When a Banker Meets a Grassroot Family – the ‘Walk in Love’ Visiting Programme | Simon

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[ ‘SHARE’ Sept-Oct 2013 – Myanmar – A Beam after the War Flame ]　TAKING ACTION

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Author: Simon TAM, banker

Since 2010, I joined CEDAR’s ‘Walk in Love – Visit Low-Income Families Programme’ and with a partner regularly visited two new immigrant households; we cared about their situations and gradually friendships were built. They trusted us and shared their thoughts and feelings with us, and they often made soups to share with us.

One of the women we visited had arrived in Hong Kong three years ago but rarely went out. We took her to view the Christmas decorations and for dinner at a fast-food restaurant; it was rewarding to see her enjoying the evening with us. She once lost our phone number and after intensive efforts she finally reached us. She anxiously told us how we were the only friends she had in Hong Kong and losing our number was like losing a friend. We were very touched realising how much we meant to her.

We also visited a single-parent mother with two children, on social welfare and living in a partitioned room. We supported her through listening to her and praying together. Once, we took the family to a local restaurant to celebrate a birthday – their simple enjoyment gave us much joy. The mother also called us when she encountered problems and we would encourage and pray with her.

Over three years of visits we worked hard to practise Jesus’ teaching that when we did to one of the least of the brethren, we did it to Him.

When I shared my experience with friends, some said they would rather give a donation than paying visits to these families. Although low-income families are poor and need the government and society’s material assistance, they also need care, companionship and dignity. My low-income friends may not be educated or eloquent, but they have a simplicity that surpasses that of many upright persons amongst us.

CEDAR’s Programme has ended but we continue to visit them as friends. The wealth-gap in Hong Kong is widening, and we Christians have a duty to help and care for marginalised groups to show Christ’s love.

‘To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ is not just an empty talk but a practice throughout life.

The Delicate Relationship between Wealth and Poverty | Fountain

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[ ‘SHARE’ Sept-Oct 2013 – Myanmar – A Beam after the War Flame ]　CEDAR’S BLOGGER

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The 6.5 foot tall sculpture ‘Survival of the Fattest’ by Jens Galschiøt (who also made the Pillar of Shame) and Lars Calmar was exhibited in Hong Kong during the anti-WTO protest in 2003.

Author: Fountain CHIK, Programme Officer

I encountered the sculpture in 2003 and read its inscription: ‘I’m sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under the burden. I would do anything to help him, except stepping down from his back.’ It has embedded in my mind and I have recalled it often.

Since 2006, either from a distance or close up, I started caring about CEDAR’s concerns. The skinny figure surged my mind as I met with the survivors of the Sri Lanka tsunami, the Hmong people of North Thailand who hold no identity, the impoverished farmers of Hubei, and the Bangladeshi slum dwellers. The figure shoulders a heavy burden, and although his back is straight, the load’s weight forces his head to be lowered.

The fat woman above him is blind to their dangerous situation: she is over-weight even to the point of threatening her own health; her ‘foundation’ is not steady either – top-heavy and fragile like hitting an egg against the wall; both seem to be in danger.

He is stressed, so is the fat woman; their fates are intertwined and tangled. The fat woman is hijacking the skinny man and both are at a dead end.

O Lord who daily bears our burdens [1] , You bore the sins of mankind but Your yoke is easy. You teach by word and deed and show the world a new way: ‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.’ [2]

How we wish the fat woman would step down and share with the skinny man the scales of justice in her hand, and walk humbly together with God on a new path.

Fountain went on CEDAR’s Sri Lanka exposure trip in 2006, was with a Hmong tribal village in North Thailand on a two-month seminary practicum in 2010. He joined CEDAR in March 2012.

 

[1] Ps. 68:19
[2] Gal. 6:2

Number of Syrian Refugees Tops 2 Million

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[ePrayer – Pray for Syrian refugees]

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The number of Syrians forced to seek shelter abroad since civil war began in March 2011 passed the 2 million mark, which is a jump of almost 1.8 million from last year. There is an average of almost 5,000 Syrians fleeing into neighbouring countries every day. It is said that Syrian had become a disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history. Some 52 per cent of this population are children aged 17 years or below and the number of Syrian child refugees had exceeded 1 million. A further 4.25 million people are displaced inside Syria. In view of the pressure the refugee exodus is placing on surrounding countries, including the worsening economic impact, ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey will meet with UNHCR in Geneva in a bid to accelerate international support. [UNHCR]

Pray for Syrian refugees:

  • Pray for cease of civil war in Syrian and people are able to live in peace ;
  • Pray for humanitarian aid to alleviate people suffering and provide the required support to neighbouring countries;
  • Remember the refugees and displaced people that they can go back to their homeland soon and rebuild their homes

