AN INTRODUCTION TO MYTHRI SARVA SEVA SAMITI

Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi (MSSS) means “friendliness and service to all’ is a registered, non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) started in 1987. MSSS began work in Bangalore, with children living on street especially waste picking children to help them integrating within the mainstream of the society. Since then MSSS has grown to embrace multiple aspects of urban/rural poverty and environment.

Its focus and expertise includes addressing issues related to waste picking families, child right activism, women empowerment, promoting micro-enterprise through self help groups & federations, community development, advocacy in good governance, solid waste management (SWM), rurban horticulture, ecological sanitation, creation of water and sanitation facilities in rural and urban communities of Karnataka.


OUR VISION

Over the years, our vision has changed. We have become not only a development oriented agency, but an advocate, protagonist and a change maker. In the beginning of our work focused on children on the street, it was a compassionate approach, helping those who were on the street without families and evolving a support system for them to fall back. During those years, we identified and partnered with deprived communities and host of organizations that has concern for them and learned from them relevant approaches. Later we narrowed our engagement with creation of contextualized solutions for those with whom we worked in the areas of water, sanitation, clean environment, housing, jobs, and improvement in livelihood. We have come a long way. At this point in time, we concentrate on training, capacity building, advocacy and enduring solutions for poverty eradication, water, sanitation and solid waste management

Our vision was reshaped by engaging ourselves in ground realities and stands as “Engaging with and empowering deprived communities within our reach”

OUR DREAM

To create lasting impact on communities with whom we work, to engage, enable and empower them to bring about enduring change in their lives and in the context where they are placed.

OUR MISSION

Our mission today is articulated as -

“Connecting through food and enhancing life in all forms”

Sounds strange – that is what life is.  Every one of us is nourished by food we eat. The space it occupies in survival is so little. Our body and all its vitalities survive through food. We believe in Guarantee of safe and nourishing food as the game changer. We strive for fair share of safe food for every life form in this planet. Safe food changes the face of poverty 

Our Logo symbolizes Freedom to Grow and Protection from Vagaries of life

To partner and collaborate with Governments, Nongovernmental organizations, Private companies and Global networks to link and learn continuously for growth and outreach. Using this as a platform, our is mission is to, to engage, empower, to inspire, to deliver quality work and become a change maker in propagating enduring solutions in areas of water, sanitation, environmental protection, poverty alleviation and dissemination of information.

OUR STORY

Our story began early during the beginning of 1980’s. The sight of children rummaging the rubbish bins of Bangalore moved us. There was inner call, to do something for them. The beginning was simple. To be engaged with them in listening to see and frequent places of their stay, understanding the vagaries of street life and responding in small little ways through our presence, words and supportive actions. This simple response, opened us to an awesome world of persons and families at the bottom of social ladder. It is the world of men, women and children surviving from picking recyclable materials waste, that has a value in terms of cash. They taught us Trash is Treasure. With the advent of waste pickers in our lives, their stories, trials, deprivation etched a lasting impact on us and we found ourselves changing. 
Beyond small gestures and acts of kindness, we felt the need of enduring structures that can respond, advocate and support them in finding a place in the main stream society. Thus was born a non formal night shelter called the “Ragpickers Education and Development Society (REDS)” in 1985. Later in 1987, we formalized this visibility of waste pickers with a registered, non profit organization, “Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi”, (MSSS) to mean “Friendliness and Service to all”.
The Journey of non profit MSSS helped us to traverse many paths, to gain many insights, to specialize and develop expertise in multiple sectors that has a connect with the lives of poor and deprived communities. On that road of meeting and being exposed to the lives of very poor, we had gained a lot. Our dream, vision and mission today are shaped from ground realities we have learnt and experienced in that itinerary.
OUR MASCOT

Our mascot is this photo of old lady. Her etched out face haunts us. The joy of being born in this world in one’s life time, need not have to be snuffed out with worries, crinkled lines and etched out face. At MSSS we promised ourselves never to disown the poor in whatever context we are placed. We want to become change makers and trend setters and bring in innovation in our approach to the problems of poverty alleviation and environmental protection. We seek readers like you to join, give us support, express solidarity and take on similar issues in your context.

OUR LOGO

Our Logo symbolizes Freedom to Grow and Protection from Vagaries of life.

CERTIFICATES

  • Registration Certificate
  • 12A Certificate
  • 80G Certificate
  • FCRA Certificate