Sugandh, which in Hindi means “sweet fragrance”, was started in 1996 by Emma Lodge Patch, then a member of St. Barnabas Kensington. Having already spent four years in India, her vision was to work alongside Indian nationals and set up a charity whose focus and outreach was among the very poor.
Emma and one of her Indian co-workers, John, began by visiting many slums and talking to families about what they would find helpful for their community. It soon became clear that the children could not go to school. They worked long days sifting through rubbish in the markets to find paper, glass and card which was then sold to a dealer for recycling, with whole families living on the small amount of cash received each week.
So in a small, windowless basement room close to the slum, Emma and her team opened the first Sugandh centre in September 1996. Fifty children crammed in, and it soon became clear that most of them had never even held a pencil! A syllabus was drawn up using locally published materials and many of the children, aged from 6-15, progressed through maths, craft & sewing, singing, Hindi and English. In 1998 the older teenagers took up vocational training, making hand-painted greetings cards, which are still sold both locally and overseas.
The gospel was always at the heart of the outreach in word, prayer and partnership with the local church, with which strong links continue today.
Emma left in 2000, having handed leadership over to an Indian doctor. Under her guidance, Sugandh has weathered severe difficulties. For instance, the slums where the majority of the families lived were demolished, and they were dispersed. Courageously the team followed the families to their new living areas, and started again from scratch. In various locations in Delhi Sugandh now has a school, a health clinic, a vocational training and sewing group and a women’s self-help group.
St. Barnabas has supported Sugandh in many ways over the past 10 years: We have prayed and sent financial support, and we have encouraged teams and individuals from our church to visit the projects to show our love in practical ways as well as to gain a vision for mission overseas. In 2006, Lucy spent several weeks in Delhi, and sensed God calling her to work with needy children in the UK, which she is now doing in a deprived part of London. Sarah was able to visit a centre for abused women during her time in Delhi, and as a result of what she experienced there is now preparing to go back on a two-year assignment.
Through our links with the Viva Network, we have also helped Sugandh to link up with a local network, Concern. With funding from St. Barnabas they were able to put on Christmas parties for hundreds of children last year, and we look forward to supporting further cooperative ventures in the future.
Written by Helen Holmberg of St Barnabas, Kensington using information supplied by Emma Lodge Patch Greenfield.
