Social projects
We want to contribute to our society
Our social projects contribute to a more humane society
Basic amenities
We recognize the importance of addressing basic needs such as food and shelter. There are a number of social projects undertaken by Smyrna Ooty that operate in the campus and within our local communities. These are funded by various friends of Smyrna, by sponsors and through some of the money raised by the projects we operate in our Smyrna campus.
You can be a part of these projects as well! If you are interested, please contact us at info@smyrnahome.org so that we can get in touch with you.
Smyrna embroidery and knitting center
This was one of the earliest projects of Smyrna, which was started almost 15 years ago with the aim of providing employment to the abandoned widows and single women. Most of the women are also retired now, and we are currently operate with a professional team who are providing classes and also placement for the students who join the classes. They make a wide range of clothes from sweaters to shawls, etc.
Smyrna Bakery
Smyrna has a small baking unit that bakes buns, bread and decorative cakes, We also make biscuits and other confectionary items. Most of the dishes are prepared using Swedish Recipes which was passed down from the founder herself and has a very tasty distinct taste to it. these delicacies are very sought after in most of the confectionary stores in and around Ooty town as well as our valuable well-wishers, promoters and customers alike.
The introduction of new recipes in our bakery, like burgers, sandwiches, pizza, rolls, buns, tiramisu cakes and buns stuffed with veg, butter, cream etc, attracts locals. Today we are supplying to more than 20 shops. We planning to expand this unit in response to the ever-increasing demand.
The Bakery was started in 1989 by the founder Trustee Margit Steffanson to give employment to the deserted poor women by using her traditional family Swedish Recipe. At that time they used to make 5 kinds of Cookies like Ginger, Vanilla, Jam, Cashew, Chocolate and even Marshmallows. Slowly, They started making Buns after some time, Then five years ago, An English couple David and Jillana Hines and they introduced new varieties of Cookies, Burgers, Chocolate pie, Sweet popcorn, Cinnamon rolls, and many more confectionary items.
These items were also given to homestay guests and was supplied to local markets and Hebron School. Due to Covid-19 which struck in 2020, we had got a professional baker to train the staff to make homemade chocolate, varieties of Pizza, Bread and Bun and cream buns.Everyday we are able to employ 6 people in the bakery and also supply cream buns, cookies and bread to more than 15 shops and local markets in and around Ooty.
House Repair
Smyrna Fellowship Trust has undertaken many projects like house construction, house repair and roof building for the people of the Nigiris for those who have lost them due to natural and un-natural causes, Many of these people are from the lower strata of society and were unable to reconstruct their houses by themselves.
This lady in the picture is Nazareth and is one of our social beneficiaries who has been getting help from us for many years. She used to come every week to attend our Thursday Social Meal Initiative which is a mission started by the Smyrna to feed the poor elderly people, Once in every month she used to visit us to get a bag of provisions which was another initiative taken up by the Smyrna Fellowship Trust, She lives in the Jallikulli area of Ooty town and this area had been severely affected by floods, She was also deserted by her four Sons and she lives alone and there was no one to take of her.
When the founder trustee Margit visited Smyrna during her previous visit, the lady appealed for house repair along with other deserving beneficiaries. From Sweden the founder trustee sent help to 30 beneficiaries for their house repair and roof building, This lady was fortunate to get her house repaired and she was overjoyed after the repair work was done , She immensely thanked our founder trustee for her help.
Rammed earth project
The main initiative for the project was taken by Steve Morris, he was helped by Mr.Brunt who is a Carpentry teacher from Sweden, The entire work was done by the alumni students of Government Higher Secondary School, Ooty led by Mr. Murali, James, Yoga and many others. This establishment is used as a chapel for anybody who wants to find peace and also is a sight to see for our Homestay guests and visitors alike.
What is Rammed Earth Building Method?
RAMMED-EARTH is an ancient building method that has seen a revival in recent years as people seek to build in a more sustainable way using natural materials and building methods. These walls are simple to construct by ramming subsoil inside shuttering casements which are reusable for multiple constructions. The walls are noncombustible, they have massive thermal capacity, well insulated to sound penetration, are very strong and durable. They can be labor-intensive to construct without machinery. Rammed-earth buildings are found on every continent except Antarctica, in a range of environments that include the temperate and wet regions of northern Europe, semiarid deserts, mountain areas and the tropics. They are noted for the resistance to collapse in seismic regions.
Why this Method?
The availability of useful subsoil and a building design appropriate for local climatic conditions are the factors that favor its use. They can be constructed with minimal skilled labor and with the construction methods used here they can be visually attractive yet simulate buildings built using concrete block.The roofing construction has tired to address a number of problems. Firstly the costs and issues of residual damp when using reinforced concrete (RCC) roofing. Secondly the many problems associated with using tin covered in tiles are the noise and thermal conductivity from the tin. The added weight of the tiles requires over engineered roofing and increased costs.
We have created are relatively lightweight roof addressing these issues without the additional costs of using tiles. All natural materials have locally sourced keeping within acceptable ecological parameters. All this has resulted in the construction of a economical, co friendly and very sustainable alternative to a concrete build.