Challenge supports work on discard for development

All geared up to touch Indian roads on February 2020, Alan’s Morgan 3 wheeler is more than its alluring glitzy exterior. Custom built from scratch, the Krazy Horse motor will tread 3500 miles journey across India to discover new ways of circular economic model that has far reaching impact on rural communities in Indian villages. Raw and unconventional it may sound; Trans-India Challenge is more than a fun adventure. By supporting India based internationally acclaimed voluntary organization GOONJ www.goonj.org which works on repurposing urban under-utilized materials as an important resource to trigger rural development across 23 Indian states, the Challenge will shed a whole new light on human centered design on circular economy.

Apart from its deep intervention in rural development issues affecting remote underserved communities across India, GOONJ has developed a reliable and time-tested disaster response strategy which starts with relief, followed by long term rehabilitation and revival of local livelihood. This year, there was major flooding in over 9 states causing huge infrastructural and livelihood devastation. Many affected states remained largely ignored and there was very little media attention. Here is first hand story from this year’s flood affected areas in Karnataka where GOONJ has been working on for several years now.

Shilpa (name changed) was already mourning over the loss of a dear one when the floods wrecked her small grocery store in Nagaral village in Bagalkot district which is one of the worst affected states in Karnataka. With basic necessary material received under Goonj’s Vaapsi (local livelihood revival initiative) implemented with a local grassroots partner organization, Goonj’s team motivated Shilpa to set up the store again – reviving her only source of sustenance. The Vapsi initiative is not just about reviving local economy of flood hit areas but it also prevents migration of the affected communities in the long term

The funds raised by Trans-India Challenge will go towards supporting GOONJ’s work addressing material poverty in rural India, preventing tons of underutilized materials from burdening landfills and supporting its ongoing rehabilitation work in disasters. 

It started innocently enough: a drive through the Central-Western state of Karnatake in India during a holiday in December 2017. While enjoying the stunning scenery and the kindness of people in the towns and villages, Alan and Pat Braithwaite were also affected by the poverty and resource scarcity they saw as they travelled – sometimes in stark contrast to abundance of the same in India’s major cities.

With a lifetime passion for cars, more than 40 years’ experience in engineering and logistics, and a desire to create a more environmentally sustainable world, Alan started to form an idea. Would it be possible to raise funds, by driving across India, to help local become stronger and more resilient possibly through the development of a ‘circular economy’? The answer was “yes” and GOONJ – a multi award winning voluntary organization is already making the ‘circular economy’ a reality. Thus, The Trans-India Challenge was born.

Just two weeks after returning from India, Alan started putting his ideas into action. As an academic, He also set about finding a University and specialists to research the waste generated by India’s cities and the benefits a ‘circular economy’ could bring to local communities. He also decided on the Challenge car and chose a Morgan 3-Wheeler to tread on a 3,500 mile journey around India in October/November 2019.

Right now, millions in many Indian states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh are facing massive floods. According to media reports, Karnataka-44000 people displaced, Kerala-10000 evacuated, Maharashtra-over 2.5 lakh evacuated. (As on August 9^th) . A flood-like situation has developed across India and the situation is worsening and spreading to other states as well.

With 2 decades of experience of working in varied disasters, Goonj has evolved a reliable and time-tested need based relief and rehabilitation work along with a network of stakeholders all across. Apart from educating masses and building a culture of mindful giving, they also work on disaster wastage (including large chunks of textile waste) that occurs due to senseless giving practices and that makes Trans-India challenge even more relevant in an increasingly global culture of fast fashion.

Links:

• https://www.facebook.com/transindiachallenge/
• https://goonj.org/
• http://www.transindiachallenge.com/