Goonj | Reigniting the swabhimaan of Indian Villages

[Arundhati.goonj]

A warm hello from the team of Gram Swabhimaan and fellowships at Goonj!!

Starting with an introduction of Goonj-

Goonj (www.goonj.org) aims to build an equitable relationship of strength, sustenance, and dignity between the resource-abundant and resource-scarce communities, creating a barter between surplus material and the efforts and wisdom of resource-scarce people as two new currencies, to trigger development with dignity. Founded in 1999 by Magsaysay award winner Mr. Anshu Gupta, works on poverty alleviation, rural development, and disaster relief & rehab, by using the cities’ discards as a fuel for wide-spread development work across villages in India addressing issues around water, sanitation, agriculture, education, local infrastructure, access, etc. Working with a strong network of 600+ grassroots partners, in the last 8 years (2014-2022) itself, we have reached out to more than 12 million people, facilitated 55,000+ development activities, and channelized more than 45 million kgs of material across 31 states & UTs of India.

Through Gram Swabhimaan our aim is to work towards fostering village empowerment and development by catalyzing collective participation, setting positive narratives, building environmental consciousness, and capacitating youth to encourage a solution-based approach for complex issues amongst several other similar goals

This will be achieved via an amalgamation of urban-rural events, volunteer meets, partner meets, fellowships, etc

To give you an overview, the initiative has reached 249 villages in 3 states, namely Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan. Through fellowships, we have engaged with 150+ youth

Kickstarting the association in August, Goonj’s annual event Chaupal- no agenda conversations was held in Delhi (H.O). The event witnessed the attendance of over 300+ urban volunteers, well-wishers, partners discussing the imperative need for a transformative language and lens through which we view certain issues, communities, and objects. These discussions ranged from valuing the capacities, wisdom of the grassroots, to conversations around recurring disasters, environmental consciousness, and the need for ecosystem strengthening

Largely amplifying the aims of Gram Swabhimaan the event successfully engaged the attendees in these thought-provoking discussions

Another good news is the launch of the second edition of the Next-Gen fellowship at Goonj.
The Next Gen Fellowship has been designed to provide exposure opportunities to the children of people who have been associated with Goonj for a long time— including people working in the processing units, office staff, and community mobilizers, amongst others.
The first cohort saw the engagement of 14 fellows of diverse backgrounds with the aim of engaging them in the organization’s work as exposure to better prepare themselves to achieve their dreams.

[Arundhati.goonj]

In October updates,

This month’s meeting in Karkatta village, in the Latur district of Maharashtra marked the 250 villages spread under Gram Swabhimaan.

This is the next phase of diving deep into these communities and building/reigniting swabhimaan together, wherein we are holding cluster meetings with 10 villages at a time, gathering feedback along the developed understanding of Gram Swabhimaan. This is coupled with group discussions and street plays building upon the idea of model villages. These discussions also touched upon certain aspects of self-reflection where individuals sat together and reflected on what self-respect means to them.

The first set of these meetings was held in the Latur district with approximately 60 participants in the first two meetings. Similar meetings will be held across districts of Maharashtra from November onwards.

Sharing here a few pictures and testimonials from the meetings:

Testimonials:

“Ek mul ek jhad paus padel dhad dhad

(Ek bacha ek podha, baarish giregi jor jor)” - Prerana Bansode, Village-Sakhara, District-Latur

“Aapne hume humara bachpan lauta diya, gaon ki mahila ghar ke aage kahi nhi nikalti, na hi use ijjat milti hai. Aapne humara samman kiya yehi sabse badi baat hai” - Damini, Village-Malkaranja, District-Latur

“Ped lagane se, paani bachane se gram ka swabhimaan nhi hoga, jab tak hum har vyakti ka samaan aur ijjat na kare” - Damini, Village-Malkaranja, District-Latur

October also saw the launch of Gram Swabhimaan internship in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, the applications for the same are open till 15th November. The aim is to start with the 6-month internship by December.

[Suman_Jile]

Hi @Arundhati.goonj Loved it! And I can echo those testimonials when you don’t remember stages of your life or you have completely forgotten due to external and internal factors - resisting those brings infinite joy! Next time do capture the invaluable facial experiences - it will unravel a lot about us (humans).

[Arundhati.goonj]

In December Updates,

We are happy to share with you all that we initiated the Gram Swabhimaan internship in December. The initial application phase saw an overwhelming response from both states, after a thorough analysis few candidates were called for interviews in Banswara (Rajasthan) and Mumbai and finally a total of 13 interns were inducted in the 1st cohort.

Their induction took place in Delhi, it was a three-day workshop held at Goonj’s Delhi office. The interns not only visited our Goonj Delhi processing and production centers but also participated in several team-building activities and group discussions. For 11 out of these 13 zealous interns, it was their first visit to Delhi, filled with anxiety and doubt they had started their journey to Delhi but the warm welcome here and each other’s support helped them work through that and continue to embark on this new exciting journey of a 6 month internship. Our agenda for the next month now is to start this internship in Odisha as well.

Additionally, as previously shared we continued to host cluster meetings in Maharashtra covering three other districts namely, Ratnagiri, Palghar and Jalgoan. In the next month, our focus would also be to arrange these cluster meetings in Rajasthan which were earlier delayed because of socio-political tensions in the region.

[Arundhati.goonj]

In March updates

Continuing the cluster meetings started in Maharasathra, the last two months saw cluster meetings across Odisha and Rajasthan.

