Samunnathi Urban Sustainable Livelihood Initiatives Association

Our office is located at TC 3/839 (1) on TKD Road in Muttada. It’s right here in Trivandrum. The name Samunnathi Urban Sustainable Livelihood Initiatives Association is a bit of a mouthful, we know. Most of us just call it the association. We focus on how people in the city can make a living without making things worse for the environment. It’s a bit crowded in this part of town, so we see the daily struggles people have with work and transport. We aren't some big government agency. We’re just a group of people trying to figure out better ways for folks to earn a paycheck in an urban setting. Sometimes we're out on the street talking to vendors, other times we're inside writing up reports. The traffic on TKD Road can be loud, but we’ve gotten used to it. We don't have fancy furniture or a coffee machine that works all the time. It’s a practical space for practical work. Helping our neighbors find steady work that lasts is what we do. It takes time to see results, and we’re okay with that. We’ve been at this for a while now in the Kerala area. It’s hard work, but someone has to look at the urban side of things. We just keep our heads down and do what needs to be done each day. It’s just life in the city for us.