One of the projects we are currently working on is renovating a heritage building in the historical neighborhood of Mattancherry in Cochin. We hope that Spice Harbour will encourage other entrepreneurs to tackle these beautiful yet challenging buildings before they disappear into the night. But a neighborhood is not all about old stones.

The people of Mattancherry form a tight-knit community and a year ago a group of young enthusiastic locals created a neighborhood association “Nanma Sahaya Samithi”. Nanma Sahaya Samithi focuses on harmonious living and  works on making healthcare and education accessible to everyone in the neighborhood. We were invited to donate notebooks and pens to children and to meet with other actors of the community.

The event took place on a street at the heart of the neighborhood so everyone could attend, and families of the neighborhood came to greet and applaud the children as they received their notebooks and the speakers of the panel: councillors, doctors, donors and activists.

Back in Thekkady, Cardamom County has been a partner of the local homeless shelter since its creation. Nanma Sahaya Samithi is a very young association and Spice Harbour is still a work in progress and we look forward to working with our young neighbours.