Most of the visitors to this blog will be familiar with GOONJ, the NGO in India which is turning urban India's wastage into a useful resource for rural India.
Just to share some examples:
1. Each Engineering College in our country uses several chart papers (thick papers that are fairly big in size) for their students. This is typically used on one side only. It is stored in the college for a few years before it is discarded. Can you imagine what a big resource this would be for blind schools? They only need thick papers for Braille and they don't care if one side or both sides have been used. So, Anshu, as an experiment has connected Engineering Colleges in Maharashtra with a local Blind People's home. Will post the exact numbers of this effort once I hear from him.
2. Every school bag, water bottle, lunch box, stationery items discarded by an urban school child is repaired and given in a dignified manner to a rural school child.
3. Cloth for work in Indian villages ensures that the villages get good quality recycled cloth and in turn they do some work for village development. 
Can you believe that this entire bridge was built under cloth for work scheme and GOONJ spent only
Rs.2200 for extra materials?
One of GOONJ's latest initiatives is to make blankets from recycled cloth called SUJNIS. Those of you who have listened to Anshu will recall that GOONJ started to help people dying from winters. Anshu called winter an annual disaster for those who don't have enough to cover themselves. So, GOONJ started making SUJNIS.
Sujni is a blanket/mattress made out of stitching together many torn cloth pieces.GOONJ has involved over 500 women & their families from the remote villages to convert old waste cloth into Sujni. It’s not only generating large scale employment but will also ensure a warmer winter for a much bigger population. Each Sujni costs around $3.50 only!
So, this DIWALI, let us spread some warmth to a family in a remote village by donating SUJNIS. For just $10, a family will get three SUJNIS. This donation is meaningful for three reasons:
1. Made from recycled cloth. 2. Employs village women. 3. Useful to a family in a village affected by winter.
Please visit www.goonj.info for more details and to contribute directly. If you would like to contribute through Focus India, please write to ramyanags@gmail.com
THIS BLOG WILL MAINTAIN A LIST OF DONORS WITH AMOUNT COLLECTED. TO PROTECT PRIVACY ONLY FIRST NAMES WILL BE USED.
Many thanks to all my friends, FIF members and well-wishers for supporting this cause.
DONORS
1. Sujatha $10
2. Seema $10
3. Kiran $70
4. Alka $70
5. Lavanya $50
6. Anjana $10
7. Surabhi $10
8. Lakshmi $10
9. Manju $10
10. Ashwini $10
11. Mallika $10
12. Kavita $10
13. Shweta $10
14. Kalpana $10
15. Reena $10
16. Shalini $10
17. Ranjitha $10
18. Himali $20
19. Parizad $10
20. Viji $10
21. Mamta $10
22. Madhulika $10
23. Kakoli $10
24. Anonymous $10.70
25. Tina $20
26. Shweta $50
27. Ritu $10
28. Swathi $10
29. Anu $10
30. Mayura $50
31. Simrat $20
32. Simmi $10
33. Anonymous $100
34. Anonymous $100
35. Qais Consulting $260
36. Savitha $100
37. Renuka $10
38. Ritika $50
39. Chumkie $50
40. Gaurav $30
41. Vinita $10
42. Anu $10
43. Gauri $10
44. Kanta $500
45. In honor of
Sameer Ranjit Advani $100
46. Deepali $10
47. Meenu $10
48. Brigitte $10
49. Ella $10
50. Geetika $50
51. Mam $10
52. Niharika $10
53. Sukanya $10
54. Prianjali $50
55. Jayesh $10
56. Himaal $20
57. Nupur $20
58. Janu $10
59. Devi $10
60. Sherna $10
61. Jay $10
62. Minaz $10
63. Debraz $10
64. Anonymous $10
65. Meenakshi $10
66. Niti $10
67. Davi $10
68. Seema $10
69. Charanjit $10
70. Astrid $10
71. Ruth $10
72. Geeta K $11
73. Sangeeta $10
74. Lucky $10
75. Geeta J $70
76. Aparna $50
77. Raveena $50
78. Neeta $250
79. Caroline $10
80. Anu K $50
81. Bhavani $10
82. Savita $50
83. Siri $20
84. Swathi $21
85. Shivalik $50
86. Natascha $50
87. Vanitha $10
88. Sucheta $50
89. Lakshmi $100
90. Shubha $50
91. Bindu $100
92. Anupama $150
93. Rajendra $50
94. Anjali $50
95. Anu A Rs.2000
96. Priya K $20
97. Priya D $10
98. Indu $10
99. Karishma $20
100. Rakhi $1100
101. Annapoorna $30
102. Bhavna $30
103. Naina $30
104. Joyita $10
105. Nandini (S) $10
106. Nandini (K) $10
107. Neena $10
108. Neeta $10
109. Sonali $10
110. Chetna $10
111. Reema $10
112. Taruna $10
113. Madhulika $10
114. Anju $10
115. Ruchika $50
116. Rashma $50
117. Bhavna $10
118. Aparna $10
119. Purnima $10
120. Anita $50
121. Deepti $10
123. Nupur $20
124. Smita $10
125. Manisha $10
126. Sudha $50
127. Deepali $20
128. Puja M $40
129. Vandana $10
130. Sandhya $30
131. Reena $10
132. Usha $10
133. Chitra VG $10
134. Mona $50
135. Suma $20
134. Shilpa $54
135. Nety $10
136. Participants of Art Competition $31
137. Sagarika $20
138. Kavita $260
139. Ashutosh $500
140. Nidhi $500
141. Jasmeet $30
142. Indu $20
143. Priya M $50
144. Mayura $200 145. Ruchika $50
146. Insya's mom $30
147. Imran $10
148. Vidhya $10
149. Ayesha $50
150. Divya $10
151. Saahil $10
152. Neela $100
153. Kalpana and friends $100
154. Raashi $10
155. Dhanya Nageswaran $25
156. Shantanu $100
157. Priya G $50
158. Light a lamp drive - Wateside Indians - $1000
FROM SALE OF PRATHAM BOOKS AT IWA FAIR
$ 230.00 also donated to the above cause.
FROM SALE OF ASEEMA PRODUCTS AND PRATHAM BOOKS AT "THE FAIR"
$299.00
FOCUS INDIA WOULD LIKE TO THANK INDIAN WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION AND FAIRS & BAZAARS FOR GIVING US TABLE SPACE AT THEIR RECENT FAIRS!
