Caring for AIDS-affected families in Dali

[ ‘SHARE’ Jul-Aug 2014 ] STEP INTO THE WORLD

The AIDS-affected need love and acceptance but AIDS is a taboo in China, so sufferers face rejection and isolation, and are under indescribable pressure.

CEDAR supports Fu-Kang (Rehabilitation) Home under the Dali Prefecture Christian Council (Social Service) who ministers to AIDS-affected families through:

  • Building a sharing network for PLWHA
  • Holding bible studies and worship, facilitating Christians to care for one another and to know God
  • Visiting PLWHA and their families regularly
  • Helping PLWHA to apply for social security and to handle community affairs
  • Raising community awareness of HIV/AIDS

After suffering HIV/AIDS for many years, a woman at Fu-Kang (Rehabilitation) Home finally picked up the courage to tell her family and got support from her brother and mother. Her brother says, “If Fu-Kang (Rehabilitation) Home and outsiders accept you, why can’t we?” She is very touched.

Caring for the marginalised and to walk alongside with them is to follow Jesus’ example of having compassion on the forsaken. We hope that PWLHA will see hope in their lives and receive help and support from their community.

To safeguard privacy, CEDAR rarely publishes the photos and sharing related to AIDS-affected individuals, but service towards them has never ceased. The HIV/AIDS-affected in China really need acceptance and help, and we ask that you will encourage them by love and action, and support CEDAR’s community care in China.

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.

What Fate for Bangladeshi Girls?

[ ‘SHARE’ Jul-Aug 2014 ] JOIN HANDS JOIN HEARTS

Dropping out of school after a few short years, child labour and early marriage seem to be the only options for many Bangladeshi girls.

With little access to birth control, Bangladeshi families are large, so it is already hard to feed the household, let alone provide education for the children. Because of the male-dominant culture, girls, especially the older ones, are usually forced to give up school. Further, a dowry is obligatory, the amount of which increases as the bride gets older, and hence impoverished families try to marry off their girls young so to ease their financial burden.

Trisna is the second oldest child in her family – the eldest sister is already married and her younger siblings are at school. The whole family’s livelihood depends on the father’s meagre income as a security guard.

The parents do want education for Trisna but they lack the means – they even considered marrying off Trisna to alleviate the family burden.

In places like India, Nepal and Bangladesh, many girls drop out of school and earn income by sewing. Trisna belongs to a girls group in a youth development program of CEDAR’s partner, PARI. Through regular meetings, members learn about legal protections for underage girls and the shortcomings of early marriage; members also enhance their sewing skills there.

Yet Trisna’s biggest wish is to return to school. Encouraged by her group members, Trisna has started to save up money from her sewing for her own school fees. Her parents gladly let Trisna continue school if fees are not a problem, because they know that education leads to a better life.

Trisna’s father says, “I never imagine that anyone would help my daughter like this. Trisna has learned a lot from the group and I am very grateful for PARI’s help that Trisna can have a brighter future.”

‘Join Hands Join Hearts’ Children Ministry Scheme

 

A Calling for Life | Paulina

[ ‘SHARE’ Jul-Aug 2014 ] CEDAR’S BLOGGER

Written by: Paulina Ng

Do you know that your calling today was already ordained and prepared by the Lord when you were small?

I have been involved in poverty relief for 17 years now. Looking back, I see God started the preparation while I was growing up!

When I was small, our family was poor and the six of us cramped in a space of 100sq.ft., and all my secondary school learning materials were sponsored by the school! Albeit poor, I had a happy childhood. Hardship taught me how to live with limited resources and I learned that a good living environment is not an entitlement; I also developed empathy for the poor.

I was an active and outgoing child, my school performance was not outstanding and I liked only sports and mathematics. But studying in a well known school, I had to keep a tight rein on my lack of academic enthusiasm in order to meet the school’s requirements, and staying with school was the only path I could take in those days. I often encountered difficulties and dejection, and failures were frequent. But these experiences produced a courage in me to deal with problems and difficulties. Later I discovered that such tenacity was exactly what a frontline worker needed. In the frontline, especially in new ministries, problems frequently crop up and many are often beyond one’s imagination. A worker must face them, and follow God’s leading so that challenges can be overcome and the ministry can grow gradually!

In my growing years my elder brother had much influence on me. He encouraged me to pursue my dreams, whether in choosing my study or my work. Therefore when I went to university I did not choose to study something that guaranteed a steady and sizable income, and instead I chose ‘China study’ which people at that time did not think much of. This subject helped me to acquire a good understanding of China, fairly unknown at the time, and I even got to meet the common people in Mainland China. A sense of identity was formed and I received God’s calling to dedicate myself to His ministry, making a lifetime commitment and offering.

Today, as you review your life and experiences, have you responded to the Lord’s calling upon your life?

Paulina joined CEDAR in 1999 to develop CEDAR’s first project site in China. She has served impoverished and disadvantaged communities in Hubei, China for over 14 years.

