Cloth for Work
Village communities take up development work they choose themselves, and receive material kits in recognition of their effort, not as handouts.
New Delhi · Since 1999
What your city no longer needs can rebuild a village, with dignity.
Goonj turns urban surplus material into a development resource for rural communities across India.
About Goonj
Goonj began in 1999, when founder Anshu Gupta left a corporate career after he and his wife gave 67 pieces of their own clothing to people facing winter without enough to wear. That moment revealed two truths: Indian cities hold vast amounts of unused cloth and material, and villages need it, yet cloth was missing from the development agenda.
Today Goonj works with communities across India in disaster relief, humanitarian aid and rural development, always placing the receiver's rights and dignity at the centre, not the giver's goodness.
In 2015 Anshu Gupta received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for "transforming the culture of giving in India." He was also named Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 (Schwab Foundation) and received an Ashoka Fellowship in 2004.
Our mission
Material is not charity. It is a resource, and the people who receive it are partners, not beneficiaries.
We build a barter between the city's surplus and the village's labour, so communities earn what they receive while repairing their own roads, wells, schools and water bodies.
Programmes
Each initiative starts with material that would otherwise lie unused.
Not Just a Piece of Cloth
Reusable cloth pads made from surplus cotton, paired with open conversations that break the silence around menstruation for rural women and girls.
School to School
Urban schools share surplus books and stationery with rural schools, linked to children's attendance and community upkeep of their schools.
Rahat – Disaster Relief
Relief during floods, cyclones and other disasters, followed by long-term rebuilding alongside affected communities.
Gram Swabhimaan
"Village self-respect": supporting communities to plan and lead their own development. [NGO to confirm scope]
Material collection drives
Citizens, offices and housing societies collect clothes and household goods, which Goonj sorts, repairs and reuses.
Impact
Figures below are from public sources and may be out of date. Current figures: [NGO to confirm]
- Year founded
- 1999
- States reached (The Hindu, 2015)
- 21
- Tonnes of material reused (The Hindu, 2015)
- 1,000+
- Cloth pads distributed
- [NGO to confirm]
Gallery
Illustrative images, not photographs of Goonj's work.
In the media
The Hindu · July 2015
Anshu Gupta wins Ramon Magsaysay AwardWikipedia
Goonj (NGO) overviewGoonj
Full list of awards and recognitions
Donate
Two ways to give. Both matter equally.
Give money
Funds move material, run collection centres and support village work.
- Bank:
- HDFC Bank Ltd
- Account name:
- [NGO to confirm]
- Account no:
- 04801450000130
- IFSC:
- HDFC0000480
Online giving and 80G tax receipt details: [NGO to confirm]. Please email mail@goonj.org after a transfer.
Give material
Clothes, woollens, household goods, books and stationery in usable condition.
- Sort and pack by type
- Drop at the Head Office or a collection centre [NGO to confirm locations & hours]
- Call 1800 202 9012 to ask what is needed now
Volunteer
Sort cloth, run a collection drive, or lend a professional skill.
Contact
Goonj Head Office
Rajesh Pilot Marg, Madan Pur Khadar,
Near Sunder Public School, New Delhi – 110076
Toll-free: 1800 202 9012
Phone: 011-41401216
Email: mail@goonj.org