 

A Call for Greater International Cooperation on Water and Sanitation

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[ePrayer – Pray for water and sanitation in the world]

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Water and sanitation, which is fundamental to fighting disease and poverty, are included in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Last year, it was said that the world had reached the target of access to improved sources of water, but water quality to a large degree still fails to meet basic UN World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Roughly 80 per cent of global wastewater from human settlements or industrial sources is discharged untreated, contaminating oceans, lakes and rivers. Sanitation is the most lagging of the MDGs. Meeting the target would involve reducing the proportion of people without access to sanitation from more than half, to 25 per cent by 2015. However, more than 2.5 billion people around the world still have no adequate sanitation and of these one billion practice open defecation. Poor sanitation also has a big impact on the safety and well-being of women and girls; the day-to-day humiliation and risks faced by women and girls without access to appropriate sanitation facilities have been demonstrated time and again. Therefore, renewed international cooperation on water management and access to adequate sanitation is needed. [UN News]

Pray for water and sanitation in the world :

  • Pray for greater international cooperation on working towards sustainable solutions and measures to improve water management and sanitation;
  • Remember the needs and situations of those without clean and safe water and adequate sanitation, especially vulnerable women and girls.

 

Drop-outs and Pre-school Children Benefited from Children Education Project in Bangladesh

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[ePrayer – Pray for children education in Bangladesh]

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The partner World Concern Bangladesh implements the programme including supporting teachers’ salary, training,and education material to help the drop-out pupils re-entering into the education ladder. Give thanks that a new component was added in the programme – 10 pre-schools were started with 180 toddlers studied there. The partner is also glad to know that the passing rate of the students from 19 schools in the 1st terminal exam was 96%.

Pray for children education in Bangladesh:

  • Pray that the income generation plan for parents could be executed as the partner cannot afford another new staff to separately run this programme; 
  • May our Lord sustain the Friday schools of Christian education in this Islamic country.

Donate Now! Click here.

Other Methods of Payment

  1. Cheque payable to ‘CEDAR FUND’
  2. Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the Pay-in slip
  3. Autopay (only applicable to regular fixed donations), enclosing with a completed Autopay Authorisation Form (Download: WORD or PDF)
  4. Visa/ Master Card

Download Donation Form

Please send a completed Donation Form, enclosing with cheque or pay-in slip, to CEDAR FUND, G.P.O. BOX 3212, HONG KONG.

Donation Form: WORD or PDF

[1] CEDAR is an approved charitable institutions and trusts of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please click Inland Revenue Department website to check for details.
[2] Donations over $100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts.
[3] Please DO NOT fax any donation information.

Pray for Church Empowerment Programme in Nepal

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[ePrayer – Pray for the church empowerment in Nepal]

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CEDAR’s partner United Mission to Nepal (UMN) has been working exclusively in Nepal since 1954. In its long history, UMN has always maintained two characteristics, serving Nepal with a united mission of people from many organisations, denominations and parts of the world in the name of Christ, alongside Nepali colleagues; and working with the aim of training Nepali people and building the capacity of Nepali organisations. UMN has integral mission as its core value, envisioning the fullness of life for all Nepali in six aspects – religious/ cultural, political/ economic, social/ communal, interpersonal/ psychological, material and ecological, to live healthy, dignified and hope-filled lives in community. UMN promotes cooperation between church and community in order to respond to the needs of grassroots people. CEDAR is now supporting a new programme of UMN. The programme targets to empower 2,000 churches and their leaders within 5 years who in turn will be catalyst to bring about holistic transformation in their communities or target groups.

Pray for the church empowerment in Nepal:

  • Pray that CEDAR and HK churches can learn more about partner’s approach, the country, as well as local churches context and environment;
  • Two of our co-workers will visit Nepal in late September. Pray for good communication and fellowship with local partners and Christian groups, and their safety as well.

Donate Now! Click here.

Other Methods of Payment

  1. Cheque payable to ‘CEDAR FUND’
  2. Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the Pay-in slip
  3. Autopay (only applicable to regular fixed donations), enclosing with a completed Autopay Authorisation Form (Download: WORD or PDF)
  4. Visa/ Master Card

Download Donation Form

Please send a completed Donation Form, enclosing with cheque or pay-in slip, to CEDAR FUND, G.P.O. BOX 3212, HONG KONG.

Donation Form: WORD or PDF

[1] CEDAR is an approved charitable institutions and trusts of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please click Inland Revenue Department website to check for details.
[2] Donations over $100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts.
[3] Please DO NOT fax any donation information.