THE GOAN I PANAJI
A startup that started from their own experiences is what NRI Help is all about for Karmen and Aldrin Meneses. As they were living in the Middle East for almost 26 years, their visits home included endless hours of cleaning, getting various paperwork done, and a plethora of other chores, often leaving them with very little time to enjoy being back home. Their own experience and struggles made them have one thought: ‘I wish we had something in Goa where we could just call someone and things could get done. You know, pay somebody and get things done.’
A common struggle
As they spoke around, they realised that they weren’t the only ones. “A couple of our friends also used to tell us things like ‘We are coming for just two days, but we have to get this done,’ or ‘we are here only for a week, but we have to submit this document.’ So that’s how this idea came about,” Karmen explains.
“We realised that there was a vacuum in this space and a need as well,” adds Aldrin. When they retired early, looking forward to having a good life, the thought of NRI Help gave them newfound determination as they sat together to discuss and concluded that it was indeed a good idea.
“So, when we came back, we saw that there’s definitely a vacuum for the NRI, which we also felt. And we said, let’s conceive this now,” Aldrin says.
Their goal was simple. “We wanted to provide help to the NRI in a way that we would have wanted earlier,” mentions Karmen.
Early response
As they launched it on August 12, 2026, they were looking forward to seeing what type of response they would get. So they went on Instagram and had the handle up with the logo. “And it’s been just one month, but the response has been quite good,” remarks Aldrin, expressing his amazement. They have completed almost four jobs while one is lined up.
Out of the requests that they currently receive, one of the most common ones has been deep cleaning. “We work on a certain format,” explains Aldrin. “Once the client reaches out to us, we try to make sure they trust us first. Once they call us, we tell them that we’ll do an assessment of their needs first and then move forward.”
They then proceed to figure out what is really needed in the house. “Karmen,” Aldrin mentions with a smile, “is the creative part of this project.”
Personal touch
While Karmen mentions that the personal connection is what matters most to her, one request that has stayed with her involved an NRI who wanted flowers delivered to a friend in Goa whose father had passed away. It was already late in the evening when the request came in, but Karmen went from florist to florist until she found the particular flowers the client wanted. The following day, she personally waited for the recipient to return home rather than leaving them with security. “She was so touched, and she was so amazed that I just didn’t leave it at the doorstep or with security,” Karmen recalls. “I felt good for myself because I made her feel good. I think people connect when it’s personal.”
Local network
While they have their fair share of challenges, their enthusiasm and determination to help are what keep them going. Under their umbrella, they offer five major services. “One is NRI home watch, NRI parent care, NRI asset management, NRI occasions, and the fifth one we have added now is home revamp,” both of them explain. The vendors they have chosen are also local and have been selected after a lot of research, they point out. “The idea was to work around the ecosystem of Goa,” they remark.
Helping from afar
There are challenges that come with building a new service, but for Karmen and Aldrin, their own experiences give them a clear understanding of what their clients need. What started as a thought they had while dealing with the frustrations of managing a home from abroad is now slowly turning into a service they hope will make life a little easier for others in the same situation. For them, NRI Help is about being able to take care of the things back home, even when you cannot be there yourself.
