28-year-old helps women earn through recycling waste cloth

• Image Credit: Internet

• Dec 10, 2021 | moderator

Thiruvananthapuram: In 2012, 28-year-old Sanju Soman started a non-profit organization (NGO) named SARSAS (Save A Rupee Spread a Smile) in Thiruvananthapuram to help women earn. 

Through his NGO, Sonam encouraged philanthropy and social work in youngsters. But, it took him almost decades to change a society that relies on traditional norms.

In November 2021, Sonam got chosen as one of the 17 young climate leaders from India by the United Nations as part of their campaign 'We the Change' for his outstanding service towards society and nature.

The campaign is intended to highlight the climate resolutions designed by young Indians to encourage environmental action.

Sanju grew up in Saudi Arabia but always longed to return to Adoor, Kerala. Therefore, after Class 10, he moved there and pursued his graduation in psychology from SN College. During his college days, he started SARSAS, which became one of the most distinguished youth-led NGOs in the capital city.

He shared, "After beginning my first NGO, SARSAS, I realized that there are a lot of youths who are willing to do social work. However, they are unable to do so, due to the absence of a proper platform."

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SARSAS raised around Rs 7 lakh over five years to help cancer patients and people with renal problems who were from vulnerable societies. Likewise, under Sanju's supervision, they formed a cohort of over 300 volunteers in the NGO with whom they tackled different social schemes.

Later in 2013, Sanju led a rainwater harvesting project along with another foundation. After finishing his masters, Sanju joined the Ashoka Trust to research ecology and the environment (ATREE) and led the Habitat learning project in 2016. 

He added, "We mostly engaged with them in teaching the students and teachers about climate change and the importance of habitat conservation with a focus on wetlands, especially the one that they live by."

A social innovation lab was likewise set up in Muhamma village, which instructed over 150 women from the fishing communities on cloth upcycling. He was even part of an initiative to make Muhamma the first Synthetic sanitary napkin-free village.

Sanju Soman stated, "As part of the artificial sanitary napkin-free village initiative, 40 of the women in the village were provided with cloth pads and menstrual cups at a subsidized cost. Also large-scale awareness campaigns were conducted on menstrual fitness."

Sanju and his friends started a social enterprise named BHAVA in 2018 to help women make upcycled products to market their goods. They delivered a minimum wage of Rs 5,000/month to approximately 40 women as extra pay. They furthermore established one of Kerala's most significant upcycling efforts. They transformed nearly 30,000 kg of cloth waste into functional outcomes.

(Story Credits: The Better India)