It is clear throughout Scripture that there is a special place in God’s heart for the poor and marginalized. For this reason, many amongst the Central Delhi Congregation of Delhi Bible Fellowship desire to live this out. And so SAHAYAK was born. In early 2006 some of the community of CDC began visiting a slum in north Delhi, India. Little did we know what would grow from their initial contact! Several months later a literacy program was established, and at the end of the 2006 year, our first ‘pilot project’ for an income generation project was successfully attempted. Since then many relationships and programs have developed within this basti (slum), from the ongoing education of children and young women to the installation of water pumps, from economic loans to part-time employment for a growing number of women, from a medical clinic to a feeding program & pre-school for malnourished kids.
Our Mission Statement: Spreading God's Love through the Practical Means of Empowerment, Discipleship and Unity
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” - Frederick Douglass “When you sell a man a book you don't sell him just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life.” - Christopher Morley
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In August, 2006 a literacy program was established. Meeting from 11am – 1pm five days a week, a group of 10-15 women began to be taught by two literate women from the slum itself. Their goal - to be able to read a simple document so that they could begin to take back their own lives. These classes continue today, with an increasing number of women becoming simple literates.
“Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will.” – Nelson Mandela
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In April, 2007 a group of 10 or so women, graduates from the literacy class, began working in the long-term SAHAYAK income generation program. This first initiative taught the women simple card-making skills, but more importantly, the valuable lesson of creating a quality product they could be proud of and which would begin to give them a measure of economic freedom. In September of the same year a 2nd initiative began – jewelry-making, which has since grown to sell not only within India, but among a number of companies overseas. 2010 found another group of women learning to create beautiful ceramic items.
Through the income generation project, the earnings of this group of women has increased from between 25–40%, depending on fluctuating work. Through the donations made from the sale of the various products, SAHAYAK has been able to pour back into the slum community, bringing further blessing and empowerment to the community as a whole. For more information on the product we sell, please see ‘Product Catalogues’.
Using the donations from the income generation projects, SAHAYAK has been able to send the children of these women to school and install a number of much needed water pumps.
SAHAYAK has been able to give out micro-economic loans to a number of women, with 100% repayment, begin a savings program for the working women, operate a small medical clinic 2-3 days per week within the slum, as well as run ongoing specialty medical camps and health education.
In 2009 a feeding program for malnourished children was started. It has since expanded to a pre-school for these same children, with teachers from the slum enthusiastically investing in these children of great need.
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“I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.”
– Stephen Jay Gould
Pray – We, who work with SAHAYAK, have no doubt that God has placed His hand of blessing upon this work. We are aware of His grace, His ideas, His wisdom, His love, His divine business opportunities… the list goes on. SAHAYAK would love to make an eternal impact upon this slum in north Delhi, seeing God transform lives by allowing His Kingdom to come, His will to be done, in north Delhi as it is in heaven. If you would like to come before the throne of God on behalf of SAHAYAK and this slum community, please contact us at
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and we can send you a document guiding you in prayer for this community.
Act- We would love for you to be involved in building relationships with the people in the community. We value relationships above all and would love for more and more people to be involved in building up, encouraging and reflecting Christ's love in the community. Volunteer your time to help in the literacy programme (Mon-Fri) or the pre school (Mon-Fri) or join us for the home group that meets in the slum (Saturdays) or in the income generation programme. Please contact us at
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to get involved!
Buy – We would love to continue expanding the several income generations projects that SAHAYAK is a part of. These women and their families don’t need more charity. They need opportunity – opportunity to work, to provide for their families, to see their children finish school and fulfill the dream of college; opportunity to have surplus money so that if an emergency comes, they don’t have to run to the loan shark; opportunity for a new tomorrow. But we mostly make product to orders, and we can only employ as many women as we have work coming our way. So if you’re interested in either selling for us, or buying our product, check out our ‘Product Catalogues’ tab and let us know what you’re thinking!
Cards – for sale in India only
Jewelry
- Earrings
- Bracelets
- Necklaces
- Wedding
Pottery – still in its early stages
For more information, please see our ‘Product Catalogues’
