Donating in kind in India

What is trash for you is treasure for someone else sounds like a cliché! Probably a better way would be to state that what is unused by you could be useful for underprivileged people or organizations serving the latter.

Why is so much attention being given to used goods? Simply because used goods can help the less fortunate lead a better life. Clothes provide dignity. Bicycles help children travel to school and toys creatively entertain them at home. Computers help adults and children gain digital literacy. Books expand knowledge, whereas textbooks help youth in the pursuit of education. Buying all of these goods in new condition is unaffordable for the underprivileged, but old items in usable condition can still serve the purpose very well.

Not that all used goods can be used straight-away. Clothes need to be mended, darned, button-sewed, washed and ironed. Mechanisms of toys have to be checked and repaired, followed by sterilization and packing. Computers and laptops may need hardware repair and software upgradation. Often bicycles need repair and change of tires. Books and textbooks do not need much attention if the general condition is good and all pages are intact.

The used goods eco-system is well and thriving in India! There resources online and offline for those who wish to donate in kind. Goonj is a success story who has scores of collection points across India where donors can drop-off old products. MyPustak picks up used books from doorstep, lists them on the website and ships them off to the interested readers. A web resource is DonateInKind.com which list out charitable organizations and institutions across India who seek in-kind donations. This is ideal for donors who can contact charities based in their city and then drop-off the old stuff at the latter’s premises.