Khair khwah-خیرخواہ
The story so far…
Our group is working towards the establishment of a social entrepreneurial business Khair Khwah. A step towards resolving the basic issue of people not having enough money to put clothes on their backs.
Our goal: Help those in need while also playing a part to save the environment.
Business Canvas Model
a. Key Partners; Volunteer, Donors, Sponsors
b. Key Activities; Cleaning, Washing, Pressing, Packaging, Social media marketing
c. Value Proposition; Recycling, Personal Hygiene, Clean Clothes
d. Customer Segment: Less fortunate- Kachi basti, Street kids
e. Revenue Stream; Donations, Merchandise, Products (cloth bags and face masks), Sponsors
Timeline
For week 3 and 4 our main focus was to introduce people to our organization on a personal basis and all the members were to interact with individuals from their phone books. For the following two weeks all members are required to raise funds on a personal level before reaching out to people from the community for donations, monetary or otherwise.
Nowadays to reach a wider audience you need to make use of the internet, specifically social media. Therefore for the marketing and outreach purposes of our initiative we have setup a Facebook page where we’ll be sharing not only information about our project but also about how we’ll be making use of their donations. Additionally we’ll also be making use of other social media sites to increase the audience size.
Following are the reflections of the group members regarding their experiences of not only pitching the idea of our initiative but also about their tasks that they carried out along the way.
For the last couple of weeks I have been floating the idea of our organization in my personal circle, consisting of friends and family. Mostly the reactions and the feedback have been quite outstanding and supportive. Some of the concerns people had were about financing and collection of donations but after an in-depth explanation regarding the logistics and financial planning, I was able to satisfy their concerns. I have received 15 articles of clothing in donations so far, with more promised to be heading my way in the following weeks- Abaad
As per my responsibilities regarding Mega Project “Khair Khwah” is concerned, I have created the content and scheduled the calendar in my Social Media Campaign Sheets. I have also researched on most relevant and researched keywords. Now I will start postings on Facebook (as I already created a Page on Facebook) and then will move towards other platforms like Instagram, Linked In, and Twitter. Besides Social Media, I am also trying to reach out to more people in my Contact List to encourage them to donate their used clothes and called 7 pieces from 2 of the members in my neighborhood. I aim to collect at least 10 pieces and then will work on their cleaning and packaging- Hira
Recounts of other members are as follows:
I met with 10 people including friends and fellows and introduced our mega project to them and then I requested them to contribute to our mega project. I got a positive response from all of them. In addition to this, I also looked and searched two shops which provide laundry services in our locale- Nabeel
I have collected 3 dresses and I have told my friends to support us by volunteering, and help us in collecting donations- Asia
I have started meeting friends and family members and then explained everything regarding the mega project. Got positive response from all of them and also searched a laundry service in our area- Ali
What people truly want is food on their plates, clothes on their backs and a roof over their heads. Especially in a country like ours that has been facing an economic turmoil from the very beginning, what it needs is for individuals to stand up and help the less fortunate that we may prosper under this flag.
This social startup is for those kids and the less fortunate members of the community, and giving them something that can bring a smile on their face. We’ll gather the donated clothes and shoes, salvage what’s possible, clean and package them and provide them to the ones in need.
Following are the reflections other circle member:
As per my responsibilities I had to bring volunteers on board, who’d be helping us not in terms of donations only, but also giving us a hand in administrative and distributive tasks. I have talked to a few people who can join hands with us as volunteers (still under discussion). Alongside, I have been talking to my friend’s circle and contacts about donating dresses to me. Up till now I have collected 3 to 4 dresses. And a contact of mine agreed on donating a few dresses to me. The dresses I have received were already cleaned by the donors. I just have to get them ironed and pack them. My target is to collect at least eight to ten dresses- Asma
Due to the current pandemic situation, It was hard for me to go out and meet people to ask them to donate their clothes. So, I put the status and posts of “Khair Khuwah” on WhatsApp to contact my friends and family for this purpose- Mahnoor
At Khair Khwah we are not only trying to meet a basic need of people but also play a part in solving a global issue- Global warming.
“Globally, 80% of discarded textiles are doomed for the landfill or incineration. Only 20% are actually reused or recycled. The clothing that ends up in landfills can sit there for 200-plus years, and as it decomposes, it emits methane — a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon” — remake the world.
We plan to gather the donated clothes and shoes, wash and package them, distribute them to the necessitous people. Clothes are the hardest thing to recycle, so by donating instead of dumping them everyone can play a part in betterment of the environment as well.
All of this is to bring a smile to the less fortunate members of society, and keeping the spirit of giving alive.
Khair khwah-خیرخواہ
Start with the basics.
