May Love and Peace with Iraq

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Samira Said, 27, fled Tikrit with her 20-day old baby for an agricultural shelter area next to the Baharka camp 5km north of Erbil, the capital of the northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq, after the militant group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) took control of Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul.

Our hearts are breaking at the atrocities taking place in Iraq. In the last two months a staggering 850,000 people have fled their homes in terror as Islamic State (IS) fighters have swept across the north of the country. An estimated 10,000 people have lost their lives, most of whom are civilians.

Religious and ethnic minority groups, such as Yazidis (a Kurdish-speaking ethno-religious group), Christians and Turkmen, have been particularly targeted, and many have been subjected to unspeakable brutalities. It’s estimated that one-fourth of Iraq’s Christians have now fled, threatened by IS at best with fines, at worst with forced conversion or death.

Thousands of Iraqis, mainly from the Yazidi community, are currently trapped on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq by IS fighters after facing similar threats. They are in desperate need of food, water and medical care, and symbolise the plight of so many more Iraqis who are the innocent victims of this crisis.

Between January to July 2014, an estimation of 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) were seeking shelter in Northern Iraq. They are now suffering from significant secondary displacement due to fierce fightings near IDP locations in Ninewa and Dahuk Provinces. In addition to the current IDP crisis, the government of Kurdistan is also hosting 230,000 refugees from Syria.

Since 2012, Integral Alliance (IA), a global alliance comprising of 19 Christian relief and development agencies, has been providing relief materials, food parcel, medical care and psychosocial care to Syrian refugees. CEDAR is one of the member agencies of Integral Alliance. A member agency of IA is now forming a working team, going to Northern Iraq to assess the situation particularly the need of the suffered communities.

We know that God is a God of love, compassion, power and justice, who is ‘mighty to save’ (Isaiah 63:1). As we struggle to find words to respond in the face of such horror, remember Paul’s words in Romans: ‘We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.’ (Romans 8:26).  [Tearfund, Integral Alliance]

Pray for the suffering Iraq people:

  • Ask God to stop the hand of those set on violence, bloodshed and intimidation in Iraq. Pray for the establishment of a lasting peace that all people groups will be accepted and protected.
  • Pray for all those who have fled their homes and are living in fear and uncertainty.
  • Ask God to keep them safe, provide for their needs and pour out his comfort and healing on all who are grieving.
  • Thank God that thousands of Yazidis were able to escape from Mount Sinjar during last weekend, aided by Kurdish forces, and pray for protection, provision and a rapid rescue for those who remain.
  • Lift up leaders in Iraq and around the world, praying that God will give them wisdom as they seek a solution to the crisis.

Pray for the Sojourner in Yunnan Baoshan

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[ePrayer – Pray for the Lisu in Yunnan]

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CEDAR cooperates with the Social Ministry Deaprtment of a church in Yunnan Baoshan, targeting the disadvantaged people and communities in helping them to live out a dignified life.

Yunnan Lisu tribe originally lived in the barren mountains, some of them came from Myanmar. In order to escape the bad situation, they are living in a long wandering life, surviving on short-term jobs. They have no identity, no land, don’t know the language thus not self-sufficient. Since they live in poor sanitation environment and are lack of medical care, diseases spread quickly and widely, and infant mortality rate and maternal dystocia are quite high. In spite of all these unfavorable factors, between the mountain of Gan Ding and Gao Li Gong Shan lives 66 families of disadvantaged people, representing more than 400 adults and children, who are all Christians.

Pray for the Lisu in Yunnan:

  • May they receive social security by having a legal status, having the basic dignity and identity, and no longer live a wandered life.
  • May there be enough resources and manpower to improve their hygiene, to provide medical care, to give basic education, and to make agricultural cultivation possible.
  • May the long-term problem of food shortage be solved, and everyone can have enough food to eat.

Approximately 1,500 people will benefit from this project.

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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.

Mobilising Christians

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[Annual Report 2011-2012] Mobilising Churches and Christians

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Review of 2011 to 2012

‘Network the force of Christians and provide a platform for communication and action’ is a main direction of CEDAR’s work on mobilising Christians in Hong Kong. We have reformed ‘CEDAR Club’ since last July by pro-actively gathering and mobilising the concerned Christians to help the poor more systematically. We also re-organised the monthly activities of the Club with regular sharing meetings, visiting programmes, and fellowship activities, to provide an in-depth experience for members to work at the issues of poverty, share experiences and practise serving the poor.

10 CEDAR Club’s gathering

2 exposure trip to Myanmar and Nepal

Learning and Prospect

‘Walk in Love – Low-Income Families Visit Programme’ and ‘Street-Sleepers Visit Project’ are two main long-term visiting programmes for club members to practise what they learnt at the course on poverty relief. Two programmes have been running for two to three years. We are exploring ways to help participants to move forward in their understanding and care on the HK society and the world, with the hope that their will engage locally and think globally. Furthermore, we hope more churches and Christian communities will involve as we mobilize and encourage different Christian groups to be ‘good neighbours’.

Shan’s Sharing

‘The achievement in past ministry year once again shows me how first hand experience is very significant in helping Christians to deepen their conscience and concern for poverty. It also confirms how effective organisation and a platform to practice is important to mobilizing Christians.  In coming year, I hope that we can enhance the participation, initiation and decision making of core CEDAR Club members in programme and activity planning and development .’