Written by Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development)
At the end of 2022, our colleagues visited our partner, Samari Utthan Sewa (SUS), in Nepal and met with those assisted by SUS’s anti-human trafficking project. The region faces a severe human trafficking issue, with traffickers making use of the open border between Nepal and India to smuggle Nepali women and children into India. They lure impoverished women with promises of job opportunities, exploiting them in adult entertainment sectors. Our partner proposed an initiative to further combat human trafficking, so they wanted to secure additional resources to launch the new project, which aims to provide education to impoverished children and adolescents, reducing their chances of dropping out of school and enhancing their livelihood skills to lower the risk of being lured by traffickers. Additionally, the project would raise their awareness about human trafficking, helping them avoid falling into traffickers’ traps.
Unfortunately, CEDAR lacks sufficient resources to allocate additional funds for the new project. Our partner understood our limitations and requested that we seek church support upon returning to Hong Kong. We prayed, asking the Lord to lead us to churches with a heart for ministry in Nepal. Despite keeping our partner’s situation at the forefront of our minds, we had yet to find any leads on locating supportive churches. Around April 2023, we received a call from Pastor Lam Yin of Lock Tao Christian Association Shamshuipo Church. Pastor Lam had not known us before, but he had come across CEDAR’s work online and proactively reached out to inquire about our ministries and explore opportunities for collaboration.
We shared the situation in Nepal with the church’s pastors and leaders. After prayer, they agreed to support the education project and were united in the compassionate desire to serve the local impoverished community. They arranged for Pastors Monica Wong and Lam Yin to visit Nepal with CEDAR staff in November 2023 to meet our partner and beneficiaries and understand the local context firsthand. We are grateful to the Lord for hearing our prayers and bringing together our Nepali partner, Lock Tao Christian Association Shamshuipo Church, and CEDAR to work together in helping the poor.
Pastors Monica Wong and Lam Yin witnessed the lives of the local impoverished people. They heard their life stories, gaining a profound understanding of the importance of CEDAR’s mission, ‘Beyond Feeding the Poor.’ They realised that while education and living assistance are crucial, only the mighty gospel of Jesus and His everlasting love can bring acceptance and hope to the neglected, saving them both spiritually and physically. To encourage the brothers and sisters in their church to extend this love to the vulnerable, the pastors actively shared their experiences with the congregation upon returning to Hong Kong. They hoped that the church members would support the ministry not only through donations but also by visiting Nepal to care for the beneficiaries personally.
CEDAR has always adhered to the principle of helping the poor ‘From Church, Through Church’ in its operations. We believe that our strength is limited, but by uniting with like-minded believers, we can collectively bear powerful witness to Christ’s love. If you feel called to serve alongside CEDAR, we welcome you to contact us and join in witnessing the Lord’s work in different corners of the world.
