the organisation and its workforce are extremely particular about what they use and throw— even a stapler pin is sold as scrap so it can be recycled.