[ ‘SHARE’ Sept-Oct 2014 ] STEP INTO THE WORLD
About 1.8 million people in Delhi live in slums. Most of them used to live in villages and rural areas and migrated to the metropolis seeking for a better life. Yet, the slums are overcrowded, unhygienic and lack basic amenities. Most dwellers cannot find regular work as they do not an official identification. These realities shatter their “sweet home” dreams.
Continue reading Give Delhi Slum Dwellers the Hope of a Decent Home
[ePrayer – Pray for the impoverished families and children in Ethiopia]
There are 182 impoverished children supported by our partner AAGC. Also, there are more than 210 parents in 11 self help groups (SHGs). 7 SHGs started to provide loans for the members and this activitiy has drawn more and more people to engage in SHGs. A special programme during Christmas and Easter was held and former sponsored young adult were able to share with the sponsored children.
Pray for the project serving the impoverished families and children in Ethiopia :
Other Methods of Payment
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.
[ePrayer – Pray for programme in Afghanistan]
In 2012 about 22,000 persons have benefit from the programme. The programme has established self-help groups to give weekly basic health education, literacy classes and to advocate on issues related to gender, conflict resolution, female education, nutrition, disaster mitigation and management. In the beginning there was resistance among men to participate. It was difficult for the community to understand the idea of ownership and development. Now both men and women are realising the value of learning new subjects, which helps to address some of their most basic needs and issues.
Pray for programme in Afghanistan:
Numerous protests in Delhi broke out and there is now a global concern on the situations and rights of women in India after a female victim of a savage rape died recently. In recent years, Indian women have more opportunity going out to work and participating in politics, but crimes against women in India are rising too. Reported rape cases rise by 9.2% and trafficking by an alarming 122% in 2011. Each year more than 100,000 women are killed by fires in India. Analysts say deep-rooted changes in social attitudes are needed to make India’s women more accepted and secure. Many citizens queried if the political parties and politicians would take any actions to protect the women when the political parties in the last five years have fielded candidates for state elections that included 27 candidates who declared they had been charged with rape, as well as there are six elected state legislators who have charges of rape against them. [BBC]
CEDAR’s partners in India are addressing this issue on violence against women in their own respectively programmes. Our partner EFICOR is bringing awareness collectively among women self help groups on such incidents and to pressurize local administration with prompt actions.
Let us pray together:
Oh God, we are deeply aware of our afflictions and pains in the face of the death of a savage rape victim in India. We lift our hands in prayer. Hear us from Your heavenly dwelling.
May the victim be granted eternal rest in Your peace. May Your comfort be with her family and friends. May women and girls from India who have suffered from sexual abuses receive healing. May Your presence be felt in their difficult times.
We thank You for the quick response of Indian government and the law court. We seek for Your justice.
Pray that the offenders can have a broken and repentance hearts. Pray that the society in India to deal with widespread misogyny and take appropriate measures to protect the women.
Please raise up Your church to be peacemaker. Where there is hatred, there is always light from You. Where there is sadness, may Your church bring Your love and comfort.
Amen.
[Annual Report 2011-2012] Focus Countries
Review of 2011 to 2012
In the second half of 2011, south-east part of Ethiopia was hit by the most serious drought and famine in 60 years as the country experienced the impact of climate change. The victims lost their livestock and crops. 3.5 million people were affected. In partnership with local Christian groups, CEDAR’s partner Tearfund UK provided emergency relief in Borena zone.
15,000 people were benefited from the drought relief
In our children ministry we emphasise our walk with sponsored children and their parents in an equal relationship(relationship or partnership?). We are delighted by our partner Addis Ababa Guenet Church (AAGC)’s new approach. On top of providing basic needs to impoverished children, AAGC is now helping the parents to form self-help savings groups. Some of the groups have achieved good saving target. The parents are very exciting with the accumulated saving records and have gained hope on the future.
7 parents self-help savings groups were formed in 2011
Prospect in the Coming Year
In the coming ministry year, CEDAR will focus on responding to the need of impoverished children families and the challenge of climate change. Partner AAGC will start business training and micro-credit loans among parents saving groups to lend money to different group members at low-interest rate for developing their livelihoods, with the hope that at the end parents can meet the needs of the children.
For the climate change, CEDAR supports partner Tearfund UK to start a post-disaster rehabilitation project in Borena zone, including provision of livestock, training on cultivating the high-productive agricultural products, set up of water system, organisation of self-help groups and farmers’ cooperative for sales and marketing, to help local impoverished families to recover from the drought and enhance their ability on fighting against the impact of drought and climate change.
7,000 people will be benefited from the drought rehabilitation
Tracy’s Sharing
‘I thought that the Ethiopian are very nice and full of life-force. Although their livings are very desperate, they always encourage, support and help each other. For example, the drought victims will share their food aids freely with other victims, and the saving group members will try to help each other if any one of them cannot pay the deposit of that month. They do not want to be aid receivers only, but wish that they themselves can be self-reliant and get involved to improve and develop the livelihoods of their communities as well. What they need is the opportunity to develop their potentials.’
After the exposure monitoring trips and discussions in the past two years, according to a series of measurement, such as the human development index (HDI), Gini coefficient, political and social stability, uniqueness and the possibility of monitoring project, we have finally chosen Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, India, Nepal, Myanmar and China to be the focus countries for our projects.
