Youth Ki Awaaz Founder and Editor-in-Chief Anshul Tewari recently interviewed Anshu Gupta, the Founder and Director of Goonj, one of the top organizations working towards eradicating the lack of clothing from India. He also visited the Goonj processing center in New Delhi and was amazed at how well organized the work was, and the sheer dedication and joy on faces of the people working there was a heartening feeling. Below is the interview, information about Goonj, following which find photographs of the visit.
Goonj was started when Anshu realized that out of the 3 basic needs of human kind – food, clothing and shelter – clothing was the most ignored need, on no one’s agenda. Over the last ten years GOONJ has grown as a mass movement among the urban and rural masses, mobilizing cloth and repositioning it as an important resource for rural India rather than wastage fit only for charity. Today anyone irrespective of educational, income, social or cultural background, is becoming a part of this movement.
Today, Goonj transports over 1000 tons of clothing to underprivileged areas and people in India.
The interview covers the back story of Goonj, Anshu’s fantastic insight on the development sector, his views on the way we perceive ‘change’ and his message to young people.
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