In Odisha, a combined cluster meeting was held for the Daringbadi and Puri regions. It brought together the first and last regions that have been covered by the initiative so far. It was interesting to witness the concept retention of both groups. This meeting was held in the Gram Vikas campus in Mohuda, which also enabled these groups to stay together in the same campus, allowing for the exchange of thoughts and ideas. We used this opportunity to then introduce our internship in Odisha, we selected 6 interns from the whole cluster. These interns are now working in the Puri and Daringbadi blocks respectively.

Towards the end of January, we also introduced the cluster meetings in Rajasthan. A total of 12 meetings were scheduled across Rajasthan in a month. The team covered all the villages under Gram Swabhimaan in the Banswara, Pratapgarh, and Udaipur districts.

Simultaneously, we also had a very engaging interaction with the climate champions in Odisha in a 2-day dialogue series held in Gram Vikas. These climate champions are working on traditional ways of restoring ecosystems and agriculture in their respective villages and were very swift in understanding and picking up the concept of Gram Swabhimaan. This interaction also introduced the concept in a whole new geography, opening several doors for future collaborations.

In February, we also got the opportunity to introduce the concept of Gram Swabhimaan in a very interesting workshop designed by Rainmatter for all their partners, “Sense of the House”, on the 14th and 15th Feb. This also allowed Gram Swabhimaan to learn from various grassroots approaches which are being successfully implemented on the ground.

Lastly, on the 18th of February Goonj celebrated its 25th anniversary. Our annual Chaupal was graced by over 350+ urban volunteers, well-wishers, students, and teams from pan India. It allowed us to present the concept of Gram Swabhimaan to a whole new audience and share the gathered learnings and insights.

[Arundhati.goonj]

In May updates

The last two months have been full of events for the Gram Swabhimaan team from forging new partnerships and experimenting on completely new grounds to formally introducing the idea to our own ground team pan India.

These months have been crucial for our internship as well, given that the 6-month internship would soon enter its last leg, we carefully planned monitoring and evaluation visits in the intern geographies.

Our latest interaction with Nature’s Club opened avenues of experimenting Gram swabhimaan in a whole new geography for the first time in Kendrapara, Odisha. Nature’s Club works along with 133 Climate Champions across 153 villages in the district. Through regular trainings and knowledge gathered from other sources, climate champions take up larger conversations around water conservation, mangrove regeneration, resilient climate cropping pattern and educating a new generation on climate change and ecosystem conservation

The conversation around Gram Swabhimaan with the climate champions was rather engaging and enthralling and inspired them to carry Gram Swabhimaan in each of their geographies, to kickstart this venture. The first village Junus Nagar marked the beginning and the community there showcases the peak of rural volunteerism where inspired by the idea they took up the huge task of reviving a creek in their region. 1 km of the creek has already been revived and the ground work continues

Second update is from Rishikesh where we held our national team meeting celebrating 25 years of Goonj and finally found the ground to introduce Gram swabhimaan to our larger team from around 20 states in India. It was overwhelming to see how quickly the team could embrace and understand the concept. The curiosity and eagerness of the team to take this up in each village of Goonj’s implementation area gives us strength and support. The conversation also delved into the deeper concepts of entrenched ideas of poverty even in individuals who might have been able to break out of the material poverty cycles

The location of the team meeting also allowed for some Ghat side meeting for discussion around visioning and annual planning

Lastly, some updates from our internship:

1. A thorough monitoring and evaluation visit was conducted by the Gram Swabhimaan ground team in each of the intern geographies. This helped us understand seek insights and feedback directly from the field
2. We along with the Land T team at Goonj, held sessions around leadership and IDG (Inner development Goals) with the interns
3. Regular engagement with communities on ground continues along with integrating some cultural and fun activities as well.

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The coming months will see Gram swabhimaan modules reaching the Gram Vikas team in Odisha and comprehensive training sessions with the climate champions in Kendrapara, Odisha

[Arundhati.goonj]

In July updates

The Gram Swabhimaan team, in collaboration with Nature’s Club and Socratus, commenced work in the Kendrapara district. As previously reported, the training of climate champions included a three-day workshop, which participants eagerly attended in preparation for conducting Gram Swabhimaan sessions in the 100 villages where they operate. This workshop was followed by on-ground training sessions in 11 villages within the Kendrapara district, with the Gram Vikas team also contributing to this initiative.

Throughout the ten-day period, we received numerous insightful comments. A particularly noteworthy highlight was the active participation of many school children and young people, who engaged enthusiastically in the meetings.

Here are a few comments from the meetings:

• “Jab bhagwan ne hame sab kuch diya hath pair die hai to hm gareeb nahi hai”
• “Hamre gaon ki sadak hm sab ne apne sharmdan se banai hai. Apni mehant se”
• “Hm pati panti dono apne ghar chalne ke lie parishrma karte hai hai”
  
  
  
  
  

In the forthcoming updates, we will provide the final remarks from our internship program. The Gram Swabhimaan internship, a six-month journey, has successfully concluded. This internship spanned all three implementation states of Gram Swabhimaan, ensuring comprehensive engagement in the villages.

In the final phase, the interns constructed water structures in each village and culminated the internship by celebrating GS Utsav with the community. These water structures were developed through discussions on how water symbolizes the self-respect and dignity of the village. The theme, ‘Paani Swabhimaan ka Pratik,’ was a focal point, sparking numerous conversations around this topic. The interns also prepared detailed six-month reports reflecting on their experiences, challenges, memorable moments, highlights, and suggestions. These reports will be shared during regional convocations scheduled for next month.