African migrants tortured in Yemen

For decades, migrants from the Horn of Africa have passed through Yemen to seek better life in Saudi Arabia. Because of political unrest, more than 260,000 Africans migrated to or through Yemen during 2011-13. The number has decreased since 2013; however, it rose again in March 2014.

The trip across the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea is dangerous, and many migrants drown to death on their journey. Thousands of migrants are stranded in the northern region of Yemen waiting to be transferred illegally to Saudi Arabia. Many are exposed to poverty, homelessness, and abuse.

A multimillion-dollar trafficking racket has developed in the northern Yemeni border town of Haradh, exploiting the migrants.  It is estimated that trafficking and smuggling make up 80% of the local economy.

A recent Human Rights Watch report describes the severe torture suffered by Somalian and Ethiopian migrants in Yemen. Since 2006, Yemeni traffickers in and around Haradh have taken migrants captive and kept them in “torture camps”, where they torture the migrants to extort money from migrants’ relatives in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia.

Aid workers observed signs of abuse in migrants caused by ripping off fingernails, burning ears, branding skin with irons, gouging out of eyes, and breaking of bones.  Health workers have seen migrants with injuries including lacerations from rape, damage from being hung by their thumbs, and burn from cigarettes.  The torture sometimes ends in death.  The Haradh hospital receives dead bodies of at least two migrants per week.

The camps are usually run by Yemeni, who typically come from families related to officials.  Captured migrants can be released if their relatives pay ransoms ranging from US$200 to over $1,000. The authorities are failing in fighting trafficking, and in some occasions even actively help the traffickers. Traffickers pay checkpoint officials so to drive through without being checked, carrying Yemeni and African migrants to the Saudi border.

According to the 2009 international corruption Perception Index, Yemen is ranked 164 out of 182 countries.  The country is in the process of dialogue to address its major issues and to draft a new constitution.  Yemen is facing a crisis in health care, security, and access to food and water; 54·5% of the population live below the poverty line and this proportion is continuously increasing.

More than 308,000 of Yemeni migrants have returned from Saudi Arabia since 2013, due to tightening labor laws.  These returns have handicapped the government’s ability to handle African migrants. The authorities stopped fighting traffickers, because they could not provide the migrants with food and shelter.

To end this human disaster, Yemen must commit to the 1951 Refugee Convention on the rights of refugees. The international community and donor countries should aim to resolve this tragedy and support governmental and non-governmental organisations initiatives. Fighting bribery in Yemen is also important to reduce human trafficking. [HRW, the Lancet]

Meditation on Scriptures

(The Queen of Sheba spoke to King Solomon:)
“Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.” (1 Kings 10:9)

“And all from Sheba will come,
bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.” (Is 60:6)

The Queen of Sheba (present day Yemen) learnt from Solomon that a major responsibility given by God to rulers is to exercise justice.  Isaiah prophesized that Sheba would at the end time come to praise the God of all nations.  May Yemenis today learn that the security of the poor migrants is a priority of responsible governance, and come to the real knowledge of the Sovereign God.

Pray for the African migrants in Yemen:

  • Pray that the Government will raid and stop the functioning of torture camps, and provide migrants with all necessities for a decent living.
  • Pray that donor countries will exert pressure on Yemeni and Saudi Arabian authorities to investigate and prosecute the traffickers.

Lives of Impoverished Villagers in HuBei are No Longer the Same

Yunxi County, situated in the North West rural areas of Hubei, China, an area constraint by limited resources and a place where many Huis (Muslims) dwell. From 2010 onwards, CEDAR carries out rural community development projects there: organising villagers to build water supplies system and infrastructures to solve years of water shortage problem; providing living assistance to the underprivileged and impoverished households, whose lives are disrupted by chronic illnesses. We help them increase family income through developing livestock raising. Thus far, we have reached more than 600 households.

‘I have bad health and our family is poor. I have to sell my cows to support my daughters’ education. Thanks to CEDAR that I can now raise cows and sheep again. The money we earn is enough for my family too,’ said Mother Ma who lives with her two daughters. In addition, Mother Ma and other villagers used the money they saved to fix the main road in their village, easing the daily travel of other people. The family of another villager, Mr. Ma, did not have much experience in raising sheep. In the past they only got 6 sheep. Through the animal husbandry training, the sheep in his family were being fed properly, resulting in the multiplication of present 34 sheep. The income they generated from selling sheep greatly relief their economic pressure.

In past 10 years, CEDAR work in partnership with Hubei Provincial Christian Council to serve the impoverished villagers, providing support in livelihoods development, education, livestock management. In all good and bad times, we have witnessed how God cared for the needs of the Hubei villagers and brought about changes in their lives and community.

Pray for the Hubei Community Development Projects:

  • Pray that God will prepare suitable fellow workers to build a team for this ministry;
  • Pray that CEDAR can work closely with local churches to help them expand their social services ministry and provide appropriate services for the community;
  • Pray that God will lead the local government to understand and recognise the value of church led social ministry to the community and will continue to support our work.

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.