Category: Focus

‘Share 248’ – Learning Brings Hope amid the Gunfire

Written by Ness Ma (Communications Officer) In Hong Kong, it is common to see students carrying school bags and playing with their classmates on the streets before and after class. It seems ordinary, but it is not a must that students can go to school safely without worrying about sudden attacks. In other parts of the world, children may be unable to go to school safely. Since the coup d’état in Myanmar began in February 2021, the country has been engulfed in ongoing conflicts. In January 2023, the UN reported that after two years of coup d’état, over 34,000 civilian buildings, including homes, clinics, schools, and places of worship, have been destroyed in Myanmar. The country has 1.2

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‘SHARE 247’ – THE AES GIRLS WE ENCOUNTERED IN NEPAL

Written by: Ness Ma (Communications Officer) My colleagues and I had a trip to Nepal. We met our partner (Samari Utthan Sewa) in the southern part of the country for a new project, ‘Prevention of Trafficking and Exploitation of Women and Girls in the Adult Entertainment Sector’. We would like to know the progress of the newly launched project on-site. Unexpectedly, one of the stops turned out to be a visit to a ‘nightclub’. We were overwhelmed by the raucous singing and accompaniment in the nightclub that we had to shout to hear each other. Almost every customer around us was puffing out clouds of smoke. They walked up to the stage and swayed their bodies to the

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‘Share’ 246-Transformational Mindset for the Change and Growth in the Community

Written by: Ness Ma (Communications Officer) Two cows are eating grass in the cowshed. Mixed feelings arise when Pastor Francois sees such a scene; nevertheless, a few years ago, owning two cows was impossible for him and his family, no matter how hard they tried. To him, this is a miracle of God. Looking back upon his life, Pastor Francois finds himself a 48 years old man coming from a poor farming village. With six children and a wife to raise, his meagre income could barely support his family expenditure. When the family’s financial stress had been tremendous already, there would not be any extra savings for livestock that help sustainable agriculture. In Karongi District, located in western

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When Human Lives are Sold Online

Written by: Ness Ma (Communications Officer) ‘I used to live with my grandparents, my father and my three younger sisters.’ At an interview with CEDAR, Banya (pseudonym) sat on a wooden chair. With a microphone in his hand, he told us about his family members with shyness and purity in his eyes. He did not look any different to other children of his age. However, this ordinary child recounted his extraordinary experience a few moments later. ‘A year after I came to Chiang Mai, I was betrayed by a friend and fell into the hands of human traffickers. I was locked in a room, forced to prostitute, and beaten.’ Every year, children in different corners of the world

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Agricultural Revolution in Progress

Written by Lai Ka Chun (Senior Programme Officer)  ‘Around three years ago, my fields looked just like this,’ said James Shawa, a farmer from Zimbabwe, Southern Africa, pointing to a neighbouring cornfield with withered, yellow leaves. For days, he worried that he would not have a good harvest. However, when he adopted a new farming method, his corn grew after hard work and dedication. The crop James had wished for finally arrived. ‘We use the resources that the Lord has given us, and we receive His blessings,’ James said while putting freshly picked corn onto the firewood. Through the smoke, James and his children smiled. Nearly 70% of the African population rely on farming for a living. A

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Peace in Turbulent Regions of Myanmar

Written by Edward Lai (Senior Communications Officer) ‘Our dream has come true! We may have our new house very soon. We now come here every day to help build the house.’ Mg Byar Woo, a ten-year-old boy in Myanmar said excitedly.  He invited CEDAR Fund’s partner, Fullmoon Family Foundation (FMFF), to his current temporary shelter and said, ‘every family has only a small living space. We sleep and cook in the same room.’ His family slept on the same narrow bamboo bed with neatly folded sheets.  Though the temporary shelter was crowded, at least he and his family were safe. In his mind, not only his family was safe, but also over 40 other Lisu families, who had

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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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CONTINUALLY INSPIRED, UNCHANGING MISSION

Written by: Edward Lai  (Senior Communications Officer) A Haitian woman sits on the floor beside several circular mud cakes. She rubs pieces of dust off the mud cakes, and slowly puts the cakes into her mouth, chewing slowly. To her, and to many other Haitians living in poverty, these cakes – made by mixing mud with water and salt, kneading the mixture into the shape of a cake, and setting the cakes under the sun to dry – were their daily meals; their life-saving meals. Our founders, Mr and Mrs Oliver Mark, were deeply touched by the sight of women eating mud cakes. They were in the UK at the time; after returning to Hong Kong, they were

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‘Go on Fighting!’ Interview with CEDAR’s Acting Chief Executive

Written by: Edward Lai  (Senior Communications Officer) When she was young, she walked through the northwest, southwest and central plains of China. She used to climb mountains and ridges; not to visit the most beautiful lakes and mountains or participate in cross-country competitions. She went to respond to the clear voice in her heart – to serve the poorest of the poor. For the past 30 years, she has never doubted or denied this voice. When she is exhausted, she is strengthened by her aspiration and carried on. She often says that she is just an ordinary woman, but the Lord lets her see the plight of the poor; this cannot be overlooked. Since last May, she has

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‘Give You this Calf as a Mark of Reconciliation’ – Road to Reconciliation after the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

Written by: Edward Lai  (Senior Communications Officer) “I give you this calf as a mark of reconciliation” says Innocent, a survivor in the genocide in Rwanda. He scrubbed the calf’s body with grass, held the rope tied to the neck, and handed it to the “new master” – the one who had tried to kill him with a machete along with other mobs. There are still many clearly visible scars on his face. Among them, there are two cross-shaped scars on the left cheek, one extending from the forehead down to the nostril, and the other from the cheekbones to the right side of the nose. When he lowered his head, there were also many scars come from

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