Additionally, we plan to continue and expand cluster meetings to the Beed district of Maharashtra, where Gram Swabhimaan meetings were previously held in collaboration with Navchetna, a grassroots organization in the region.

This month was very important for our fellowship vertical as well-

In an effort towards Eco-system creation, fellowship plays an important role by engaging the Youth and leaders from the grassroots ; Goonj runs 4 fellowships :

Goonj Setu Fellowship (2018 - present) : offers youth from cities, a year-long opportunity to expand their horizons, exposing them to opportunities as they collaborate with Goonj’s teams, partners, volunteers and communities, gaining valuable insights and practical experience.

Next-Generation Fellowship (2021 - present) : was inspired by the Goonj Founder’s vision that children of the Goonj Processing Teams,primarily women from urban slums, should have the opportunity to grow and prosper. This one- year Fellowship identifies promising young individuals and involves them in hands-on learning, providing exposure to ideas and skills that are a foundation for their aspirations.

Grassroots Fellowship (2019 - present) : aims to enhance capacity and empower rural youth to proactively engage in developmental issues within their local communities over one year. It enables Fellows to contribute to their own villages through civic engagement, local leadership, and sustainable change.

Sanjha Fellowship (2021 - present) : is designed specifically for our grassroots partner organisations. Its objective is to facilitate collaboration and encourage growth of the leaders by providing the necessary tools and knowledge.

Selection process for Setu Fellowship kicked off in March :

• Developed a comprehensive application form for prospective candidates to apply for the fellowship. - Identify the key information needed from applicants (personal details, academic background, work experience, etc.).Consulted with the team to understand what information is critical for assessing Applicants.
• Communication material developed for the release of the application form and promotion of fellowship - Target audiences (students, professionals, academic institutions) and communication channels (social media platforms, email lists, partner organizations, educational institutions) were identified, accordingly visually appealing communication materials aligned with the Goonj’s branding guidelines was developed and circulated by team. Promotional calendar was developed. We also developed and reworked the web page for the fellowship program,including updated content.We organized webinars twice to respond to the queries from people and to give a detailed overview of the fellowship
• Orientation of Pan India team members on effective strategies for promoting the fellowship. - Content covering promotion strategies, key messages, and target audiences. We set up regular meetings to review progress and address challenges. The regional teams organized sessions in various educational institutions.

During April and May

• Screening of Application forms - Evaluation of applications was done by the assessors (team members) based on predefined criteria (qualifications, experience, essays).
• Applications for Grassroot fellowship launched
• Overall : We are in the process of developing a high-level curriculum framework for all the fellowship programs.-Meta level - The overall goals and learning objectives of the fellowship program are brainstormed and the key modules or components of the curriculum are being laid out along with the partnership with Wisdom Tree ; The team will be in touch throughout the year for regular monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes of each of the fellowship.

In June

• For Setu Fellowship, second stage of the selection process was assessment based exercises and Panel interviews, where the candidates selected after the first round were called physically at 4 Goonj offices i.e Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.
  • Group discussions, individual exercises were conducted to assess the applicants
  • Panels interviews consisting of team members and external members were set up to review and evaluate applicants. They were provided with guidelines, evaluation criteria, and relevant materials for the interview…
• Sanjha Fellowship : Defined objectives of the fellowship, researched on best practices and drafted initial ideas, Developed a detailed program structure, eligibility criteria, timelines and application process. Review the new format with stakeholders

[Arundhati.goonj]

In September (2024) updates

In the last two months, we witnessed Gram Swabhimaan conversations taking place with a diverse cross-section of people. We began with a comprehensive training session with the climate champions in Kendrapara, as mentioned in the previous report. This training culminated at the Mangrove Patho Utsav, where the Gram Swabhimaan team presented their observations and findings from the past year in Odisha.

Following the training, the climate champions initiated Gram Swabhimaan meetings in their respective villages. For the first 10 meetings, our team supported and facilitated these sessions. Now, the climate champions are conducting Gram Swabhimaan meetings independently. So far, they have successfully covered 48 villages in Kendrapara.

In addition to these efforts, a series of cluster meetings was held, including one in Beed, Maharashtra. Last year, Gram Swabhimaan took place in Beed in collaboration with our partner organization, Navchetna. This meeting was particularly interesting. Here are some highlights from the discussions:

“Ganv ke log shahar me jakar bas gaye hai. Shahar gaon se hi bana hai.” - Archana Shirsagar (Shindhi)

“Jab Gram Swabhimaan ka meeting huva tab se abhitak hamne na kisiko gareeb bola hai na ham khud ko gareeb samjhte hai.” - Sharada Kale (Krantinagar)

Recently, at Goonj, we held a partner’s meet, also known as the Sanjha Meet. The primary goal of this meet is to build strong relationships with our partners. These platforms not only provide space for cross-learning but also offer a safe space for sharing emotions and challenges.

The meet also focuses on narrative building and fostering camaraderie within the entire social sector ecosystem. The Gram Swabhimaan conversation was a key topic in this context. Discussions centered around how various organizations engage with the communities they work with and how they can develop narratives that do not demean these communities but instead treat them with respect and acknowledge their skills and knowledge. Here are some key takeaways from the session:

“Humare pass jo nahi hai uspe itna gaur karte hai, usse hum mansik taur pe gareeb ho jate hain.” - Daulat Ji (Rajasthan Patrika)

Lastly, Gram Swabhimaan meetings were conducted in Banswara, following the third-month module recently released under the Gram Swabhimaan initiative. In the first month, meetings were held in villages, as well as in nearby schools and colleges. In August, we covered over 25 villages. Here are some highlights from these meetings:

“Ham chappal pahnte hai uska bhi tax bharte hai. Sona chandi sabka tax bharte hai ham. Isi tax se desh ka vikas ho raha hai.”

