These Children are Also Loved

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[ ‘SHARE’ May-Jun 2014 – Loving Care Passing On from One Generation to Another ] JOIN HANDS JOIN HEARTS

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Interviewed and arranged by>Jojo Poon

Last November CEDAR staff Chik Tsan-ming (‘Chik’) visited our partners Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT) and Trinity Project Trust (‘Trinity’) in Zimbabwe and met some of the children and families under their assistance program. To Chik, Zimbabwe is rich in natural resources, has good infrastructure and a high adult literacy of over 90%, but at the same time many vacant shopping malls and factories, an 80% unemployment rate and the typical day of having no lunch for most people.

Zimbabwe became independent and the white minority rule ended in 1980. The country then elected its first democratic president Robert Mugabe and he has been ruling Zimbabwe since then. After coming to power, Mugabe evicted the white landowners and confiscated all their lands, ruining Zimbabwe’s agricultural production and development, causing a sharp fall in the nation’s economy. Facing a weak economy and long-term debt, the Zimbabwean government printed banknotes in an attempt to cover the deficit but that only resulted in inflation in terms of millions and currency devaluation. High inflation, high unemployment rate and a high AIDS population all contributed to Zimbabwe’s poverty today.

‘I believe what the Zimbabwean children need most is an “identity”, legally and psychologically.’ Chik visited a local primary school in which two-thirds of the pupils do not have any identity document, without which they can neither continue their education nor inherit their parents’ possessions.

A staff member of FACT told Chik that her wish is these orphans could feel loved like other normal children. This touched Chik deeply. Yes, love is not restricted by blood relations, and although these orphans no longer have their parents’ love and protection, they are still loved by the church and the local community. We pray that the AIDS-orphans in Zimbabwe will truly know and experience that they are also being loved.

Chik was saddened with what he saw in Zimbabwe but he also witnessed how God trained the local churches to respond to the community needs according to the bible’s teaching, that the churches take part in nurturing and training the Zimbabwean children for the nation’s future development. Chik believes this is the ultimate objective of children ministry in poverty relief.
‘Join Hands Join Hearts’ Children Ministry Scheme

Present Our Love and Care to HIV/AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Zimbabwe

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for Children’s ministry in Zimbabwe]

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In Zimbabwe, many children suffer from the loss of parents and feel unrooted in their young age.  AIDS is severely impacting the country and many children have become orphans after one or both of their parents died from this fatal disease. According to the official figures from UNAIDS, 15% of the overall population is HIV infected.  The frontier NGOs even estimated that the actual infected figures probably hit 30%.  Among the HIV/AIDS orphans, some live with their grandparents or relatives, some are looked after by their teenage brothers or sisters, and some even are left abandoned so their childhood is absent of love and care.

Many Zimbabwe children feel unrooted because they do not have any identity documents. CEDAR visited a school in Zimebabwe last November and 2/3 of the 350 students there do not have birth certificates.  Indeed, this phenomenon is prevalent in the country. Many parents will not let their babies out of their homes because of traditional beliefs.  They believe there is ‘Evil Eye’ on the streets and their babies will be in danger once they are exposed to the outside.  Thus many children have become unregistered and cannot be promoted to high school education. The HIV/AIDS orphans even feel more helpless because they cannot inherit their parents’ processions without identity documents. 

CEDAR’s Partner ‘Trinity’ is committed to the education on the parents about the importance of birth certificates so as to change their rooted traditional beliefs.  Yet, with a limited number of government offices in the country, some parents have to take a one-day trip for registration if they live in remote areas.  A lot of them are unable to register because they do not have money to travel.  Trinity is planning to fund their trips in the near future so more children will be able to enjoy higher education and the other benefits that they are entitled to. 

Another CEDAR partner ‘Family AIDS Caring Trust’ (FACT) recently launched a programme called Buddy System.  The main idea is to pair up a HIV+ orphan with a buddy who is not HIV infected.  FACT encourages mutual support between the buddies, such as the healthy buddy can remind his/her counterpart to take medication on time. FACT hope that with this programme, the HIV infected orphans will feel cared and supported even though they do not have their own families.     

An executive of FACT said, ‘I wish that the orphans will feel that they are normal and are no different that the others, that they are loved.’  CEDAR supports the both partners through the ‘Join Hands Join Hearts’ Children Ministry Scheme. ‘And most of all be warm in your love for one another; because in love there is forgiveness for sins without number.’ (1 Peter 4:8). We hope all the kids in Zimbabwe will access to the basic needs and experience God’s love in their lives, that the AIDS orphans will be relieved from the pain of loss and unroot.

Pray for Children’s ministry in Zimbabwe:

  • May Our Lord provide all the needs for the children in Zimbabwe so that they can maintain their well being.  May our Lord not only provide HIV/AIDS orphans with medication, but also let them feel cared and supported in the community.
  • Pray for the Buddy System Programme led by FACT.  May our Lord grant wisdom to the organizing team so more HIV/AIDS children get paired-up and receive support.
  • Pray for the project of identity registry led by Trinity. May our Lord grant resources to Trinity and protect the children and their parents on their journeys to obtain proper registrations. 

Donate Now! Click here.

Other Methods of Payment

  1. Cheque payable to ‘CEDAR FUND’
  2. Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the Pay-in slip
  3. Autopay (only applicable to regular fixed donations), enclosing with a completed Autopay Authorisation Form (Download: WORD or PDF)
  4. 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.

