Pray for Myanmar

(4 March 2021)

 

From the beginning of February, people from different industries and backgrounds have continued to come onto the streets, a site that is familiar to many.

 

In Myanmar, there has been bloodshed, countless have been arrested during the night and news outlets remain blocked. At the time of writing, at least 50 protestors killed since the military seized control on 1 February. Sorrow, anger and fear have filled the hearts of the people in Myanmar. We pray to our loving and righteous Lord to hear and see the people’s plight and those who are mourning.

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Children Ministry – Commitment and Collaboration

[“SHARE” JAN – MAR 2021 ] Join Hands Join Hearts

 

Written by Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development)

 

In order to transform the society, we first have to give children a chance to grow up healthily so that they can become leaders of good character who obey God’s will.

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“Give You this Calf as a Mark of Reconciliation” – Road to Reconciliation after the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

Editor’s note: Looking around the world, we can find that many people in developing countries have suffered from atrocities imposed by state authorities for power struggles. Every killing left all kinds of traumas on victims, making them impossible to look into the future. The “FOCUS” of this issue shares how CEDAR’s partner in Rwanda healed the trauma left over from the genocide against the Tutsi and engaged in community reconciliation work based on cultural traditions. “BACK TO THE BIBLE” explores the scriptural context of “Seventy-seven Times”, bringing out that forgiveness is the voluntary action of the victim, and seeking the truth is the basis for reconciliation. In addition, we share our children and youth development project that CEDAR has been supporting for many years in Zimbabwe.

 

[“SHARE” JAN – MAR 2021 ] FOCUS

 

Written by: Edward Lai  (Senior Communications Officer)

 

“I give you this calf as a mark of reconciliation” says Innocent, a survivor in the genocide in Rwanda.

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How to Combat Child Trafficking under the “New Normal”?

 

Written by Edward Lai (Senior Communication Officer)

 

As the pandemic is raging around the world, criminals do not only “hunt” civilians in a hidden way in poor villages, they also target their prey via the internet. By using their poor and fragile situation, they can easily force or lure the victims to work in sex industry, or engage in forced labour or any work that is obviously not commensurate with pay. Facing the “new normal” under the pandemic, Aashima Samuel, EFIC@R’s National Director, who has been engaged in anti-child trafficking for many years, shared her team’s coping strategies.

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Listen to the Cries of the Oppressed

 

Written by Tony Chan (Senior Partnership Development Officer)

 

“During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.” (Exodus 2:23)

 

The old Pharaoh promised to the prime minister Joseph that Joseph would take his father’s family to live in Egypt and live in the “best part of the land” (Genesis 47:6), the region of Goshen. Jacob, the ancestor of the Israelites, was able to reunite with his son Joseph and escape the famine with his family, so he seized the opportunity and moved to Egypt with his family of 70 members. Over the years, Jacob’s family and his offspring lived in Goshen, where they led a prosperous life and increased in numbers. However, the promise of the Egyptian authority did not extend to the new king. Many years later, the pharaoh did not like these foreigners and treated them badly.

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Hidden Crisis in the Pandemic: Human Trafficking

Editor’s note: The COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong is still unsettled and the labour market has been severely damaged. When the local situation worries us deeply, we are even more worried about the situation of the poor in developing countries. Not only do they face the risk of infection, they also suffer from losing their livelihoods and food shortage due to the pandemic. In order to survive, they desperately find a way out, and they are more likely to fall into the prey of human traffickers.

 

This issue of SHARE will talk about the more rampant human trafficking problem under the pandemic, especially the situation of poor children who are the most vulnerable to the influence of online fraud (“Focus”). Also we will share how our partner has responded to the “new normal” and continued in rescuing work under the pandemic (“Blessings by Offering”), and mobilised the church and community to fight against child trafficking (“Learn a Little More”). May the Lord who laments with us, encourages us to hear and respond to the needs of the exploited and trafficked (“Back to the Bible”).

 

[“SHARE” OCT – DEC 2020 ] FOCUS

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development)

 

 

From July 20th to 23rd this year, several CEDAR staff participated in the “Asia Region Anti-Trafficking Conference” (hereinafter referred to as the conference). The conference was held for the first time three years ago, and this year is the third. It was changed to conduct online due to the pandemic. The purpose of the conference is to gather people from all parts of Asia who are concerned about human trafficking, and learn about it with other forms of modern slavery through various workshops, and know more about the latest anti-trafficking measures.

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