Lives of Impoverished Villagers in HuBei are No Longer the Same

Posted on by 施達基金會

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.

Churches in Gengma Yunnan care for the Marginalised Communities

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for the ministry in Gengma, Yunnan]

Deputy Director of Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Health expressed his appreciation to the staff of Gengma County Christian Council (Social Service) after attending the training session, commenting it’s practical and “down-to-earth” HIV/AIDS prevention training.

A grandfather residing in the rural village of Gengma, Yunnan lost his wife last year, leaving him and his little granddaughter alone. All these years his life is troubled by problems causing by his drug-addicted son, and now, he has an additional worry if he can raise his little granddaughter till she is grown-up. ‘I can no longer cut down the sugar cane by myself. I obtain some income from renting out my farm to others and also from being a watchman in an orange grove. I also plant some maze and rear chicken for living.’

Since 2007, CEDAR has organized ‘Integral Mission’ training for the Yunnan churches, encouraging them to walk with the poor and respond to the need of the impoverished people. Many churches then started to set up their “social service team” and regularly paid visits to the poor, orphan and widows, and the elderly in the communities. A lot of these marginalised families suffer from drug addict and HIV/AIDS problem. The grandfather mentioned above is among those that the Gengma church visit regularly. They listen to him, share his burdens and provide emotional and spiritual support. The church even arranges him to join a training on rearing chicken and hope such techniques can help him to earn a better living.

Besides visiting the impoverished households, CEDAR’s partner “Christian Council (Social Service) of Gengma Dai & Va Nationality Autonomous County” also organise HIV/AIDS prevention training at different churches and provide support for the youth migrant workers.

Pray for the ministry in Gengma, Yunnan:

  • Thank God for the meaningful service by the Gengma churches, that through them many impoverished people and marginalised families receive care and support;
  • Pray for the work in supporting the HIV/AIDS affected families and youth migrant workers, and that a lot more impoverished families will be blessed though the services of the local churches.

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.

After-quake Development in Yaan, Sichuan

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for the After-quake Development in Yaan Sichuan]

Since April 2013, CEDAR has been responding to the need of quake affected areas in Yaan Sichuan, from dispatching relief materials during the initial stage of emergency relief, to the third phase of post-quake rebuilding that is happening currently. In this May, CEDAR’s staff travelled once again to the quake areas – Chengdu, Yaan, Lushan and Tianquan – to re-assess the need and to follow up on the progress of after-quake development project. Although one full-year has passed, the frontline aid workers continue to serve the quake victims faithfully and with the same enthusiasm. Their heart is not shaken even though the rebuilding seems far to complete.

Uncle Yan and his wife are among the first volunteers in Yuxi village. They have been taking part in the relief work since the very early stage. They live their lives with the victims, helping them to pluck tea leaves and repair their houses. They do all these things without any external help. They share with us, ‘We have gained so much in the last 12 months.’ What Uncle Yan treasures most is the relationship with the villagers that is cultivated with sweat and tears.

The after-quake lives are full of difficulties. The victims need to face many problems, such as repaying the loan for rebuilding their houses, the education need of their children, and the shortage of medical services in the quake areas. The gradual withdrawal of the emergency relief agencies makes things even worse. CEDAR’s partner Genuine Love (Zheng Xuan Gong Yi, ZXGY) is one of the NGOs still rendering service in the quake areas, providing trauma counseling and education service, setting up parents’ self-help groups, taking care of the left-behind children, and visiting sponsored orphans and widows and poor households. Genuine Love aims and prays that not only physical infrastructure is re-built, but the victims regain their hope and faith, eventually restoring the relations with all people around.

In the quake areas, many victims incur a heavy loan in order to rebuild their houses. Unfortunately there are many elderly who are so poor and not qualified for a loan, so reluctantly living with their houses not repaired. They could only use plastic colored sheets or bamboo battens to cover up or support the damages, making them extremely pitiful. The volunteers of Genuine Love have visited them and given them some food, but many of their basic living needs are still unmet and will need close follow-up.

Pray for After-quake Development in Yaan Sichuan:

    1. More human and development resources are needed during the current rehabilitation stage, especially in those places without water, such as Weita, Shifeng and Cizhupo, where further assessments are waiting to be done. May our God provide in His way.
    2. The difficult terrain of Shuangshi Town hinders the rebuilding process and progressof poor households is extremely slow. Pray that God will specially take care of the left-behind elderly and provide for their basic needs.
    3. May God provide and train up more local people to take part in the after-quake development for being self-reliant.
    4. Pray that the school aid project will help many students and youth in continuing their education.

