Dear Friends of CEDAR,
“You are the light of the world… let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14 & 16)
Happy Chinese New Year!
The Letter from CEDAR | February 2017
Bringing Hope to Migrant Children
The negative effect of poverty often spans across generations. Farmers who migrated to the cities for better opportunities usually find themselves experiencing the same hardships, only in different forms, while putting their children in a specific set of challenges.
Kunming is the destination of a large migrant worker population. Children who migrated with their parents are often very young and suffer from the transition from rural areas to cities. They are often being segregated over their status, and are excluded from the local education, medical, and residential benefits due to the ownership of foreign household registrations. Schools are less likely to admit them, and even if the family could afford the high tuition, the children might not adapt to the different education model so easily. Busy parents lack the time to stay with their children, which aggravates the situation. There are numerous cases where children are being hurt in traffic accidents, drowning, and robbery each year.
Pray for Better Community Health and Development in Nepal
[ePrayer – Pray for Shanti Nepal’s community health and empowerment project]
According to a recent UN report, Nepal has to overcome a number of development challenges including large concentration of poverty and hunger, rising inequality and wide infrastructure gaps… etc. Also, the rising inflation rate was 10.2 % in the first eight months of the fiscal year which has pushed more people towards poverty. Our partner Shanti Nepal is targeting about 105,000 people from 19,200 households in Dhading. Project activities include consolidation of mother groups, strengthening of local health facilities such as outreach clinics and birthing centres, promote health activities and building of toilets.
Pray for Shanti Nepal’s community health and empowerment project:
- Praise the Lord that Shanti Nepal’s community health and empowerment project in Dhading has made good progress and it is one of the official demonstration sites for promoting and mobilising community health development in the country.
- Pray that the work of Shanti Nepal will bring with good health, better living and good neighbourhood to impoverished communities.
- Pray that more Hong Kong churches and Christians will participate in ‘Toilet Story’ Summer Fund-raising Campaign, to support Nepal’s impoverished communities to build toilets.
Other Methods of Payment
- Cheque payable to ‘CEDAR FUND’
- Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the Pay-in slip
- Autopay (only applicable to regular fixed donations), enclosing with a completed Autopay Authorisation Form (Download: WORD or PDF)
- 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.
[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.
CEDAR Sharing: Walking with Women in South Asia
The continuous reported cases of savage rape in India were a shock to the international society recently. The violence, discrimination and inequality faced by women in India are also common in other South Asia nations, such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Being restrained by the traditional caste system, religious culture, poverty and gender inequality, South Asia women usually find it very difficult to recognise and live out one’s self value and dignity.
How can churches and Christians respond to the distress of women in South Asia? In light of the ministries and services of our local Christian partners among poor women and communities in India, we will try to explore how Christianity is related to Caring for the disadvantaged communities and how HK Christians can walk with them together.
Date> 28 March 2013 (Thursday)
Time> 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Venue> Room 501, Rightful Centre, 12 Tak Hing Street, Kowloon
Registration> Online registration. Free of charge. (Deadline: 21 March)
Enquiry> Please call Mr. Wu at 2381 9627, or send email to sharing@cedarfund.org
Remark> You are welcome to make an appointment with us to share this topic in your churches or cell groups.
Integral Alliance
[Annual Report 2011-2012] Networking
Review of 2011 to 2012
In past ten years, different Christian relief and development organisations around the world started to build up the network among them in order to respond to the increasing disasters and poverty issues more effectively. Under this context Integral Alliance (IA) was formed. In 2011, IA has had a three-year strategic working plan from 2012 to 2015, to provide quicker and proper relief response and post-disaster rehabilitation to any disaster around world through improving the communication system and setting up the relief operating guidelines among alliance’s member agencies.
In May 2012, IA updated the communication systems. Member agencies can now get more updated information and give response to different disasters through the internet platform. In June 2012, member agencies for first time used the new internet platform and communication system to discuss and coordinate the humanitarian relief on Sudan’s conflict.
18 global Christian relief and development organisations join Integral Alliance
Jackson’s Sharing
‘The official launch of the Integral Alliance Disaster Response in May 2012 set a new milestone of a joint international effort among 18 international Christian relief and development agencies of Integral Alliance. The new process coordinates and facilitates members to quickly disseminate the latest information about disasters and proposals of relief operations to other members for speedy and well-coordinated responses, maximizing resources and minimizing on redundancy. With different specialties and geographical focus, the process secures prayer and tangible assistance from members and their network which may not have the information or channels to do so. This partnership and servant heart among member agencies make Integral Alliance something special. It is more than being merely functional. There is a spiritual bond and a sense of fellowship that attests to the reality of Emmanuel—God with us.’