“Dekho bahar barish ho rahi hai. Fir bhi kuch log kheti me kaam kar rahe hai. Yahi to ameeri hai.”

“Hame fasal ka gyan hai. Kab lagani chahiye kab usko katna chahiye sab pata hai. Hame gyan hai isliye toh ham fasal uga rahe hai na.”

Updates from the fellowship program:

Selection Process Overview

Start of Selection Process:
The selection process for Setu Fellows began with an in-depth evaluation of the applicants’ written applications followed by interviews. This two-step process ensured a comprehensive assessment of each candidate’s suitability for the fellowship.

• Communication to Selected Candidates:
  Following the evaluation, successful candidates were notified via email, confirming their selection for the fellowship.

2. Orientation Program

• Brainstorming Sessions for orientation planning
  Brainstorming sessions by the team with the help of wisdom tree to build a induction programme for four days to give them overview of the fellowship structure
• Orientation (21st August - 26th August)
  A comprehensive orientation program was conducted from 21st to 26th August. The sessions focused on providing an overview of Goonj’s mission, values, and the specific structure of the Setu Fellowship. The orientation aimed at familiarizing the fellows with the organization’s goals and the expectations from their roles.The sessions were designed to align the fellows with the organizational goals and prepare them for their roles.

3. Fellowship Placement: A total of 12 fellows have joined the SETU Fellowship program. These fellows have been strategically placed in five different city offices of Goonj to maximize their impact and learning.

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Summary of Key Achievements

• Successfully completed the selection process and selected the potential fellows.
• Conducted a comprehensive four days orientation sessions to prepare the fellows for their journey.
• Placed 12 fellows in key city offices to support Goonj’s mission and operations.

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Upcoming Plans

• Ongoing Support: Continuous mentorship and support will be provided to the fellows as they settle into their roles.
• Regular Monitoring: Monthly check-ins will be conducted to monitor progress and address any challenges faced by the fellows.
• Domain Specific orientation: a virtual orientation is planned for the fellows with seven domains and working groups of Goonj

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Next Gen Fellowship Update(July-Aug)

1. Fellowship Structure Development:

• We have successfully developed a comprehensive year-long structure for the Next Gen Fellowship. The structure focuses on Skill development & personality development
• Mentorship & career guidance.

2. Application Form Creation:

• An application form was designed to collect detailed information about potential fellows. This form was crafted to ensure we capture all necessary details to assess the candidates effectively.

3. Application Launch:

• The application form was officially launched, and we have received 15 applications from across India

4. Application Review and Interviews:

• After thoroughly analyzing the applications, we conducted interviews with all 15 applicants. These interviews provided deeper insights into their aspirations, skills, and potential contributions to the fellowship.

5. Upcoming Selection Process:

• The selection process will commence soon, where we will evaluate the candidates based on their applications, interview performance, and alignment with the fellowship’s objectives.

Few Glimpses of Setu fellows orientation in Delhi

[Arundhati.goonj]

In November (2024) updates

Over the past two months, our team has expanded Gram Swabhimaan’s reach across 53 villages in Odisha, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. This journey has been made possible with the support of partner organizations like KZSVS and Gram Vikas, who integrated the Gram Swabhimaan concept into their local initiatives, enriching the impact within their regions. Here are some key highlights from these sessions:

(Ramegoan, Latur) Most of the women who participated emphatically declared, ‘We are not Gareeb,’ emphasizing their sense of self-worth and empowerment. One woman articulated their collective sentiment, 'We possess the strength of our own shram and have the power to shape our future and make it brighter through our collective efforts.

(Mahad, Raigad)

hamare gaon ki himmat hi gaon ka swabhimman hai.
abhi ke samay me aapne jo vichar hamare samne rakhe unki bahot jada jaroorat hai.
gareeb wahi hai jo kuch nahi karna chahta. Jiska vichar hi gareeb hai.

We also hosted an insightful dialogue with Vaagdhara’s team in Banswara, Rajasthan, where they found deep resonance with Gram Swabhimaan, connecting it to their ongoing Gram Swaraj efforts in Rajasthan and neighboring states. This engaging session sparked several ideas for collaboration and learning.

Additionally, last month marked the launch of regional Sanjha meets, a collaborative platform that brings together Goonj’s grassroots partner organizations from across India. At these meets, we introduced Gram Swabhimaan, gathering observations and feedback to refine and adapt the initiative with a broader, pan-India perspective. The first Sanjha meet in Bhopal saw participation from 14 partner organizations from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

In September, we held an internal strategy session focused on scaling Gram Swabhimaan. Our discussions centered around replicating and adapting the model across diverse geographies. Some promising ideas are now in the pilot stage, including targeted meetings with village-based groups like NREGA mates and self-help groups (SHGs), whose representatives are well-placed to lead these community-centered conversations.

Finally, we hosted a convocation for our interns across the three states, celebrating their contributions and equipping them to continue supporting the movement’s growth.

Fellowship Updates

Goonj Setu Fellowship : Various domains orientation was given to fellows through virtual sessions and fellows were assigned with tasks by each domain after their session. Fellows were placed with different urban sub groups along with the fellowship structure to use their interest and potential areas. Fellows Pan India were engaged with the execution of JGW in all the respective chapters. Apart from this some fellows were assigned domain work with communications team and teamanshu. They started their weekly and reflections to understand their growth and to help them articulate the work done by them. A review call was also conducted with the all the fellows to understand their progress, challenges and ideas on future work. An external session on leadership development was taken.

