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Tag: Anti-human Trafficking

‘SHARE’ 251 – ‘Seeing is Changing’ – an interview with the new Chief Executive of CEDAR Fund, Dr. Winnie Fung

The Inauguration Ceremony of the Chief Executive of the CEDAR Fund was held at Diamond Hill Baptist Church on 3 December last year, and we would like to thank our guests and friends for coming to ‘See and Change’. In this issue of SHARE, ‘Focus’ brings the interview of our new Chief Executive, Dr. Winnie Fung, to let readers know about her insights and changes on the road to poverty alleviation. With the title of ‘Come and See: Bring Transformation’, ‘Back to the Bible’ guides readers to take a closer look at the Lord’s work to achieve the transformation of life, and ‘Taking Action’ brings us trippers’ sharing from those who have visited the minority churches in northern

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Sharing on the Exposure Trip of Ethnic Minorities Church Life Experience in Northern Thailand

Written by Gloria Cheung (Senior Communications Officer) Contact with life has the most transformative power to change hearts. Last October, two colleagues from CEDAR joined eight pastors and members from Light Church on a journey to Northern Thailand. They embarked on an eight-day, seven-night ‘Exposure Trip of Ethnic Minorities Church Life Experience in Northern Thailand’ and visited four partners from churches representing different minority ethnic groups. These partners, each in their unique way, demonstrate the love of Christ by being the salt and light in their communities. The first destination of the journey was a visit to CEDAR’s partner Immanuel Foundation (IMF). IMF is dedicated to combatting human trafficking, providing essentials such as shelter, food and legal support

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Marginalised Communities Oppressed under Caste Culture

Written by: Gloria Cheung (Senior Communications Officer) Two of our staff members and two pastors from a church supporting CEDAR’s ministry visited the Chitwan region in Nepal in mid-November. They visited Samari Utthan Sewa (SUS), a longstanding partner in the area, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by Dalits, particularly vulnerable women and children. Dalits, labelled as the lowest ‘untouchable’ caste in the unequal caste system, are a group that is susceptible to trafficking and exploitation. CEDAR and our partner have established a community centre in the Chitwan region to combat human trafficking. We took a group photo in front of the centre. Two fellow pastors are learning about the latest developments in the ministry

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2023 CEDAR Barefoot Walk: More Than We Could Ask For

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) We thank our Father for how real His help is. The Lord has boosted our staff’s morale through the Barefoot Walk when society’s sentiments are low, and offertory levels are trending down. Preparation for the Barefoot Walk usually takes a whole year. This time, we started to prepare the Barefoot Walk as early as 2020. Before COVID, we were in talks with Abounding Grace Baptist Church to co-organise the Barefoot Walk and agreed on the route in Tsz Wan Shan. Unfortunately, the pandemic has forced a delay in the activity, and it was not until 2023 that the two organisations could join hands to make it happen. We are incredibly

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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

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‘SHARE’ 249 – An Experience Connecting with the Impoverished – Barefoot Walk

Written by Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) Awakened by Getting into the Impoverished’ Shoes CEDAR Fund organises Barefoot Walk, our flagship walkathon, every November. Participants have to walk barefoot along a designated route in Hong Kong. We have to prepare almost a year in advance to make it happen, including venue application, route planning, experiential activities’ design, promotional collateral production and event registration. One of the preparation works involves all our colleagues: our trial barefoot walk on the planned route, and it recalls my first day in the CEDAR Fund –‘Colleagues Barefoot Walk’. It was my first time walking on the street barefoot. Apart from dirtiness, I got worried about people’s gaze. Yet, I was walking with

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A Step of the ‘Love Your Neighbor’ Command

Written by Ken Wong (Communications Officer) The ‘Barefoot Walk’ is an activity that allows participants to experience the situation of poverty. Before the participants start walking, the staff of CEDAR Fund will first clean up the walking route, hoping that participants can experience the feeling of poverty through the ‘barefoot’ experience in a safe environment, thereby establishing a connection with the poor. In 2019, a volunteer named Brother Adolphus Yuen participated in the ‘Barefoot Walk’ for the first time and helped with crowd management on the day of the event. He was willing to volunteer, devoted his time, and donated money to sponsor participants joining the ‘Barefoot Walk’. When asked why he was willing to give both money

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Have You Ever Died?

Written by Rev. Sameul Leung (Senior Pastor, Ma On Shan Ling Liang Church) Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:3-4 Believers should all say they have ‘died’, because we are united with Christ in His death and burial. When reading these scriptures, Christians emphasise being united with Christ’s death and resurrection but often overlook the word ‘buried’. By focusing on burial, it reinforces the fact of death and highlights that

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Unveiling Human Trafficking

Written by Tony Chan (Partnership Development Consultant) For years, CEDAR has been sharing the issue of human trafficking and has found that many people misunderstand this issue and the victims involved. Let us unveil the dark industry behind human trafficking. Myth: All victims suffer from sexual exploitation Click here for the truth The forms of exploitation that victims suffer vary, including sexual exploitation and forced labour. The author knows a survivor who was once sold to religious fanatics as a sacrifice and was thankfully able to escape in the end. Myth: Only women are sold Click here for the truth About 40% of victims worldwide are men, which is rising. In addition to labour exploitation, they are often

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‘SHARE’ 249 – An Experience Connecting with the Impoverished – Barefoot Walk

Businesses have returned to normalcy after the epidemic, and CEDAR Fund’s ministries, too, that our colleagues can revisit overseas partners and beneficiaries. Yet, our partners from different countries expressed the same that human trafficking is severe and it needs more resources to combat. Therefore, the CEDAR Barefoot Walk 2023 is coming back this November with the title ‘Remove Price Tag, Free Body & Soul’ to encourage participants to raise funds for anti-human trafficking work by walking barefoot. In this issue’s ‘Focus’, three Barefoot Walk participants shared how the Walk connected them with people experiencing poverty. The authors of ‘Back to the Bible’ and ‘Taking Action’ led us to reflect on the importance of tasting the impoverished’s situation through

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