Earning New Modes Of Livelihood: Around 300 Women Earn Through Kitchen Garden Plantation

New impact and innovations are emerging as Goonj is bringing its idea of Cloth for Work' (CFW) initiative to the cities of India, working with slum communities, nudging them to take the lead in solving their problems. Goonj's Team recently partnered with a local Hyderabad-based non-profit that's working with local women domestic workers who had lost their source of income in the pandemic. Goonj's field members mobilized and motivated these women to evolve new livelihood options.

This is when the women decided to create Kitchen Gardens to benefit themselves and their children. 300 women came together as one strong group and cleared four slums in Kachiboli, Gaidhibagh, and Karim areas.

For the kitchen garden plantation, they sowed seeds of seasonal foods to keep their children healthy and the community happy. The seeds shared with them were spinach, ladyfinger, brinjal, and tomato. Winter Kits were also channelized to the people involved. While society considers domestic duties and responsibilities a woman's most stereotypical role in a household, when they are economically and socially empowered, they become a potent force for change.

Local Implementation Partner - Mana Mahila Mandali (Hyderabad)

At Goonj, all contributions are channelized in a dignified manner wherein people participate in a 'Cloth for Work' initiative and receive these as a reward for their work. CFW builds an economic bridge between cities and villages, by sharing the surplus of one's prosperity to address the lack of resources of another.

Using urban surplus and rural efforts as two alternate development currencies to bring dignity and a better life for communities in cities and villages across India. In turn, village communities are being vitalized, as their standards of living improve with material inputs and in the process, massive urban waste is constructively utilized instead of becoming an environmental disaster.

Also Read: Your Last Piece Of Cloth : Recycling & Repurposing For Dignified Living