Nex Gen Fellowship: Next Gen fellows joined us starting September 20th, their induction was done and they were engaged in the exprential learning by engagement at the processing centers for a week’s time. They were being inducted at their locations only. Apart from PU engagement, we conducted online induction through various sessions which included Hr session conducted by HR team, A basic introduction for fellowship, session with Wisdom Tree, nex gen alumni etc. Further to this, they were given exposure to Goonj’s urban work by attending camps and invovling in the backend process of the JGW campaign.

An experienced new team member has joined the fellowship team to regularise and level up the fellowships at Goonj…

[Arundhati.goonj]

In January (2025) updates

In the past two months, our teams have reached 53 villages across Odisha, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, expanding the reach and scope of the Gram Swabhimaan initiative. We conducted Gram Swabhimaan meetings with Goonj’s implementation partners in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, with plans to extend to West Bengal in the coming month.

In November and December, we organized three cluster meetings: one in Odisha and two in Rajasthan. These gatherings brought together key individuals from different villages, with approximately 130 participants joining the cause. These individuals are now instrumental in sustaining and propagating the ideas of Gram Swabhimaan in their areas.

Voices from the Villages and Cluster Meetings

Here are some of the powerful thoughts shared during these meetings:

• “Hamre ghar aae mehmano ko to hum hi khilate hain, unhe kisi aur ke ghar to nahi bhejte hain… log hume kaise gareeb kahte hain?”
• “Hamare paas kheti ki zameen aur himmat dono hain, jisse lakho logon ka pet bhar sakte hain. Humse zyada amir bhala kaun hoga?”
• “Bahar se aane wale ka gaon mein samman karte hain, lekin gaon ke logon ka nahi karte hain. Hume apna bhi samman karna chahiye.”
• “Yaha sabkuch shuddh hai. Chahe paani ho, ann ho ya hawa. Iska hume abhimaan hai.”
• “Gaon mein insaan suvidhaon ka tyaag karta hai aur shahar mein shanti ka… Sab ke liye zindagi barabar hi hai.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

We held two meetings with the Didis who work at Goonj’s Center of Circularity.

On the occasion of Founder’s Day at Goonj, we set up an exhibition of Gram Swabhimaan for our Didis, who come from rural backgrounds. We felt it was essential for the Didis to understand the value of their work and the concept of Gram Swabhimaan. During this event, Anshu Sir held a meeting, and the exhibition showcased photos and insights from Gram Swabhimaan.

In Maharashtra, one of our centers is in Vikramgarh, where we conducted a similar meeting with the Didis. The conversations were quite impactful, as reflected in the words shared by some Didis:

• “Gareeb sirf woh hain jo kaam nahin karte…”
• “Gaon mein koi gareeb nahin hai.”

The Gram Swabhimaan team shared the concept and idea of Gram Swabhimaan with over 80 organizations working with Goonj during the Sanjha Partners Meet (Sanjha is the name of Goonj’s partnership team that conducts regional meetings with implementation partners). These meetings have reinforced our belief that Gram Swabhimaan is a powerful and widely acceptable idea, capable of fostering long-term, community-driven change.

We have also initiated engagement with diverse groups such as Self-Help Groups (SHGs), NREGA Mates, local artists, and various other groups who frequently travel to nearby villages for their work. We are hopeful that their involvement will help keep this idea alive and thriving in their respective communities.

Some thoughts that we heard during the Sanjha Partner Meeting

• In Assam: “Gram Swabhimaan could be a powerful way forward, helping transfer complete ownership of development initiatives to the community.”
• In Odisha: “This is a great way to change the self-perception of villagers. Through this, people will recognize their qualities and capabilities and come forward to contribute to the development of their village.”
• In Bihar: "Gram Swabhimaan is a Sahaj Samvaad (simple and accessible conversation).
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Fellowship Updates

Setu Fellowship :

The fellows were involved according to the structure where they had to reach out to various stakeholders in the urban areas to establish relationships with Goonj. The objective is to have them delve deeper into urban work and come out of their comfort zone. As per the documentation aspect, they need to write monthly reports and blog posts

The fellows are also encouraged to offer support to the interns who join Goonj for a month or so. Some fellows in Delhi have also been engaged in creating a few learning documents around Goonj’s work to enhance holistic learning; Some topics that were taken were - The aspirational Districts Program, Tribes in India, Disaster Response, and Field success stories.

The fellows also try to articulate their work and learnings through daily updates sharing, Saturday reflection, and Monthly reflection forms. They meet online monthly for review and articulation of the work achieved so far and to share their learnings and observations with an idea to incorporate cross-learning;

2 sessions with external guest speakers were conducted. One was on ‘Ecology and Economy’ and the other was on ‘Alternatives’.

Mentorship has been introduced with the fellows where they have been assigned to mentors to guide them through the journey and offer the support required

Nex Gen Fellowship

The fellows have been engaged in support roles where they could understand the organization and the work in a detailed manner. They were asked to prepare the report and the presentations on how there has been fellowship so far to enhance their documentation and PPT skills.

A story-writing session was conducted for fellows by our Setu fellows with an objective of building capacities across both fellowships ;

Internal sessions with various teams like NJPC, and urban relations have been organised to engage the fellows with more work across the organisation.

Apart from their tasks, fellows are meeting online monthly for review and articulation of the work achieved so far and to share their learnings and observations with an idea to incorporate cross-learning;

Grassroots Fellowship

The structure of fellowship was finalised in consultation with more members of the team. The screening of applications was also finalised by the fellowship team and the results for 1st level of screening has been announced through emails to all the candidates.

