Missional Garbage Collection – Missional Challenge

[featured_image]Chennai is a dirty, filthy city. It is the worst I’ve ever seen. The garbage collection problem is obvious and widespread.
Pastor Prem Samuel has decided to make a difference in Chennai. He started a ministry to the physical needs of people in the slums by collecting their garbage.

Check out this video he gave me

Calvary Community Church and Mizpah Charitable Trust began this garbage cleaning project in Kannagi Nagar – Thoraipakkam Chennai – the biggest slum in south India where more than 12,500 families reside. This community is comprised of people from slums, pavements and from Tsunami affected areas.

The vision of Mizpah is to help, uplift and educate the economically weaker section of the people. They began educating the people to properly dispose the trash by collecting door to door and disposing it for them. They operated five vehicles to collect garbage and were able to cover 60% of the community for 1 ½ years.

Clear Benefits:

• Healthy environment
• Reduce in mosquitoes
• Reduced sickness
• Sharing the love of Jesus by caring for people

What has happened since then?

For the past five months, garbage collection has halted because of lack of funds.

Here’s how it looks now.
Here’s what is needed.

• To operate 1 vehicle – Rs. 4,000/month for 2 people (Rs 66 per person per day)

• To repair the 5 existing vehicles Rs 10,000 (2,000 each)

• Cost of New Vehicle Rs 12,500

• To Cover the entire Community we need 15 Vehicles.

• To maintain 1 Vehicle Rs 250/month

While I was in Chennai, the exchange rate was about 43.5 Rs. for each US dollar.

• To maintain one vehicle for a month would cost $5.75.