Forget the paperwork — this is what really fuels us!
As we continue to scale up Shift and thereby expand our efforts to put young people at the forefront of change-making, we remain committed to not losing touch with the ground - that space where our incredible Shifters mobilise thousands of community members, impact policies on preventing teenage pregnancies, break gender stereotypes, build continental coalitions and even secure funding in the face of enormously complicated and child un-friendly systems.
We spoke to Phuntsho Wangchuk, the co-founder of Gola-Gola (trans. 'Clothes-Clothes') over a virtual call to learn more about their social initiative, that simultaneously tackles over consumption, clothing waste, and regional inequality in Bhutan.
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Could you tell us about Gola-Gola Bhutan?
PHUNTSHO: Gola-Gola, Bhutan is a youth-led social service initiative founded in 2022 that focuses on:
Collecting clothes from those who have excess clothes.
Distributing clothes to underprivileged communities in Bhutan.
Raising environmental awareness about excessive clothing consumption.
It was started by four high school students with a small grant. While the grant was intended to help youth start businesses, we chose to focus on social service instead.
What was Gola-Gola Bhutan's early days like? How has it changed over time?
PHUNTSHO: So we began with only $83 but completed three projects, transporting 1,000 clothes across. However, after receiving funding for the Shift campaign, our budget increased to $6,500 which excited us because it allowed us to dream big and launch a comprehensive project.
What activities did Gola-Gola Bhutan undertake as part of Shift?
PHUNTSHO: We completed five activities:
Tree plantation program where we collaborated with the EFN Society Club under WWF to plant 108 trees.
Three weekly cloth donation drives where we amassed around 3,000 items of clothing, partnering with an online taxi service, DrukRide.
Cloth donation drives at three colleges: Royal Thimphu College, Gyalpozhing College of IT, and the University of Medical Sciences
Cloth distribution project in the eastern district of Lhuentse, where we repaired 2,800 clothes and distributed them over 6 days, benefiting approximately 230 people.
Upcycle fashion design competition, where we raised awareness about excessive clothing consumption and encouraged recycling and creativity by having high school and college students create new designs from secondhand clothes.
How did Gola-Gola Bhutan raise awareness about your weekly donation drives?
PHUNTSHO: We leveraged social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X to announce our door-to-door collection campaign. We also gained media attention through a national news feature and coverage by a reporter we met during one of our drives.
What are Gola-Gola Bhutan's future plans?
PHUNTSHO: We are now working on establishing 10 clothing donation drop boxes across Bhutan by December to make donating easier and more accessible.We would also like to scale up the project by acquiring a well-functioning warehouse, better equipment, and machines to improve and streamline the process of repairing and distributing clothes.
What we do is entirely based on collaborations - with the local government, businesses and local communities - who are very supportive of what we do. This gives us a way forward and motivates us to keep going.
What has been the most memorable experience for Gola-Gola Bhutan?
PHUNTSHO: The cloth distribution project in Lhuentse was particularly impactful. We were surprised by the high turnout of about 230 people, highlighting the need for our work in rural communities. We distributed 800 clothes on the first day, exhausting our supply and prompting us to call for additional donations from their volunteers in Thimphu. This experience was the most memorable for us and also helped us realise the importance of adaptability.
I must also add that the real passion actually lies in us distributing the clothes to the rural communities and not in doing project management which can test us and make our passion waver sometimes.
Tell us more about Gola-Gola Bhutan's core principles.
PHUNTSHO: One of our guiding principles is to return from distribution projects with either partially full or full boxes of clothes. This would mean that the needs of the community have been met and that our work is done in that location.
What impact did the Shift program have on Gola-Gola Bhutan?
PHUNTSHO: The great thing about Shift is that they actually understand that they are working with young people and are very patient with us. They provide flexibility in how we do things and as a youth, we need flexibility. Shift also provided significant financial support, enabling the expansion of our activities. Personally, I am thankful for the mentorship and guidance offered through Shift which helped our young team develop essential project management skills, including budget management, project reporting, and navigating complex procedures - skills which are essential but not really taught to us otherwise. I also believe these factors contributed to Gola-Gola’s success.
You can follow Gola-Gola on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X
