People in Hong Kong may not be familiar with a locust plague. Christians may understand better of the catastrophe because of the ten plagues written in the Bible, but they may not know that it did not only happen in ancient times, but it continues to happen today.
Since December 2019, desert locusts have been raging in East Africa, the Middle East, and many parts of Asia, including India and China. It is one of the most serious natural disasters in recent years.
Experts point out that the locust plagues in the past months are related to climate change, as warming of Indian Ocean has led to more cyclones and caused heavy rainfall in arid areas, thus creating more favorable conditions for the reproduction of locusts.
As many countries in East Africa have not fully recovered from the second-generation desert locust attacks in March and April 2020, they may have to usher the threat of the third-generation[1]. Locust swallows crops and greatly affects agricultural productions, and farmers are suffering from hunger.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in July 2020, Kenya has made significant progress in combating the second generation of desert locusts. However, the situation in Ethiopia, where our development projects are taking place, is not ideal. Some areas are still suffering under locust swarms from Kenya. In addition, the strike of COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the work against locusts, and the war against them is expected to continue until the end of the year. [2]
FAO also pointed out that desert locusts in Ethiopia have destroyed about 30,000 hectares of land. 85% of the working population in Ethiopia is engaged in agricultural activities. The locust plague has caused a serious setback to the economy, and more than 12 million people are food insecure. [3]
CEDAR cooperates with the Development and Welfare Organization (EGCDWO), a branch of the local church Ethiopian Guenet Church, to help the affected communities in the Amaro region to cope with the double attack of the locust plague and the COVID-19 pandemic. The total spending is more than HK$220,000. The rescue items include:
- Provide cash assistance to 1,250 people to buy healthy food
- Provide a pair of goats to 10 disadvantaged families, and provide farming resources such as seeds and fertilizer to 20 families, so that they can resume farming immediately after the locust plague is over
- Offer COVID-19 education in the community, benefiting about 1,250 people
- Provide masks and soap to disadvantaged families, benefiting about 20 families
We encourage you to support us to help the victims in Ethiopia, share the love of the Lord with them through financial assistance, and alleviate their hunger.
“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” (Proverbs 22:9)
Donation reference
HK$300: 1 month food supply for a 5-person family
HK$600: 1 month food supply for two 5-person families
HK$800: 1 month food supply for two 5-person families and farming resources for 1 single-parent woman
HK$1300: Provide one month’s food for two 5-person families and one pair of goats for a single-parent mother
Donation method
(Please specify: Response to Locust Plague in Ethiopia)
After donation, please send a completed Donation Form, enclosing with cheque, bank-in slip or screenshot of successful payment along with your name, contact phone number and mailing address to us via mail, email or WhatsApp.
Address: CEDAR Fund, G.P.O. Box 3212, Hong Kong
Email: sharing@cedarfund.org
WhatsApp (for donation matters only): 5160 7549
- CEDAR is an approved charitable institution and trust of a public character under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Please visit Inland Revenue Department website for details.
- CEDAR Fund will issue a receipt for a donation of HK$100 or above for tax deduction. For a donation of less than HK$100, please get in touch with us to issue a receipt.
- Please DO NOT fax any donation information.
If the donation exceeds the above mentioned allocation of funds, the excess amount will be transferred to CEDAR’s ‘Emergency Relief and Disaster Preparedness Fund’. The fund will enable us to respond to immediate needs, and support disaster mitigation in poor nations always being hit by disasters to reduce the amount of devastation.