Overall updates on the fellowship

Apart from the above, fellows have become an integral part of all the celebrations, larger meetings, and events which were held in the offices - Sanjha meets, Jagriti Yatra, This makes sure that they are a part of the family and they get that warmth and exposure in their fellowship journey. In Delhi, fellows were involved in preparations to host the Jagriti Yatra. This Yatra brings more than 500 youth to Goonj for a session with Anshu ji and to visit the Goonj Center of Circularity (GCOC); A community hall is hired and the team and the fellows work a week before to prepare the display and make all necessary arrangements for the same.

Our partner Wisdom Tree interviewed Anshu ji and the recording of this interview was done. The plan is to make smaller capsules on different topics and share with fellows for holistic learning and also to be utilised during the promotion of fellowship.

Physical review meeting for Nex gen and Setu fellowship along with induction for Grassroot fellowship is being planned for January 2025

[AtulGOONJ]

MARCH’25

Gram Swabhimaan Updates

Over the past two months, we expanded Gram Swabhimaan at different levels, exploring other platforms to better reach and amplify its narrative. We have connected with 45 villages across Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Bihar, deepening engagement and strengthening the dialogue around dignity and self-reliance.

In January and February, we organized three cluster meetings—one in Maharashtra and two in Rajasthan. These gatherings brought together key individuals from different villages, with approximately 110 participants joining the discussions. These individuals are now playing an important role in sustaining and propagating the ideas of Gram Swabhimaan in their areas.

Voices from the meetings reflected the power of self-realization and collective thought:

• “Hamare pas kya kya hai, yah aaj is meeting ke madhyam se hamein pata chala hai.”
• “Aaj aapne aakar jo bhi chizein batayi, yah isse pehle kisne bhi nahi batayi thi. Hum yah sab aage lekar jayenge.”
• “Hum khud ki mehnat ka khate hain. Humne aaj tak kisi ke samne haath nahi failaye hain, isliye hum khud ko kam nahi samajhte hain. Gaon hai toh hum hain.”
• “Hamaare haath pair kaam karte hain, tab toh hum gareeb nahi. Kaam karenge aur pet bharenge.”

Fellowship Update

Setu Fellowship and Next-Gen fellowship:

Fellows were engaged in their chapter’s assigned tasks and the fellowship monthly tasks assigned by fellowship team. Apart from this,the fellows were sent to the week long rural exposure visits where they travelled to the nearest implementation field to get hands on expereince of the work we do on the rural side. Further to which, we consolidated through the reflections which were shared by fellows through ppts in the reflection sessions. The fellows together worked on a newsletter named Anubhava 2024-25 which shared heartfelt stories from the visit and the learnings, unlearnings, observations, and realizations.

A physical review meeting was held in Delhi office where fellows from both the cohorts came together for 2-3 days to reflect on their journey so far and what lies ahead. Our fellowship partner Wisdom Tree also conducted sessions and activities for learning and development of the cohort. Apart from this, mentorship is in place for the Setu fellows where leadership team of Goonj is having conversations with fellows on their learnings, challenges etc. Similar mentorship will be introduced for Next Gen fellows.

Grassroot fellowship :

The 2nd and 3rd rounds of selection process which were group activities and panel interviews were conducted for the Grassroot fellowship in Delhi, Kolkata, Assam and Bangalore offices of Goonj. After the selection process, 11 fellows were selected for the fellowship ; The induction was for the fellows was done in Delhi office and then they were placed in different field implementation offices across Assam, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Odisha and Chattisgarh. After a month’s time, a basic online review meet was done with the fellows to understand challenges, if any. A similar meet was done with the POCs across all the states where fellows are placed.

[AtulGOONJ]

May Update- 2025

Gram Swabhimaan - Updates

As we enter a new month and a fresh financial year, we take a moment to pause and look back at the journey so far. In the last year, through Gram Swabhimaan, we reached 317 villages across Odisha, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. Each visit was a gentle conversation—a chance to walk with people, listen to their lived realities, and hold space for the pride, strength, and wisdom already in their lives.

This year, we carry forward the same intent, with a new goal of reaching 600+ villages. The journey is not about bringing change from the outside but amplifying what is already alive in these communities—their traditional knowledge, skills, ways of living, and unseen leadership. Gram Swabhimaan is our collective effort to gently reframe the way rural India is perceived—from a narrative of scarcity to one of dignity, abundance, and self-reliance.

A meaningful milestone recently unfolded in Bihar, where we hosted a two-day cluster meet on the 28th and 29th of April. More than 70 people from over 20 villages came together, not as beneficiaries but as stakeholders in this shared dream. Stories were exchanged, songs were sung, and a quiet fire of possibility was lit. With this, our Bihar journey has officially begun.

At the same time, we are reaching out to potential partners who are open to being a part of this journey of Gram Swabhimaan—to explore, share, and contribute to this growing movement of narrative change. Our efforts are also expanding into colleges and schools, where the conversations on rural realities and pride can find new listeners, especially among young people who will shape the stories of tomorrow.

April brought some challenges, especially with the heat waves and the ongoing crop season, which made it difficult for many community members to participate actively. Over the past two months, we successfully reached 35 villages, conducted one cluster meeting in Begusarai, Bihar, visited one college and one school, carried out seven partner field visits, and held 22 village meetings.

