▲ CEDAR is a member of Integral Alliance, responding to disasters worldwide in partnership with Christian relief agencies around the world: www.integralalliance.org
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
An earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale on 20 April struck Lushan County in Yaan, Sichuan, promptly bringing back the memory of Wenchuan quake five years ago. However, the public media soon turn their focus on whether HKSAR government should grant China 100 million HKD relief fund and the integrity of relief and development agencies. Also many people said, ‘I would not donate any of my money to this relief work.’ These made a huge contrast with the past active response of Hong Kong people to emergency relief, concern for the hardships and needs of victims and touching stories with compassion.
Yunnan pastors map out the progress and achievement to evaluators on their social ministries in the past six years.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
In early March, CEDAR invited several experienced development workers to evaluate our six-year Church Mobilisation programme in Yunnan, China. Their findings and appreciation give us great encouragement.
Last Christmas, my wife and I, along with three volunteers, went to Myanmar to visit CEDAR’s partner organisation, Full Moon. During this trip we had the rare opportunity of traveling to the mountainous areas in Mon State. Last year, CEDAR received a designated fund that supported the post-conflict rebuilding project in this restricted area, and the first programme of the project was to build a new school. In the past few decades, there were continuous conflicts between the Karen and Burmese government army inthose mountainous areas, causing countless deaths and injuries. Not all have access to this area; even the Burmese people do not dare to enter this mountain. The ‘peace leader’ who led our group up to hill for celebration, along with a hundred orphans from the Full Moon compound, is actually the ex-leader of the rebellion that killed numerous people, including even some of the parents of the Full Moon orphans. A year ago, the Burmese government went through a big reform. This ex-leader of the rebellion was willing to cease fire and bring peace to Karen people. He appreciates the support and partnership of Hong Kong Christians.
After the exposure monitoring trips and discussions in the past two years, we have finally chosen Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, India, Nepal, Myanmar and China to be the focus countries for our projects. We have since strengthened our partnership in these focus countries through cooperation and communication to promote our mutual capability on project operation and management to provide more appropriate and effective assistance to impoverished communities.
In recent years, the Chinese and Nepalese governments have loosened official restrictions on local Christian churches. In addition to reforms in the political process in Myanmar, there is a new turning point for the growth of Christian relief and development work in these countries. CEDAR hopes to seize this opportunity to seek furthering the cooperation of Hong Kong churches with overseas churches and Christian organisations. Project sites in the above six focus countries will become important platforms for Hong Kong churches to participate in appropriate response to global ministry in the practice of integral mission. Hong Kong churches can provide strong support in human and financial resources to these overseas partners engaged in frontline ministries. This way we can develop the partnership between different nations, regions, churches and organisations in better synergy.
As a member organisation of the Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor (the HKCNP), CEDAR will endeavor to mobilise local churches to work with frontline organisations, social enterprises and government, facilitating the development of district network for social concern among churches. We look forward to churches becoming the real neighbour to the poor, giving them timely, suitable and holistic care and assistance.
CEDAR Barefoot Walk 2012 has completed successfully on 10 November (Saturday). Nearly 400 participants walked barefoot in Central to experience the hardship of the poor and disadvantaged and to raise fund to support impoverished communities in South Asia’s nations, including India, Nepal and Bangladesh, to be self-reliant. After an opening ceremony led by Dr. CHAN Nim Chung, Chief Executive of CEDAR Fund, participants set out in 15 groups barefooted. They passed through Des Voeux Road Central, Cotton Tree Drive and Ice House Street and other main streets in Central and left their footprints on several famous places like the Hong KongPark and St. John’s Cathedral.
Since 2001 CEDAR Fund has raised fund through Barefoot Walk. This year we held the event in Central, the glamorous, prosperous commercial centre of Hong Kong, letting participants to feel the struggle and deprivation of the poor and disadvantaged people living in urban cities by leaving their footprints of concern for the poor to express their determination to walk with billions of underprivileged people around the world.
A halfway station of the Walk was set at Li Hall of St. John’s Cathedral. Participants could sense and learn about the cultures and daily lives of South Asian people through images (photo exhibition), smell (fragrance of South Asian nations), taste (Indian milk tea) and hearing (Indian music), in order to inspire their interest and concern for the South Asian countries.
Many participants were first time comers of CEDAR Barefoot Walk. Not only do they get a sense of difficulties faced by the poor within a one hour walk, they demonstrated their collective power by helping impoverished communities in South Asia to walk out of poverty. Some participants took photos with their barefoot at the finish stop and some hold prayers for the impoverished communities in South Asia.
Sincere gratitude to the following organisations/groups which support and join the Walk (in no particular order)
Red Cross Hospital School
Hong Kong St. John Ambulance
St. John’s Cathedral
Kinbroad Limited
Arthome
Mr. Kenneth Chau
Hong Kong Police Force
United Christian College (Kowloon East)
Heep Yunn School
Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School
Shatin Baptist Church – Unity Chapel
Hong Kong Baptist Church
Assembly of God Harland Park Memorial Church
Western District Evangelical Church
Hong Kong Foochow Dialect Evangelistic Fellowship – Tsuen Wan Church
Hong Kong West Point Baptist Church
Hung Hom Christian Church – Joshua Fellowship
Christian Central Church (Jordan)
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Church of the Good Shepherd
Sheng Kung Hui St. Thomas’ Church
All Saints’ Cathedral – Esther Fellowship)
Chung Sing Church – Andrews Group
The Church of Christ in China Mongkok Church – Daniel Fellowship
ELCHK Salvation Lutheran Church
Min-nam Chinese Christian Trinity Church
Remembrance of Grace Church (Fanling Church)
Better Together Group
Paul
Rebels
3。Ding’s family
Micah family
Kwong’s family
Introduction of CEDAR Fund CEDAR Fund is an independent Christian relief and development organisation found in Hong Kong in 1991. We work ‘From Church, Through Church’ and serve the impoverished communities in Asia and Africa in partnership with churches and Christian organisations worldwide, together to build a just and compassionate world in Christ.
After the Strategic Planning carried out in the second half of 2010, CEDAR has started implementing policies and focusing on operations:
Select several poorest countries as focus countries, retaining local partners capable of running comprehensive development programmes.
Encourage/assist these partners through professional training and partnership support.
Mobilise and encourage Hong Kong churches and Christian groups to respond to poverty and injustice locally and elsewhere.
Networking with different organisations, strengthening communication and cooperation, enriching programme diversity, and taking action to effectively respond to poverty and injustice.