Donation Form: WORD or PDF

[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.

Richness in Poverty | David

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ ‘SHARE’ Mar-Apr 2014 -Taking Precaution ]　CEDAR’S BLOGGER

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Authro> David Mok

After working in the pharmaceutical industry for almost twenty years; I left my career life in 2010 and went into study in a bible seminary for life transformation. After graduation in 2013, God led me to join CEDAR to learn how to be His faithful servant.

In the past I did not pay much attention to the needs of the poor but through the service in CEDAR, God shows me how He cares so much for those oppressed by poverty. CEDAR’s Chief Executive Dr. Chan Nim Chung often comments that the world of the poor only lacks material goods but is rich in other aspects. This is paradoxical and not easy to understand; until I visited Africa in last November.

In Zimbabwe I met a few students who receive support from CEDAR’s partner. Although they live a very harsh life, they always praise God and the hymns they sing showing their overflowing joy deeply touch my heart. In Ethiopia I visited a mother with her 8-year old daughter; they have only US$0.50 to spend each day and their home is virtually empty. However the little girl has an unforgettable smile always on her face, a smile that is not easily seen even in Hong Kong. These encounters help me to understand more about the Lord Jesus’ comforting words to the church in Smyrna, ‘I know your… poverty (but you are rich)…’ and His warning to the church in Laodicea, ‘…you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor…’ The situations of these two early churches are very different and worthy of consideration by the churches of today.

Almost one quarter of the children in Zimbabwe are AIDS orphans and their local communities have set up Child Protection Committees making up of adults who voluntarily look after the children, giving money, support and love. Their behaviour helps me to understand Jesus’ words to His disciples after His resurrection, ‘As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ Father God sent our Lord Jesus to be the Incarnate Word among us; God is abundant but for us, He is willing to share with us His all.

‘Sharing’ is an expression of God’s love. Our world too much emphasizes on the value of ‘possessing’ and it seems that we will need to go against the mainstream if we are to return to the teaching of the bible. I thank God for helping me to learn from the poor and pray that in future I will work harder to practice the bible’s teaching in life.

David is responsible for CEDAR’s administration and development work. Previously he was in commercial management. He joined CEDAR last August after graduation from bible seminary.

This issue

Remember Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS Orphans and Families

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for HIV/AIDS Orphans’ Families in Zimbabwe]

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CEDAR’s partner Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT) is putting its most efforts in Zimbabwe to care and receive HIV/AIDS-affected families and HIV/AIDS orphans. Recently due to a need arisen from service expansion, a new pastor has joined coordinating the caring work in Sakubva District. Long-term food shortage is still a problem in most families and many families can only have 1-2 simple meals per day. As such, FACT is now working very hard on introducing ‘livelihood assistance’ element into all its mainstream projects, for instance, the Income Saving & Lending (ISAL) programme. In ISAL, the participants are divided into different groups. Each group then agrees on an amount of money to save every month by every group member. The pool is then available for any group member in need who wants to operate a business of his/her own.

Pray for HIV/AIDS Orphans’ Families in Zimbabwe:

  • May our Lord help and strengthen the newly joined pastor so he can quickly adjust into the ministries.
  • May our Lord provide for all the needs (especially food) of our beneficiaries and maintain their well being. 
  • May our Lord use the ISAL programme to support and enrich the guardians of the HIV/AIDS orphans. 

 

Donate Now! Click here.

Other Methods of Payment

  1. Cheque payable to ‘CEDAR FUND’
  2. Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the Pay-in slip
  3. Autopay (only applicable to regular fixed donations), enclosing with a completed Autopay Authorisation Form (Download: WORD or PDF)
  4. 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.

Donation Form: WORD or PDF

[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.

Help HIV/AIDS Orphans Live in Hope

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ ‘SHARE’ Nov-Dec 2013 – Life Impacting Life ]　STEP INTO THE WORLD

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When her mother passed away twelve years ago, Sharmaine went to live with her grandmother. Sad and lonely, Sharmaine could not see a future. Education is vital to getting any job but her aged grandmother could not afford the school fees.

In 1987, a group of Zimbabwean Christians set up Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT), regularly distributing food and daily necessities to HIV/AIDS-affected families, and sponsoring HIV/AIDS orphans in their education. Sharmaine says gratefully, ‘FACT has been sponsoring me since second grade and I will soon finish secondary school; I hope to go to university next year and then become a lawyer.’

FACT also holds small groups teaching grandparents how to look after HIV/AIDS orphans, or giving children emotional and spiritual nurturing. ‘I am not lonely anymore because many here have similar experiences and we learn to support each other.’ Sharmaine hopes to help other orphans in the future.

FACT is a partner of CEDAR’s ‘Join Hands Join Hearts’ Children Ministry Scheme; we invite you to be a supporter of this Scheme and enable impoverished children live in hope.

HK$200/month meets one child’s monthly basic needs
HK$500/month trains one parent on money saving and management

For details, go to http://eng.cedarfund.org/children_ministry/

Donate Now! Click here.

Other Methods of Payment

  1. Cheque payable to ‘CEDAR FUND’
  2. Deposit to HSBC A/C No. 600-385678-001, enclosing with the Pay-in slip
  3. Autopay (only applicable to regular fixed donations), enclosing with a completed Autopay Authorisation Form (Download: WORD or PDF)
  4. 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.

Donation Form: WORD or PDF

[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.