I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.
Edward Everett Hale
Why a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Goonj would call an annual Chaupal was intriguing. Recently, in Kolkata, I, Sudeshna Chatterjee, attended the event which opened up a Pandora’s Box as it exposes the hollowness of some stakeholders.
Goonj works across the country as a disaster relief and rural development organization. There is a Harvard Business case study on it. What I personally find uplifting is that it abhor the word ‘donor’. The NGO considers itself as a stakeholder in empowering communities and amplifying the voices of the marginalized. As it rightly points out, there is a difference between help and support.
Here are some reality checks which by its definition are not always palatable. It is 'we' vs 'they' to start with.
People usually give out what they don’t want. They would not bother to find out what is required. The thought and word, ‘donation’, demeans dignity that everyone is born with. Rather, they could have been a catalyst to any form of developmental work to make an individual, school or community self-sufficient. For example, it could be guidance to become a small scale entrepreneur, creation of a playground or revival/ management of a waterbody. Large part of India still has good source of water. What is lacking is water management.
Just like landfills are dumped with garbage, to some, unfortunately, it seems the NGOs are similar equivalents. I learnt stained pads, torn and unwashed clothes are also ‘donated’. They don’t have any qualms about giving unwashed trousers that don’t have zips or pajamas that don’t have drawstrings.
There were misdirected advertisements pronouncing using cloth during menstruation as unhygienic. But even clothes can be made hygienic for the usage, that they don’t say, instead urging the target audience to buy more expensive branded pads. Goonj, for example makes much cheaper and hygienic cloth pads. It can be bought and given to needy. Or, donate clothes to enable them to make some more.
Empathy should not be misplaced. For the same sexual abuse, why a culprit of a homosexual victim is sentenced for six months to two years whereas the sentence becomes seven to fourteen years when the victim is heterosexual?
I have come across prominent reports of certain communities not getting rents in his/her chosen place. But where do you see LGBTQ people suffering from similar predicaments?
One transgender spoke of the absence of a neutral washroom. All the lavatories are marked either 'Gents' or 'Ladies'. Hence at public places, he has to resist the urge enough to develop kidney stones!!
Villagers may not always be as educated as their urban counterparts, but they are street smart and the grassroots wisdom often works.
Also, for women, going by some Goonj female staffers, a village is safer than a city.
Inspired to join? You don't need to be a MSW (Master in Social Work) to join an NGO. Engineers and MBAs (Master in Business Administration) also work at Goonj.
How many of us think laterally? For example, now that Covid thankfully is a past, there are many unused oxygen concentrators across hospitals and even at many homes. These could still be much help to people with severe breathing problems. Laundry bags at hotels and car seat covers could also be used for various requirements.
Chaupal etymologically means a space to converse and connect in a rural set-up where the people are essentially male. Happily, I saw a liberalized version of that concept in a city cultural centre at Kolkata where a large number of the audience were women. They were students, volunteers and well-wishers. In fact, Goonj itself has almost 76 percent of women force. It was a day full of real-life stories, concerns and conversations, projects and possibilities, disaster photographs decoding harsh truths with dry humour, a few counters of Goonj products for sale and a good lunch.
When the light shifts, things look different. Thank you Goonj, for hosting this platform and challenging our preconceived notions.
#Goonj #Chaupal #LGBTQ #Transgender #SudeshnaChatterjee #Covid
