On 28th September, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia. The quake was followed by multiple aftershocks and triggered a tsunami with waves ranging from 6 metres tall. As of 8th October, at least 1,900 lives were lost and more than 2,630 people have been heavily injured, recorded by the Indonesian government. Nearly 66,000 houses were severely damaged, and about 74,000 people have been displaced. Palu and Donggala, in central Sulawesi, were heavily affected, but access to the area were blocked due to roads destruction. Conditions of the survivors in certain regions of remote areas are unknown. Humanitarian workers are expected to arrive the area in a few days. The number of deaths and affected are likely to increase.
On 12 November 2017 (local time), a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck Iraq and Iran, near the border between the two countries. Approximately 1.8 million people live within 100 km of the epicentre of the quake [1]. The quake killed 530 people and injured over 8,000 people [2].
Though the quake caused lesser deaths and injuries in Iraq, there were widespread destruction of houses, health facilities, and infrastructure. Rescue, relief, and recovery work has been hampered by landslides, destroyed water, electricity and communications networks, and an ongoing series of aftershocks.
This was taken when an IA member organisation visited refugees in Bangladesh. The site was filled with makeshift shelters Rohingya build for themselves
In August, the Rohingya people received attention from the international community once again. Since late August, violence and conflicts in Rakhine state, Myanmar have caused at least 620,000 Rohingya to flee to Cox’s Bazar in the southeast part of Bangladesh.
According to the United Nations, there are about 1.2 million people – including the 200,000 Rohingya arrived before the new influx in August and host communities – in need of assistance.
Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB), a local Christian relief organisation in Bangladesh, told us that many Rohingya families have established themselves in spontaneous sites and lived in temporary shelters built with bamboos and tarps. Besides the highly overcrowded environment with poor hygiene condition, the makeshift shelters are vulnerable to fire, heavy rain and strong wind.
The first five years of a child’s growth is very critical, thus malnutrition could cause detrimental impact on a child’s development, putting them at greater risk of diseases and death
The site where Rohingya are staying does not have sufficient sanitation facilities. CEDAR and partners hope to improve the community’s hygiene and prevent outbreak of diseases through the project
To respond to the urgent needs of the Rohingya families and the host communities in Cox’s Bazar, CEDAR is partnering with other Integral Alliance’s member agencies to support CCDB to provide following assistance:
Sanitation & Hygiene:
Establish 25 new latrine facilities for 250 households
On site sludge management for 250 temporary latrines that cover 4,000 households
Provide hygiene promotion messages to 4,000 households
Nutrition:
Reach out to 4,000 Rohingya households to identify and refer children with moderate to severe acute malnutrition to appropriate clinic for treatment
Reach 4,000 Rohingya households who have children under 5 with moderate to severe acute malnutrition with nutrition related information, preventive and curative knowledge
Shelter and Non-food Items:
Provide 1,000 Rohingya households and 500 local families with shelter repair and maintenance kits, as well as winterisation kits (including blankets, mats and clothes)
This relief project begins in November for 6 months. The total project budget is HK$2.8 million, partially supported by CEDAR.
Act now! Support our humanitarian response in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Donation:
Cheque payable to “CEDAR FUND”
Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the deposit slip
[1] All funds received will go to “Rohingya Refugee Response”. If funds raised exceed the budget devised from the disaster evaluation, the additional amount will go directly to CEDAR’s “Emergency Relief and Disaster Preparedness Fund”.
[2] CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please visit Inland Revenue Department website for details.
[3] Donations over HK$100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts.
[4] Please DO NOT fax any donation information.
Contact Information:
Tel>2381 9627
Fax>2392 2777
Email>sharing@cedarfund.org
Add>G.P.O. Box 3212 Hong Kong
Integral Alliance is a global alliance of 23 Christian relief and development agencies, working together to present a more effective response to poverty worldwide. CEDAR Fund is one of the member agencies.
CEDAR’s partner, ACN, in Nepal has been distributing much-needed relief aid to vulnerable families
Nepal, India, and Bangladesh have been facing the worst monsoon rains in 15 years, triggering severe flooding across the three countries. Over 1,200 people have been killed, and 41 million people have been affected. CEDAR’s partners begun their responses the week after the flooding intensified. The initial responses were carried out in Nawalparasi district in central Nepal and Bihar state in northern India, providing emergency relief items for affected communities.
The response is entering a new stage right now. CEDAR has allocated funds for Asal Chhimekee Nepal (ACN) in Nepal to provide hygiene kits and winter items for 600 households and provide half-month food supply for 200 families (most of them are single-mother households) in Nawalparasi. In Bihar, India, CEDAR is supporting EFIC@R to set up 5 medical camps in affected communities to provide health services and medication, and to also promote human trafficking prevention to help flood-affected people, especially women and children, to safeguard themselves from traffickers.
We have also received a grant of HK$2.88 million from the Hong Kong government’s Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee to conduct aid distribution through our India partner, Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR), in one of the worst-hit states, Bihar. The distribution will benefit at least 5,000 families, and each household will receive:
Food aid: 35 kg rice, cooking oil, flour, etc.
