Category: Letter From CEDAR

LETTER FROM CEDAR | APR 2025

Dear CEDAR friends and supporters, How do you love both the oppressed and the oppressor? This is a question I have been asking myself since I first worked with girls who were trafficked into the red-light district in Kolkata, India. A number of them had been sold by their parents or close family members, almost all because of poverty. One girl called Ria (pseudonym) came from a family of six daughters. Her parents sold her so that they would have enough money to marry off the other five daughters since their culture required the bride’s family to pay a dowry. The parents were giving up one daughter to ‘save’ the other five, as having a husband meant having

LETTER FROM CEDAR | JAN 2025

Dear CEDAR friends and supporters, The UN Humanitarian Affairs Office (OCHA) reported in November that ‘2024 is the deadliest year ever for humanitarian workers’, with 281 killed globally. Relief work is getting more and more dangerous. At the same time, the violence against aid workers also reflects the fact that more civilians are being killed in conflict zones. Indeed, according to the United Nations, civilian deaths in armed conflicts surged by a shocking 72% in 2023. Four in ten civilians killed in conflicts are women, and three in ten are children. Conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls rose by 50% in 2023, an appalling increase. The Institute for Economics & Peace reports that we are living in

LETTER FROM CEDAR | OCT 2024

Dear CEDAR friends and supporters, Have you ever wondered why Christians give? The National Christian Foundation (NCF) has just published one of the largest research studies on Christian giving (a), i.e. giving done by Christians to both faith-based and secular causes. They find that givers aged 45 and above give because they ‘feel greater purpose in life’ and ‘feel grateful’. Those aged 44 and below give because they ‘feel more fully alive’, ‘feel closer to God’, and ‘feel more hopeful’. NCF finds that the overwhelming driver for Christian givers is their desire to ‘be good and wise stewards of what God has given them’. When asked about the most important characteristics they look for in a charitable giving

LETTER FROM CEDAR | JUL 2024

Dear CEDAR friends and supporters, At the time of writing, Hong Kong recorded its hottest summer solstice in more than 40 years as temperatures reached 34 degrees. I was on a call with our field partner in India, and he was sharing how they had just experienced a record temperature of 50(!) degrees. ‘It’s not a human level of heat.’ 192 people have died in Delhi within a 9-day period this month due to the heat wave. Even at nighttime, people can barely sleep because of the suffocatingly high temperature, and this has led to increased stress on people’s bodies. The extreme heat is particularly difficult for people living in refugee camps and informal housing, as well as

LETTER FROM CEDAR | APR 2024

Dear CEDAR friends and supporters, Someone once speaks of the difference between charity and justice: ‘Charity makes people happy but keeps them in an unjust system, while justice frees people from that system.’ At CEDAR, we believe both charity and justice are what God has called us to fight for, as together, they pertain to a vision of human flourishing that is part of God’s will for His creation. We are most grateful for each of you who is partnering with us in this Kingdom work. We believe in the power of partnership, networks and collaboration. We are delighted to partner with 58 churches and schools this year in our annual Red Packet Campaign to raise funds to

LETTER FROM CEDAR | JAN 2024

Dear CEDAR friends and supporters, Happy New Year 2024! The beginning of a new year is always full of anticipation and unknowns. What do we ‘see’? What is God doing in us and through us this coming year? How do we respond? While the word ‘new’ connotates freshness and hope, it can also take on a darker meaning. New violence and conflicts. New ways of human exploitation. Washington Post warns, ‘A historic rise in global conflict deaths suggests a violent new era.’ Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, Ethiopia, India, Myanmar ── some conflicts caught the world’s attention, while others remain protracted and unseen, with people suffering and dying in neglect. Even human trafficking is taking on a new face. The organised

LETTER FROM CEDAR | OCT 2023

Dear Supporters, This is the last letter I write as the Chief Executive. From the first time I nervously put pen to paper to now bidding farewell to all my friends who care for the poor, I feel reluctant to say goodbye. Over these years, I have experienced how the Lord has used CEDAR, witnessing His marvellous provision and guidance as we fulfil the Integral Mission. All of these have been beyond my capability and expectations, and I truly feel blessed. Every organisation goes through leadership transitions. In this era, finding suitable talents is a great challenge, but thankfully, the Lord has prepared the right person for us to serve as the new Chief Executive. Therefore, I am

LETTER FROM CEDAR | JUL 2023

Dear Supporters, For Dragon Boat Festival this year, Hong Kong resumed the dragon boat race after three years of suspension. As shown on TV and reported through various media channels, participating citizens, organisations and companies were very enthusiastic, and everyone was excited. Whether we deem it as a sport or a festival tradition, dragon boat appeals to many of us. My church had also formed a team to participate in a dragon boat race before, so I had personally experienced the team spirit that comes with it – with a mutual goal and a clear division of work, team members must work together and be in sync to follow the instructions while paddling furiously to reach the finish

LETTER FROM CEDAR | APR 2023

Dear Supporters, In all of the previous alleviation work that I did, plenty of the projects were around fundamental medical and hygiene health, for these are the starting points for all alleviation work. However, if I compare it with the importance of education, I would think that education is even more critical to solving the problem of poverty. While the importance of education has been recognised, the implementation remains a challenge, because unlike other health and hygiene projects, it does not have measurable indicators such as the morbidity or mortality rate. As Immanuel Kant said, education is the journey that enlightens reason and understanding, it helps us develop learning abilities and helps us find our place in the

LETTER FROM CEDAR | JAN 2023

Dear Supporters, Just last month in December, I went to Nepal for project monitoring, not only to review the local projects, but more importantly, to meet up with our local partners. The situations that they faced were easily beyond what I could imagine or comprehend by being in Hong Kong. The hard work they have put in to serve the local people often brings me great encouragement and touch. I am always encouraged by the pleasing results of what our Nepalese partners have achieved over the years, and there are many successful examples of community transformation, such as transforming women in grass-roots communities to have more opportunities to get more choices in life or to be educated; enabling