During our cluster meetings in Bihar, we introduced a simple feedback form. Among the 50 responses, a common thread emerged: many participants spoke about the issue of plastic waste in their villages. It was not just a complaint—it was followed by a collective pledge to make their villages “Plastic Mukta Gaav”. Moments like these make us pause and feel the depth of people’s ownership and resolve.

Here are a few voices from the ground that continue to stay with us:

• “Soch ko badlenge tabhi zindagi swarg ban jayegi.”
• “Shiksha tarakki ke saare raste khol deta hai.”
• “Hum khudko kyun gareeb balenge? Hamare pas sab kuchh hai, zamin hai, pani hai, kamai hai, phir hum kese garib hue?”
• “Mahila kamzor nahi hoti. Woh hamesha har cheez mein aage hai.”
• “Humaare paas sab kuchh hote hue bhi hum khud ko gareeb maante hain, kyunki humein paison ki kami lagti hai. Jis din hum khud ko gareeb maanna chhod denge, us din hamara gaon badal jaayega. Hum kabhi itni gehraai se soch nahi paaye, isliye hum khud ko gareeb maante rahe.”
• “Aaj hamein poori aazadi mili hai gaon ke baare mein ek sapna dekhne ki.”
• “Apni kamiyon par nahin, balki apni kshamataon par dhyan kendrit karke, hum aatm-sammaan ki aur agrasar hote hain.”

In March 25, we got the opportunity to attend the “Sense of the House” workshop organised by Rainmatter for all their partners. The two-day workshop, held on the 19th and 20th March, had a powerful agenda. On the first day, the focus was on “Voices from the Ground”, where we shared our journey of ‘Gram Swabhimaan, ’ how it started, where we stand today, and the approach we follow. It was a meaningful space to reflect, share openly, and also learn from the work of other organisations working deeply in their communities. It helped us reflect on what’s working and emerging and how narrative change can be rooted in real, lived experiences.

Fellowship Update

Setu & Next-Gen fellowship

Fellows are engaged in their chapter’s assigned tasks and the fellowship’s monthly tasks assigned by the fellowship team. Apart from this, all fellows are on the field for their month-long Rural Immersion where they will get the on ground exposure of our field implementation and also they will understand the local challenges and opportunities at the same time. They are acclimatizing themselves and immersing themselves with the local communities.

• Domain allocation has been completed for our Setu and Next-Gen fellows. They will now work within a specific domain to learn, unlearn, relearn, and enhance their interests and exposure.
• The review of the Setu and Next-Gen fellowship has been completed, where we discussed their learnings so far, along with the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.
• We are holding two reflection sessions each week with our fellows from across India.
• Fellow’s Portfolio
• We have created a Consistency Assessment Sheet for our fellows and fellowship team, and we are currently engaged in self-assessment, and after the assessment, we will share the final results with the team.

Grassroots Fellowship:

• Grassroots fellows started their journey a few months back and now they are engaged with our field team. The first review meeting of the GR Fellowship has taken place.

External Sessions:

• Mr. Anuj Sharma, CEO of Arghyam, facilitated a session with our fellows on Water and its importance.

[AtulGOONJ]

July Updates 2025

Gram Swabhimaan

Continuing the Gram Swabhimaan journey, the past two months have enabled us to deepen our engagement. Along with our team, we reached out to 81 villages across Odisha, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Maharashtra. However, due to the intense summer heatwaves followed by unseasonal rains, our outreach was slightly limited during this period. Despite these challenges, the conversations continued, keeping the spirit of Gram Swabhimaan alive on the ground.

We are also connecting with Artist Groups who regularly travel from village to village. Through their storytelling, music, and performances, they can bring the Gram Swabhimaan initiative to life in local languages and cultural expressions. This approach will help spread the message in a deeper, more relatable, and engaging way across communities.

Here are some of the powerful thoughts shared during these meetings:

• Hume is baat ka ehsas hua ki ham khud ki bhasha badlenge toh bahot kuch badal sakta hai.
• Hamari parampara hamari pahchan hai. jo ham bhulte ja rahe hai. aaj pata chala ki wah kyu jaroori hai.
• Hamare pas jo hai woh kitne saare logo ke pas nahi hai. yah bhi hamko yaad rakhna chahiye.
• Me kabhi socha nehi tha gareeb ke bare, sab log gareeb bole me bi bal diya.

This time, our focus has been on Gram Swabhimaan Sarathi—volunteers from within the community who are actively taking the concept to more villages through regular conversations and local engagement. Activating and strengthening these local Sarathi is a sustainable approach, as it builds ownership and ensures the idea is rooted within the community itself. To support their efforts, we provided T-shirts and cloth bags printed with the Gram Swabhimaan identity, making them easily recognisable and helping reinforce the message wherever they go. We also held follow-up meetings with the Sarathis to deepen their understanding and align efforts. Currently, we have 66 Gram Swabhimaan Sarathi who are playing a key role in carrying forward the message of Gram Swabhimaan

Taking this forward, we also held a Gram Swabhimaan session with our team members working at the Goonj Centres of Circularity (GCOC). All these members come from rural India and are engaged in various responsibilities at Goonj—sorting, kit-making, production, and more. The session took place during Manthan 2025, our annual team gathering held in Dehradun on 8th and 9th June, where members from Rishikesh and Delhi came together for a meaningful experience filled with cross-learning and celebration.

Over 250+ team members took the Gram Swabhimaan pledge during this meet. What followed was deeply heartening—many didis and bhaiyas from GCOC began reflecting on how we use the word “gareeb” (poor). Some shared how they once saw themselves through that lens, saying, “Main khud ko gareeb maanta tha, par aaj lagta hai ki main gareeb nahi hoon.”