Household items: 3 bed sheets, 2 floor mats and 2 mosquito nets
Hygiene kits: containing soap, laundry detergent, tooth brush, tooth paste, water purification tabs, and sanitary pads
Two of our colleagues will travel to India to monitor and evaluate on the response, as well as to learn about the condition of the flood-stricken communities. Please continue to support through prayers and donation for the relief effort of CEDAR and its partners in Nepal and India.
Prayer items:
Pray for the flooded communities in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, especially those located in remote areas, may God provide safe shelters for the survivors, give them clean daily food, protect them from diseases despite the poor hygiene condition after the floods.
May God use CEDAR and other Integral Allicance* members and their local partners in the three countries to bring timely and effective assistance to the survivors.
Please pray for the two colleagues who will be traveling to India. Pray that God keep them safe, and have a smooth and fruitful collaboration with EFICOR’s staff.
Donation:
Cheque payable to “CEDAR FUND”
Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the deposit slip
[1] All funds received will go to “South Asia Floods Relief”. If funds raised exceed the budget devised from the disaster evaluation, the additional amount will go directly to CEDAR’s “Emergency Relief and Disaster Preparedness Fund”. [2] CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please visit Inland Revenue Department website for details. [3] Donations over HK$100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts. [4] Please DO NOT fax any donation information.
Contact Information:
Tel>2381 9627
Fax>2392 2777
Email>sharing@cedarfund.org
Add>G.P.O. Box 3212 Hong Kong
*Integral Alliance is a global alliance of 23 Christian relief and development agencies, working together to present a more effective response to poverty worldwide. CEDAR Fund is one of the member agencies. CEDAR and 14 other members of Integral Alliance are responding to flood-affected communities through local partners and churches.
Incessant rainfalls have triggered widespread flooding in South Asia, affecting over 41 million people, including vulnerable women and children.
Torrential downpour have caused severe and widespread flooding in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, killing 1,200 people and affecting 41 million people. Countless homes have been damaged and destroyed. Many are displaced and deprived of food and water for days.
The region’s monsoon season last from June till September every year, but some aid agencies said things are worse this year. The United Nations said the situation could possibly deteriorate further as rains continue in some flood-affected areas and flood waters move south.
In India, over 32 million people are affected. Several rivers are flowing at dangerous levels in some regions, and helicopters are being sent for rescue operations. The government has established nearly 2,000 relief camps for the displaced.
One-third of Bangladesh is inundated by flood. A total of 32 districts and over 8 million people are affected. The flood has damaged and destroyed about 700,000 houses. Directorate General of Health Services in Bangladesh said there are 13,000 confirmed cases of waterborne diseases, and 2,000 medical teams have been deployed to provide medical support for the affected.
In Nepal, at least 1.7 million are affected by the flood. 460,000 people have lost their homes. Some areas recorded the heaviest rainfall in 60 years. Multiple infrastructures like schools and health facilities are destroyed. As flood waters washed away crops and damaged farmlands, communities’ livelihoods will be severely impacted.
Houses are damaged or destroyed amidst flooding, leaving over a million people in despair.
CEDAR and other Integral Alliance members are supporting local partners to respond to the urgent needs of the affected.
CEDAR and 12 other members of Integral Alliance are responding to flood-affected communities through local partners and churches. The initial response includes:
Distribution of food aid to affected households
Distribution of hygiene kits and water filters to secure communities’ health
Distribution of other items such as tarpaulins, shelter kits, mosquito nets and cooking utensils
Prayer items:
Pray that flood waters will subside, so that relief teams can access remote areas to bring aid to more survivors.
As flood-stricken communities are prone to outbreaks of waterborne diseases, pray that the affected can receive medical support; and pray for the health of relief workers.
Pray for wisdom for our partners to plan the next phase of response.
Pray for the people who have lost family, homes, livestock and farmlands. May God bring them comfort and help them to stand back up again on the road to recovery.
Pray for God’s providence of funding, so our partners could carry out response work; may all help and support from churches and brothers and sisters make an impact in the lives of the affected, bringing them love and hope.
Donation:
Cheque payable to “CEDAR FUND”
Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the deposit slip
[1] All funds received will go to “South Asia Floods Relief”. If funds raised exceed the budget devised from the disaster evaluation, the additional amount will go directly to CEDAR’s “Emergency Relief and Disaster Preparedness Fund”.
[2] CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please visit Inland Revenue Department website for details.
[3] Donations over HK$100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts.
[4] Please DO NOT fax any donation information.
Contact Information:
Tel>2381 9627
Fax>2392 2777
Email>sharing@cedarfund.org
Add>G.P.O. Box 3212 Hong Kong
*Integral Alliance is a global alliance of 23 Christian relief and development agencies, working together to present a more effective response to poverty worldwide. CEDAR Fund is one of the member agencies.
Ever since the declaration of independence of South Sudan, the South African country was never free of ethnic and political conflicts. South Sudan’s President, Vice President, and the House Chair came from the tribe of Dinka, Bari, and Nuer—three of the largest ethnic groups of the country—respectively. The Vice President raised a coup against the President in 2013, and the political conflict quickly turned into a nation-wide civil war, involving over 20 military groups, and causing the deaths of tens of thousands of countrymen. An increasing number of regions were damaged by the violence exerted by both the government and the anti-government forces.
Houses are damaged or destroyed amidst flooding, leaving over a million people in despair.
CEDAR and other Integral Alliance members are supporting local partners to respond to the urgent needs of the affected. 