| Dear Friends,
Let me begin with a good news. Our sanitary Napkin initiative has won the prestigious Changemakers Innovation Award. A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us and helped us make a hat trick of Changemakers Awards. Two other initiatives- SCHOOL to SCHOOL and RAHAT have already won this award over the years.
On a different note, many of you may not have read much about Cyclone Aila, which hit Sunderban islands in West Bengal last month. Over 100 deaths, about 9 million people severely affected, over a million houses uprooted – these are just some of the figures of a disaster which washed away about 500 kilometers of embankment throughout Sunderbans. I have just come back from my second visit to some of the islands. Apart from glimpses of a large-scale devastation, the most striking was to see how our boat was making its way in the middle of carcasses of thousands of dead animal’s scattered all across the rivers and fields. This heavy loss of livestock is a clear indication of the scale of the disaster.. Although we have already dispatched 7 trucks of material, it seems like a drop in the ocean.. Please take this as an URGENT APPEAL to join GOONJ in its campaign ‘RAHAT CYCLONE’ to provide support to the victims of this widespread disaster.  
GOONJ is working with its strong network of grass root organisations to execute the entire operations on the ground. With millions stuck in isolated islands, the work has just begun..
Last few months have really been the most challenging months for our small team. Our largest campaign i.e. in flood devastated areas of Bihar touched a whopping figure of about 1500 tonnes of material dispatch. To see the comprehensive report please refer- GOONJ’s work in Bihar. Cloth for Work achieved a new high when a Well was dug up in Khandwa, M.P and we were able to make a bamboo bridge of 240 ft x 6ft in Bihar, without money, just by using cloth as a resource.
And with all your support and good wishes GOONJ completed its eventful first decade of developing as a mass movement – starting from a simple thought… Thanks for trusting us..thanks for being with us.. More in the newsletter. Happy reading!!
With best anshu
GOONJ plans its biggest campaign in the Joy of Giving Week; GOONJ will be embarking on a mammoth awareness cum collection campaign across 25 cities, during the ‘The Joy of Giving Week’ to be celebrated all over India from September 27- October 3, 2009. Conceptualized by Give India, this unique and ambitious initiative aims to get people from all walks of life together to engage in acts of giving- money, time, skills or simple acts of kindness. Cricket icon Mr. Sachin Tendulkar and noted actress Ms. Nandita Das pledge their support in the inaugural press meet on June 3rd in Mumbai. GOONJ is looking for a big volunteer team to manage this challenging task. We urgently seek space and transport support for this campaign. For more details write to meenakshigoonj@gmail.com . We’ll soon be updating our website www.goonj.info with plans and activities.
Ten years of GOONJ.. Volunteers and well wishers, people from all walks of life, heads of many rural partner groups joined us in a simple get together in Delhi to celebrate a decade of GOONJ. The informal event full of emotional stories of the team members, volunteers & partners became a memorable get together for us. Click on Pictures
Real Hero award by CNN IBN: Anshu Gupta, Founder Director, GOONJ was recently honored as a ‘Real Hero’ by CNN IBN. The work on sanitary napkin was applauded and honored in the Women welfare category. Anshu was among the 24 people chosen from all over the country who were felicitated in a special ceremony held in Mumbai. Refer CNN IBN
PRATIBIMB, 09: GOONJ’s unique annual get together of children from across rural & urban India saw participants from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa, Maharashtra, Orissa & many other states meet up with children from DPS, Modern School, Somerville, Chiranjeev Bharati and many other best schools of Delhi and NCR. Refer- Glipmses of the event
Tata Jagrity Yatra comes to GOONJ..- The unique initiative of selecting hundreds of committed youth and taking them on an inspiring train journey to meet the inspiring people all over the country. Tata Jagrity Yatra was about this and much more. The Yatra reached Delhi to meet Anshu Gupta and to understand the GOONJ model. A number of inspired yatris are now spreading the GOONJ work in different parts of the country.
Radio Mirchi partners with GOONJ for Purani Jeans campaign: Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM in association with GOONJ, recently concluded a special campaign around its popular show Purani Jeans. Sayema, the programme RJ, appealed to Delhiites to contribute a pair of their old jeans for the needy. Around 1700 jeans collected during the campaign were handed over to GOONJ in a function held at IHC. GOONJ’s Cloth for Work initiative brings some phenomenal changes
GOONJ lights up a village with a discarded generator: GOONJ got repaired and reached a 15 KV generator discarded by an international organization to the deep interiors of north east India. Without power since the country became independent, Darrang district’s Katara village , 70 km away from Guwahati, in the first phase 90 families have got the electricity for the first time.
A far flung village digs up a well for itself; After initiating land cultivation on barren land, building of steps on a slippery rocky pathway, under the Cloth for Work programme villagers of Salidhana village (Khandwa, M.P) took on the task of digging up a much needed Well for themselves. Started with just 7 people the work became a movement and the entire village became a part of it. On January 8th 2009 it became a case study when water was found in it. Many people from nearby villages and government officials have been visiting the area since. Local authorities have also given sanction for making the well pukka. People in adjoining villages of Roshni, Langoti are also enthusiastically initiating similar activities in their areas.
 
GOONJ quick to reach disaster spots; GOONJ was quick to send a few trucks of urgently needed relief material to fire hit people in Bawana (Delhi), Nauguchia (Bihar) and to Champaran (Bihar). GOONJ also played a significant role in reaching relief material in Tornedo affected villages in Orissa like Ganja, Bhagabuda, Govindpur, Seba sahi, Nuasahi, Baradaballi, Taila, Maneidiha, Mangalpur
 
Campaign in Mumbai – A recent GOONJ awareness cum collection campaign lead by volunteers in 29 centers across Mumbai, Thane & suburbs, has set a new example in our work. Fully initiated and executed by about 30 volunteers, this weeklong drive not only created large-scale awareness but also resulted in collection of about 10 tones of material.
Urgent requirements – Initial operational budget & Vehicle for Chennai – A generator for Delhi processing center – Photocopy and fax machines – Space & support for starting our Hyderabad operations – Vast quantities of cotton cloth.Attention:Exporters,Hotels,Hospitals,big hostels
Anshu Gupta (Ashoka Fellow) Founder Director GOONJ Tel.- 011-26972351, 41401216 Add- J-93, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi-76 Email- anshugoonj24@gmail.com Website-www.goonj.info
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