Since the session, we’ve observed small but powerful changes—people are consciously choosing not to use the word “gareeb” in conversations, correcting themselves mid-sentence. It was a beautiful reminder of how dignity begins with language, and how the spirit of Gram Swabhimaan is taking root in everyday thought and expression.

Field Updates

In Jolar village, Dhamotar block (Pratapgarh, Rajasthan), 100+ villagers united to repair a check dam and build soak pits for water conservation. As recognition for their effort.

In Ramharipur village, Mayurbhanj district, Odisha over 30 community members came together to build a shared space for meetings and gatherings, addressing a long-standing need.

Kangavai, Ratnagiri, Maharshtra community repairs its checkdam – solving water issues on their own.

Manthan 2025

Manthan is a space for strategic thinking, capacity building, and perspective sharing. We believe disruptive ideas are essential to break old patterns and open up bold, new possibilities for lasting change. With this spirit, we’re organizing physical meets to bring together diverse stakeholders for meaningful conversations. Deeply rooted in Goonj’s values, ‘Manthan’ reflects our commitment to listening, co-creating, and nurturing changemaking from the ground up. It’s not a new direction, but an organic extension of the introspection and dialogue that have always shaped our journey. It is a space where everyone can freely share their thoughts, ideas, concerns, and challenges with dignity and mutual respect. Manthan is not just a platform; it is a shared journey of reflection and collective action.

Recently, under the ‘Manthan’, we organized two engaging gatherings—one with team members from GCOC (Goonj Centers of Circularity) and another with the Operations team of Goonj. Both meetings were held at the UPES campus in Dehradun in June.

With GCOC members it was a two-day gathering on 9th& 10th June 2025, of 250+ team members from our Rishikesh and Delhi centers. Goonj currently has 8 such centers across India, and this was the first time that members from these two locations came together in this way. These centers are the heart of Goonj’s material work, where teams are involved in sorting, repairing, repurposing, and innovating with urban surplus to create products and systems that serve both rural and urban needs.

The two days were filled with rich conversations, meaningful reflections, and shared ideas on how to build greater synergy in our everyday work. Team members not only brainstormed ways to strengthen impact but also engaged in bonding activities, laughter, and informal exchanges, turning the space into one of learning, friendship, and joy.

With the Operations team:

From June 10th to 14th, around 140 team members from Goonj’s operations teams came together for an intensive four-day meeting. The gathering served as a space to reflect on where Goonj stands today, through honest conversations, acknowledgment of achievements, and an open sharing of challenges and failures.

The meetings were thoughtfully designed to look ahead while staying rooted in present realities. Sessions explored critical questions around strategy, team well-being, and organizational direction. Importantly, failures were not brushed aside but brought into the room as vital learnings, helping everyone see them as stepping stones in the journey.

Senior team members, some of whom have been with Goonj for over a decade, shared personal stories from their long journeys. Their reflections sparked inspiration and helped reinforce the values that bind Goonj together—commitment, courage, and collective spirit.

Group discussions and strategic conversations encouraged collaboration and honest dialogue, breaking silos and fostering a sense of unity across geographies and roles. What emerged from these four days was not just plans or ideas, but a renewed sense of shared purpose. It reminded everyone that Goonj is not just about the work—it’s about the people and the values we carry forward together.

Fellowship Update

Setu Fellowship and Next-Generation fellowship:

Fellows are engaged in their chapter’s assigned tasks and the fellowship monthly tasks assigned by the fellowship team. Apart from this, the fellows are done with their rural immersion visit and consolidation. We are able to see the impact of rural immersion through their expression, experience, reflection, and action. One of our fellows also led an external session regarding the outreach for the next cohort of Setu Fellowship 2025-26. As a team we are really satisfied to see the behavioral changes after this rural immersion. It was a journey in which they critically reflect on their notion, perception, belief, bias, and self reality because of a completely different set-up of their imagination of society, community, and people.

As an organization, we are offering large scale internships and in the last two months, we have dealt with more than 100 interns. Most of our fellows had played a vital role in managing their daily engagements and played the role of mentors for our interns.

We are done with our Setu Fellowship applications for the upcoming cohort (2025-26). Now, we are in the process of screening and shortlisting the applications. We have decided to onboard our upcoming cohort by the first of August.

We are having our internal processes to launch the new cohort of our Next - Generation (an internal fellowship).

Our fellows are always alert in engaging with various urban stakeholders for creating impacts which go beyond solving problems. Through their engagement with various schools, colleges, RWA’s and corporates they are sharing their ideas, bringing in more stakeholders and also widening the opportunities for collaboration. Their engagement through various sessions and activities ignites a thought for mindfulness and also seeks out innovation so that our initiatives won’t be just a source for the urban population to reduce their burden of excess resources, rather to join hands for seeing the bigger picture and bring about changes in the world through sustainable actions.

Grassroots Fellowship

Our grassroots fellows are working closely with our field team and learning about the implementation for the larger cause. They have joined five months before and now we are planning a physical meeting with them and we will be having a review call with them in two days.

Grassroot fellows are a part of the field activities where our initiatives are implemented and the real impact can be seen. Being in the field, our fellows are bringing real time impact in the lives of the rural population, by understanding the local community and the issues they face in their daily lives.

Picture no.1

A picture from Ranchi, Jharkhand. Our Grassroot fellow interacting with the women of the community.

Picture no.2

A picture from Gajapati, Odisha. Our Grassroot fellow is facilitating a Chuppi Todo Baithak (CTB) session participated by both men and women of a community.