Relief Donation

  • Cheque payable to ‘CEDAR FUND’
  • Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the Pay-in slip
  • Visa/ Master Card (Download donation form)
  • Online donation

(Please mark “Sichuan Yaan Earthquake Relief”)

[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.

Contact Method

Tel>23819627
Fax>23922777
Email>sharing@cedarfund.org
Add>G.P.O. Box 3212Hong Kong

CEDAR’s Relief and Rehabilitation Work in Past: http://eng.cedarfund.org/relief/
CEDAR Approach on Relief and Rehabilitation: http://cedarfundeng.wordpresss.com/relief-approach/

 

May God Lead the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Work in Haiti

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) project in Haiti]

eprayer20140607

After the magnitude 7.0 earthquake of 2010 in Haiti, the capital Port-au-Prince faced severe devastation.  Many people moved to other cities for better opportunities or returned to hometowns for re-starting their new lives.  Port-de-Paix, the city located in the northwest region, has seen a large population growth since the earthquake, but is in fact situated in one of the highest earthquake risk areas.

The poor sanitation systems and damaged drainage canals created major hygiene problems leading to the spread of common diseases and even the outbreak of cholera in the fast-growing communities, jeopardizing the lives of many. The unregulated construction of new homes has increased the risk of landslides, flooding and future earthquake fatalities.

Recently, CEDAR’s partner World Concert Haiti (WCH) has been working on a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) project in Port-de-Paix and Anse-a-Foleur, both located in the northern region of Haiti.  WCH is retrofitting a school and a church hall into evacuation centres and repairing some damaged canals for improving the water supply and hygiene environment in these places.  More than 50 volunteers are trained in familiarization of early disaster warning system. It’s estimated that 25,000 earthquake and hurricane affected individuals will be benefited from the DRR work in this project.

Pray for the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) project in Haiti:

  • Pray for the disaster risk reduction work including construction of flood canal and retrofitting of a school and a church hall into evacuation centres.   
  • May the Lord grant more wisdom to the staff of WCH for smooth negotiation with the government officials concerning the re-development arrangement.
  • May the Lord have mercy on the people in Haiti and provide them with improved living environment. Pray for God’s provisions to those who have lost their homes and those who are still suffering from the damage caused by the earthquake.     

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.

 

Half a Year has Gone but Philippines Typhoon Victims See Little Signs of Rebuilding

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for the Typhoon Victims in Philippines]

In this January, CEDAR’s staff travelled to Philippines to support Food for the Hungry (FH), also an Integral Alliance member, helping out in releasing relief materials.[1] Our staff spoke to Hon, a 10 years old boy living in Basey. He said, ‘I wish that there is no typhoon in the world. I wish that there will be no more deaths….’ This is because Hon experienced the power of Super Typhoon Haiyan last November. Now whenever someone asked him to describe how he escaped from the Typhoon, he still exhibits great fear in his heart and cannot control his body from involuntary shaking. Rehabilitation phase has been started in the devastated areas however more manpower and materials are needed to fulfill the needs in basic living, health and safety. Helping those suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome is also an urgent task.

FH’s staffs have been working very hard in the past six months to provide relief assistance to the typhoon-affected communities in Marabut and Basey. Flor, a mother of two kids attending primary education, serves in FH to help the disadvantaged communities in Philippines.. Moved by God’s love, she immediately headed to the affected areas from Manila after Super Typhoon Haiyan left Philippines. She may look tough on the outside but inside having a gentle heart. ‘In the stricken regions, it is very difficult for us to implement relief work with limited support from the government and shortage of resources. Apart from tackling the problems and limitations in the disaster areas, I still need to handle my emotions from not living with my family members…. In fact, I feel very sad every time my children call me. They always ask “Mom, we miss you very much. When will you come home?”’ Flor is not able to return to her home due to her involvement in rebuilding the disaster area. The typhoon victims are also awaiting to see their homes rebuilt. They are both anxiously looking forward to their “home return date”.

The Super Typhoon Haiyan hit Philippines on 7 Novermber 2013 and victimized over 13 millions people. CEDAR reacted immediately and supported the local partner Philrads and local churches in Leyte and Samar, delivering about 100,000 food bags and over 8,500 sets of shelter repair kits to the affected families, and also providing trauma care and medical service. CEDAR later received a HK$1.24 million relief grant from HKSAR Government to further provide 3,600 food bags, 1,200 sets of relief materials (in which there are blanket, mosquito net, mat and cutlery) and 450 sets of hygiene kits in Marabut and Basey through Integral Alliance and FH.

