Where do the donated used items go?
We list below goods most regularly donated in India and the most common users of each category:
Hair: Wigs made using the donated hair, are donated free-of-cost to underprivileged women who lose hair during chemotherapy. The wigs give the women a sense of dignity and raise the morale.
Bicycles: Girls in remote villages have to walk many kilometers to reach schools. Donated bicycles are reconditioned and then donated to such girl students whose daily commute becomes far less strenuous.
Clothes: Clothes for men, women and children are the most popularly donated item. Organisations distribute these among the needy in slums, old-age homes, orphanages etc.
Sanitary Pads: Women belonging to weaker sections of society in villages cannot afford to buy sanitary pads. Donated pads are a far better option for them as compared to non-hygienic and probably disease-causing rags otherwise used during menstruation.
Toys: The donated toys find their way to balwadis and community centres in slums. Here young kids congregate in the evenings to play with toys.