[ ‘SHARE’ Sept-Oct 2014 ] TAKING ACTION
Written by: Samantha Wong
It is hard to maintain one’s beliefs and dreams in a stifling society. Instead of blindly following the world in aiming for a good job, it is better to spend time identifying one’s purpose in life and run towards one’s goal. I decided to spend my gap year seeing and delving into Father God’s world, and I had the precious opportunity of spending three months at CEDAR.
[ePrayer – Pray for the impoverished communities in Brazil]
Brazilian street artist Paulo Ito crystallizes Brazillian’s frustration over the World Cup event: A hungry child sits with his eating utensils at the dining table, cries when his plate comes bearing not food but a soccer ball.
All people around the world are earnestly looking forward to the kickoff of Brazil World Cup 2014 on 12 June. However, behind the Event, apart from the subway train strikes that hit the newspaper headline recently, the desperate situation of local slums, ongoing unresolved livelihood issues and corruption seen at all levels demand our attention.
Brazil ranks the world’s seventh biggest economy and is even the biggest one in South America, but ironically is also at the top of the list of income disparity. Local communities have always been suffering from chronic poor education, shortage of medical service, unsafe living environment and corruption. Although in the last 5 years the Brazilian government has continuously increased the expenditure on education, medical care, housing and social assistance, the Brazilians are frustrated at their government spending $13 billion in hosting this year’s World Cup event.
To ensure a safe environment for the World Cup event and its travelers, the Brazilian police has set up a special task force since 2008 to clear up drug trafficking and triad activities in the slums of the major cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Their actions seems effective and the security seems improving, but the drug dealers are in fact still active on the sly. Most slum residents feel even more unsafe with the way how the police uses their power. Police can shoot anyone they suspect, including the civilians and the innocent children.
After the World Cup, Brazil will continue to prepare for her next hosting event, Rio 2016 Olympics. Pray that Brazilian government will actively respond to the basic demands of her people, improve their living conditions and the environment in the slum areas, and seriously attend to the corruption widely seen in the country. [The Financial Times, news.com.au, The Washington Post]
Meditation on Scriptures:
‘Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labour. He says, “I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.” So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.’
‘Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?’ declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 22:13-16)
Brazilians love to play soccer, but the slum residents living in dire straits even yearn more for better living condition, better education and safer living environment. May we not forget the need of the marginalised communities in Brazil while we enjoy the tournaments. That is what it means to know the Lord, our God.
Pray for the impoverished communities in Brazil:
[ePrayer – Pray for Children’s Ministry in India]
Josephin Sheeba, living in the slum of Tamil Nadu, India, came from a broken family. When Josephin was six, her parents got divorced and since then she has been taken care by her grandmother. She has received basic need support from CMCT, a CEDAR’s partner, since her fourth year in primary school and also knows God through CMCT. Her life is completely changed then. With the help from CMCT, the scar in her heart is slowly mended and she was able to overcome her hopeless and desperate past. She has now finished her study in a bible seminary school and joins God’s ministry.
CMCT celebrates her 50th anniversary this year. CMCT supports many hopeless children in India’s slums. A total of 1,800 poor children receive basic need support from CMCT. CEDAR sponsors 204 of them through provision of food, daily necessities, medical support, education, vocational trainings, and also in spiritual care.
CEDAR’s staff visited CMCT this January and we are glad that most of the graduated children are able to further their studies in universities. Those who devoted their lives to God are probably the future of the society and will make significant contribution to the communities. According to CMCT, 150 of their 1,800 sponsored children still wait for a regular donor support. May our God provide for the needs of CMCT.
‘Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine; Make me a blessing to someone today. (Make Me a Blessing)’. We see how life impacts life in generations. Thanks to CMCT’s service that Josephin experiences a complete life transformation. May God bring changes to many more slum children in India.
Pray for Children’s Ministry in India:
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.
[ ‘SHARE’ May-Jun 2013 – Seeing It with Our Eyes ] STEP INTO THE WORLD
CEDAR’s partner SATHI conducts an integrated community project in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, which encourages dwellers to participate in community development. After several years, different resident groups are set up to organise and mobilise community development planning, gender equality promotion, improvement of community health and caring for underprivileged children.
Mukta is a member of the women’s self-help group. As a female she previously had little opportunity to express her views or get involved with issues such as community health, violence, alcoholism, drug abuse and child labour, but through SATHI’s women’s group and community health volunteer work, Mukta can now express her concerns on these issues and learn how to help families in need. ‘I am now studying a course for paramedics, with the hope of helping more people.’
Please support Bangladeshi slum dwellers to actively participate in community development:
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 new project]
Partner EFICOR has just started an initiative project in slum in Delhi. There are at least 900 households in which 80% of its populations are Muslims and 20% are Hindus. It aims to adopt a combination of direct service, technical support, advocacy & networking to facilitate community development within three-year project cycle. It will specially focus on right-based gender issues and children-at-risk, and will partner with Child Evangelism Fellowship to provide value education.
Pray for new project:
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 community development in Bangladesh’s slum]
CEDAR’s partner SATHI encourages people in the slum community in Bangladesh to participate in the development activities and they form self-help groups with their own leadership to set goals for the development of the area. Two People’s Institutions have recently finalised their gender policy and are going to implement in the community. Besides, People’s Institution identified 135 street children for enrolling into primary schools. These children have started schooling since January 2013.
Pray for community development in Bangladesh’s slum:
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.