[1] CEDAR Typhoon Relief︰http://bit.ly/cedar-philippines-typhoon-relief-2013-video-chi

Meditation on Scriptures
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46: 1)
The typhoon victims lost their homes and families overnight, but have to endure endless of unsettling nights. How can they escape from such pain and unrest? The shelter promised by our God is one that no one can destroy. It is solid and firm. May God be their ever-present help in trouble, leading them to find peace on earth and in their hearts.

Pray for the Typhoon Victims in Philippines:

    1. FH helps over 5,000 affected children through the ‘Child Friendly Space’ project, providing them public hygiene facilities and hygiene education. Hope that this project can really help to improve the local hygiene conditions and reduce the threat of epidemic and spread of germs in disaster areas.
    2. FH has introduced the ‘Cash for Work’ project, so victims can earn living by cleaning up the disaster areas. Give thanks to God’s provision! Many of the victims now have basic fishing tools and also seeds for farming. Pray that God will continue to provide for their needs and the victims will soon become self-sufficient.
    3. Pray that Philippines government and the NGOs will have a comprehensive planning on rebuilding the houses and communities. Pray that God will provide solid shelters to the victims, help in rebuilding of the victims’ homes, and strengthen the frontline aid workers for taking part in the disaster rehabilitation work.
    4. The new typhoon season is coming. Pray for total recovery of the affected communities and from pain in people’s hearts; and for strength given to the victims in facing their new living and coming challenge.

Relief Donation

  • Cheque payable to ‘CEDAR FUND’
  • Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the Pay-in slip
  • Visa/ Master Card (Download donation form)
  • Online donation

(Please mark “Philippines Typhoon Relief”)

[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.

Contact Method

Tel>23819627
Fax>23922777
Email>sharing@cedarfund.org
Add>G.P.O. Box 3212Hong Kong

CEDAR’s Relief and Rehabilitation Work in Past: http://eng.cedarfund.org/relief/
CEDAR Approach on Relief and Rehabilitation: http://cedarfundeng.wordpresss.com/relief-approach/

 

Pray for the Post-Conflicts Rehabilitation Work in Myanmar

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for the post-war development in Myanmar]

eprayer20140509

The prolonged conflicts lasted for 60 years between Karen armed groups and the Myanmar Government finally came to an end and this indeed symbolizes hope and unity for the people and the country.  It is encouraging to see different groups of entities, including state officials, village leaders and church members putting effort together to rebuild their community.  What is more exciting is to see displaced orphans and youths returning to their hometowns.  Yet, the children will continue to experience the damaging effects brought by the conflicts. Due to limited skillsets, the children and their families feel unsecured and live a future with uncertainty.

CEDAR FUND supported our partner Full Moon in launching their reintegration programmed in the Mon State.  Apart from improving the infrastructure and facilities to deliver a better and safer environment in the compound, education and trainings are provided to the youth and women’s groups.  Full Moon wishes to see that the youths after acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills, particularly in agricultural and vocational aspects, are then empowered to make contributions to their home community.  Full Moon also witnesses the change in the women, that they become more confident after receiving trainings in farming, health and environment preservation.  Some of the youths are able to complete their tertiary education due to tuition fee sponsorship from Full Moon.  In 2013, Full Moon arranged two trips for their kids to return to their communities.  Many of them reunited with their families and their stories touch many people’s hearts.

Thanks Lord for His blessings on this project.  Full Moon’s achievements created a ripple effect; not only the children affected by the conflicts are benefited, the volunteers and workers are also blessed from their involvement and many joined the Christian fellowship and started to know God. The government officials also recognized the achievements and invited CEDAR FUND and Full Moon to continue the community work in Mon State.

“The children are excited about the school life but what is most precious is due to the community rebuilt programme, the kids now have dreams and visions for the future.” Lydia, the teacher in TWT village, told us

Pray for the post-war development in Myanmar:

  1. Pray for the work of partner Full Moon as they are now engaging their youth facilitators in 5 target villages in Mon State to bring about unity and meaningful development.  These are newly settled villagers in which many are returning from different areas including the jungles.
  2. Pray for the 10 college youths who are receiving trainings in the fields of education, community health and agriculture. May God grant them wisdom in their studies and sustainable positive experience in their exchange with the Community Based Organizations. May God also lead their spiritual development and give them determination to serve the needy.
  3. Pray for unity and harmony in Myanmar. Our partner is acting like a bridge between the different ex-armed groups, Government and villagers, and may the Lord give them wisdom to handle complex issues and negotiate with different parties.

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.