Let your light shine
The journey has begun. We spent our first day on the road visiting two incredible initiatives, d.light Design and Goonj. Both seek to positively transform millions of lives and each has an approach that is entirely unique.
d.light provides affordable solar-powered electronics to people living in rural poverty. The company's core product line is a series of affordable solar lanterns. When night falls, millions of people in India fire up old kerosene lamps, which often start fires and always give off noxious fumes. d.light's lanterns are designed specifically for the rural market - they're durable, functional and cheap.
d.light defines itself as a consumer-driven product design company. But as their founder Sam Goldman told us today via skype, "design doesn't stop at the product." The principles that shape their approach to product design also mold the way they do manufacturing, distribution and engineering. They feel that their business model - one that focuses on product quality, distribution through partner networks and price point differentiation - is the key to touching 50 million lives within the next four years.
Goonj also seeks to fulfill the basic needs of millions of people living in rural poverty. Unlike d.light, though, Goonj's parameters and operations aren't so clearly cut. What started as a simple urban-to-rural clothing redistribution program has evolved into something greater than the sum of its parts. Goonj collects 60 tonnes of discarded material a month, from clothing and cloth to paper and toys. Goonj team members - most of whom come from low-income backgrounds - are then responsible for sorting, cleaning, tailoring and processing the material. Much of the cloth is converted into hygienic sanitary napkins, which millions of women are desparately lacking.
The clothing and materials are distributed to the rural poor through a "Work for Clothes" scheme. The clothing becomes an incentive for local people to implement projects that improve their infrastructure and community cohesion. Says Anshu Gupta, Goonj's founder: "we're just there to help bridge a critical gap. The growth of the village is then the responsbility of the people who live there."
Like d.light, Goonj also works with partner organisations to ensure product delivery to the most remote communities of rural India. However, Goonj doesn't stick to a formal, concrete business plan. Instead, everything is anchored by a set of core values that places the dignity of the poor above all else. Goonj is less of a business or an organisation than it is a movement and an idea, one that is fluid, flexible and constantly evolving. Anshu advised us to "learn how to say no - don't limit yourself to what you want to do, just what you don't want to do. Go from there."
We closed our day with special guest Lisa Heydlauff from Going to School. Her organisation's colorful picture books, graphic novels and films show kids who don't go to school that they're missing out on a lot of fun, and that anybody can stand up and make change happen. Learn more on her website.
