Rapidly growing slums, with millions of people living in extreme poverty and struggling for survival, are a huge problem for South Asia's major cities. Up to 25% of the population of urban areas live in slums. Thousands arrive daily from rural areas in search of jobs and a better life, only to become trapped in desperation and hopelessness. Open sewage, polluted water, lack of health care, illiteracy, superstition, and diseases are some of the threats all around them. Some resort to begging, scavenging or prostitution to be able to eat. Gospel for Asia's ministry to the slums began in 1999. They bring hope by living out His sacrificial love and sharing the love of Christ. They conduct free medical clinics, teach basic hygiene, provide literacy classes for adults, tutor classes for children, and hold weekly Sunday schools. They have planted hundreds of churches, and thousands of unreached people have heard the Gospel.