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Author: CEDAR Fund

‘I don’t want to miss out on studying!’ said the Syrian children.

Written by Edward Lai (Senior Communications Officer) ‘I want to become a doctor when I grow up,’ said Bayane. ‘I really enjoy coming to the learning centre. Whenever I am here, I feel extremely happy. I never want to miss out on my daily study sessions at the centre!’ said Bayane, a 14-year-old Syrian refugee. In Lebanon, 90% of Syrian refugee families live in extreme poverty, a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, shelter, sanitation facilities. Refugee families are already under considerable financial strain. In order to survive, they usually resort to negative coping mechanisms, including child labour. Since 2019, CEDAR has been supporting the operation of two learning centres, ran by our

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Fortunate, Unfortunate, or Called? – Children in God’s Eyes

Written by Dr. Sarah Shea (Assistant Professor of Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary, Vice President of Asia Academy of Practical Theology) No one can choose their mother; we are accustomed to calling children of wealthy families lucky and those born amidst poverty, war, disasters, or disability unlucky. Is this interpretation of children precise and comprehensive? We suggest the contrary, that children are the called ones. Based on the Scripture, children are not arbitrarily manipulated by destiny, instead, they are the actors endowed with different missions in families and communities (Bunge 2001). In the Bible, the vocations of children can be varied, spanning from respecting their parents, loving the Lord, studying and practising the Word, and even teaching adults

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‘SHARE’ 243 – Peace in Turbulent Regions of Myanmar

Editor’s note: To bring peace in the world, you need to have a transcendent vision and accept the pains caused by suffering. Our children and youth development ministry has no absolute formula, but we have the determination to walk alongside, to care for and to watch over the suffering children. In this issue of SHARE, ‘Focus’ brings us to the scene of conflicting Myanmar to listen to children’s desire and frontline workers’ thoughts, and ‘Join Hands Join Hearts’ shares how we fill up the educational gap by providing learning opportunities for Syrian children. Moreover, Dr. Sarah Shea shares the meaning of children as those being called according to the Bible, and teaches us to receive children to accept

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THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | JAN 2022

Dear supporters, Year 2021 has gone, but we are still living under the influence of COVID-19. Life in the pandemic hasn’t yet changed. Additionally, the world is still very volatile in economy, society, and governance. We ought to keep changing our mentality to face daily challenges at different degrees, so that we can live positively with people around. One of my family members passed away last year. I understand how helpless and painful families could be when they can’t stay with and care for their loved ones in quarantine. By the time of writing this letter, over 5.2 million people died of COVID-19. We can imagine the enormous pain and regret their families are bearing. The COVID-19 tragedy

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THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | OCT 2021

Dear supporters, The ten poorest countries in the world today mainly lie in Africa. They have been suffering from civil wars, political instability, or internecine strife and hatred for many years. All these undermined their capacities to develop societies sustainably. As a result, despite years of international aid, these countries and their economies remain fragile. Some of the CEDAR’s projects are located in conflict regions, such as Afghanistan and Myanmar. CEDAR Fund supports local partners and church organisations to run development projects in these regions, hoping that the residents can acquire essential skills and knowledge to find resources for their basic needs regardless of any circumstances. For example, we have been implementing peace and reconciliation projects in Lebanon,

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‘This generation doesn’t want sectarianism’ – Lebanon’s Interfaith Dialogue Project

Written by Edward Lai (Senior Communications Officer) ‘We are all a pair of hands. Even though we come from different backgrounds – be it Christianity, Sunni or Shia Islam, or Druze – we take to the streets to serve this place together. This generation doesn’t want sectarianism. We are Lebanon. And we will build Lebanon again!’ These were the words of Mohamad, a Lebanese beneficiary of CEDAR’s relief project. Despite having lost his right foot in an accident, Mohamad picked up a broom, steered his own wheelchair, and swept rubble and debris off the streets of Beirut with his son after Lebanon’s capital had suffered a catastrophic explosion at its port in the August of 2020. Mohamad’s actions

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Cultivating Peace in Hong Kong

Written by Edward Lai (Senior Communications Officer) He is a professor, wearing various hats of administrative management in university. Although he is a busy bee, he always spends time listening to youngsters’ desires and struggles. Regarding the recent unprecedented socio-political changes in Hong Kong, he believes that there are still many things to do for the common good, and more companions are needed for collaborations. When we asked about his goal in the next ten years, he responded without a second thought that it must be cultivating the value of peacebuilding in communities. It is ‘cultivating’ because peace cannot be built in one day but years. It is ‘building’ because peace is not given but built by people,

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The Righteous will Live by Faith

Written by Dr. Kwok Wai Luen (Associate Professor of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Hong Kong Baptist University) For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ Romans 1:17 When I was a relatively new believer, I would sometimes come across this saying in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11: “The righteous will live by faith”. Seeing that Paul taught the relationship between the law and God’s grace, I always thought this particular verse was quite obviously about being saved by grace through faith. However, I later came to realise that Paul’s words were actually an

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‘Share’ 242 – ‘This generation doesn’t want sectarianism’

In areas rife with conflict, intergroup communication does not come easy, and any form of reconciliation seems even further out of reach. However, when we fall back on humanity’s most fundamental instincts – the desire to listen, understand, and accept – such dialogue no longer remains an excuse to judge others. Instead, it manifests into a space for acknowledging past mistakes, providing the opportunity for competing communities to construct a future together. Under ‘Focus’ of this issue, we travel to Lebanon, where we get a glimpse of the meaning behind interfaith dialogue and the ministry of reconciliation. We also invite CEDAR’s partner and staunch advocate of peacebuilding Dr. Kwok Wai Luen to share how the Bible encourages believers

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When Trust is Exploited: The story of Mitra

Trust is a good thing to have in any relationship. However, there are times when trust could be exploited, and that is when tragedy happens. Mitra came from a poor family and lived an impoverished life. When she reached 15 years old, the sister of her stepmother said to her, I have a job for you. Although you will have to move to another country, you will earn a lot more to provide for your family. Mitra completely trusted her aunt, given that she was a close relative to her family. As a result, Mitra listened to her and moved to a neighbouring country for work. Unbeknownst to Mitra, her aunt owned and managed a brothel. When Mitra

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