CEDAR’s partner in Afghanistan set up women self-help group for marginalised women. Besides savings, the members also learn about about health and hygiene
Afghanistan is one of the most challenging places for women to live deemed by human rights organisations.
The bodies of women are conceived as culturally obscene. A grown woman must wear a head cover, and in traditional families, a burqa, covering them from head to toe and leaving them just a tiny mesh screen to see the outside world.
Even the names of women are disapproved of, it is a disgrace for men to call their wives by their name; hence, the wives are addressed as “someone’s mother/daughter”, “my chicken”, or “my goat”. Women’s names are not even allowed to be written on their gravestones. [1]
[“SHARE” JAN – MAR 2018 ] FOCUS ~ Community Development
Written and edited by: Jady Sit, Jojo Poon
At noon on 25 April 2015, Nepal was hit by the strongest earthquake in 80 years. Countless families lost their loved ones, homes, and properties. Approximately one third of Nepal’s population, 8 million, was affected by the quake. In the midst of ruthless disaster, people responded with love. Shortly after the earthquake, the world quickly pooled their resources to help. Yet, when global news coverage died down and emergency relief phased out, this was when we began to walk with the affected communities, helping them to rebuild and recover their communities sustainably for the long run.
In the last decade, CEDAR has been supporting partners’ community development work in mountainous communities in Nepal. Our partners mobilised community members to bring gradual changes to their communities, from hygiene improvement to equipping women’s livelihood skills, so they can live better lives. Though the 7.9-magnitude earthquake had destroyed most of the infrastructures and work in project communities, members and leaders of village committees villages assisted in aid distribution. Their help was vital to CEDAR and its partners to carry out post-quake response efficiently, and it also showed the fruits of development work – villagers’ knowledge and collaborative skills.
[“SHARE” Oct – Dec 2017 ] FOCUS ~ Church and Community Mobilisation
Written and edited by: Tsun Wan Yan, Jojo Poon
The act of poverty alleviation often gives the impression of aid workers carrying with them gifts of livestock and funds sponsoring children and their education to some remote villages. However, have you ever considered that the local churches are better suited in bringing continued and sustainable development and support to the people in need?
Slavery is often thought of as an archived piece in the history of humanity existed only in the poorest corners of the earth full of conflicts and incivilities. The sad fact is that the total number of slaves is at a historic high today, spanning across the globe.
The Nepalese culture is strongly influenced by male superiority and caste system values. Local women, especially those in rural districts, are rarely involved in social events or decision making processes. Not only are they unable to express their views, they are also unfairly treated and bounded by various social restrictions.
[ ‘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:
HK$260/month> provides advanced training for 24 community health volunteers
HK$380/month> provides literacy education for 20 illiterate adults
HK$700/month> helps 10 women receive occupational training and start their small businesses
[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.
