[ ‘SHARE’ Nov-Dec 2014 ] STEP INTO THE WORLD
Bangladesh’s literacy rate is less than 50%, and it is dangerous for border-area children to travel long distances to state-run schools in the cities. Since 1999, World Concern Bangladesh (WCB) as financially supported mountain area primary schools and provided training for teachers.
Continue reading Together We Nurture the New Generation of Bangladesh
[ ‘SHARE’ Nov-Dec 2014 ] JOIN HANDS JOIN HEARTS
Those who have met the beneficiaries of the ‘Join Hands Join Hearts’ Children Ministry Scheme will discovered that regardless of where they live, children have their own dreams, and all cherish any learning opportunities. Perhaps such is the result of being honed by the harshness of life.
For the past 13 years, CEDAR Fund has organized Barefoot Walk to fundraise for our projects and to let participants experience what it means to live in poverty. In 2014, seeing the seriousness of urban poverty around the world, we want to take our participants into slums and take a glimpse at the lives of the 900 million slum dwellers around the world. Linking to this event is to fundraise for community development projects in slums of India, Bangladesh and Ethiopia, and we seek to encourage everyone through the experiential activities to think about how poverty has robbed people of their dignity and the opportunities they should have.
Continue reading TWO Weeks Countdown to 2014 CEDAR Barefoot Walk
While many parents in Hong Kong worry about how their children are getting on in the first month of school, many parents in Bangladesh worry about the well-being and safety of their children at work. In 2012, 17% of the children aged between 5-14 years in Bangladesh had to work as child labourers. According to US Department of Labor, children in Bangladesh are engaged in the worst forms of child labour, primarily in dangerous activities in agriculture and in domestic service. Children working in agriculture may use dangerous tools, carry heavy loads, and apply harmful pesticides. Girls mostly work as domestic servants in private households. They work long hours and are subject to discrimination and harassment, on top of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. [US Embassy, UNICEF]
Continue reading Walk with the Child Labourers from Bangladesh Slums
[ ‘SHARE’ Sept-Oct 2014 ] FOCUS – POVERTY REDUCTION
Written by: Mindy Kwan
When “poverty” is mentioned, media images of starving African children, toiling peasants in isolated mountains of China, and war refugees come to mind…. Our hearts ache for them and wish that they have money, access to resources and schools, believing that these are the solutions to poverty. Half a year ago I joined CEDAR as part of their co-worker team and then realised that “poverty” is not really about lack of money, but is in fact the lack of choices.
[ ‘SHARE’ Sept-Oct 2014 ] TAKING ACTION
Written by: Samantha Wong
It is hard to maintain one’s beliefs and dreams in a stifling society. Instead of blindly following the world in aiming for a good job, it is better to spend time identifying one’s purpose in life and run towards one’s goal. I decided to spend my gap year seeing and delving into Father God’s world, and I had the precious opportunity of spending three months at CEDAR.
