Second Life
What You Don't Need, Someone Else Does
That old shirt in the back of your closet. The toys your kids have outgrown. The wheelchair or oxygen concentrator you no longer need at home. Instead of gathering dust or ending up in the bin, they can still be useful to someone else. Mithrakulam's Second Life programs collect used clothes, toys, and care equipment, and put them back into circulation — creating income for the people involved and getting resources to the people who actually need them.
Three Ways We Give Things a Second Life
- Upcycling Used Clothes — old fabric becomes bags, doormats, and other products
- Used Toys Bank — donated toys are repaired and passed on to children who need them
- Used Geriatric & Care Equipment Bank — wheelchairs, medical devices, and more are refurbished and reused
Upcycling Used Clothes
Clothes you no longer wear don’t have to be thrown away — they can be turned into bags, doormats, decorative items, and even pet accessories, while creating income for the people who make them.
How it works:
- We train groups of up to 30 people with basic stitching skills, at their own location, to design and make products from old clothes
- Participants learn to turn clothes that would otherwise be discarded into products people are willing to pay for
- Mithrakulam buys back the finished products, so participants have a steady, guaranteed income
Used Toys Bank
Toys can be expensive, and many end up forgotten once a child outgrows them. Meanwhile, other children never get the chance to play with any at all — and play matters for how kids develop.
How it works:
- Drop off toys you no longer need
- We repair, clean, and restore them so they work properly and look good again
- We share our process and support with anyone in Kerala who wants to set up their own toy bank — local governments, Anganwadis, NGOs, and libraries are all welcome to take this on
Used Geriatric & Care Equipment Bank
Most households only need equipment like wheelchairs or oxygen concentrators for a while. Once it’s no longer needed, it’s not always clear what to do with it — and passing it on without proper repair can be unsafe for whoever uses it next.
What we handle:
- Mobility aids — wheelchairs, walkers, crutches
- Medical furniture — water beds, air beds, ICU cots
- Medical devices — oxygen concentrators, BP monitors, glucometers, nebulisers
How it works:
- NGOs, local governments, and clubs collect equipment that’s no longer needed
- Mithrakulam repairs, services, and calibrates it to make sure it’s safe to use again
- The equipment goes back out to people who need it, instead of being scrapped, sold for parts, or thrown away
Get Involved
Have something you'd like to give a second life to? Or want to start one of these programs in your area? Get in touch with Mithrakulam Charitable Trust.
