Banner image: The war-torn Karen State of Myanmar
Written by Edward Lai (Senior Communications Officer)
The situation of Myanmar following a military coup has captured international attention. Apart from mass protests demanding the restoration of the civilian government, tensions rise between the ethnic armed groups and the military junta. Myanmar is a multi-ethnic country, the conflict between the military and ethnic armed groups has lasted since its independence. Since the 1990s, CEDAR has been cooperating with Christian partners in Myanmar to carry out relief and development projects across the country to empower local residents to respond to different regions’ needs.
Natural disasters, war and poverty have been ravaging the country for years. Yet, we have witnessed many former beneficiaries of our development projects grow up to become volunteers in the home villages. They assisted in rebuilding war-torn communities and serving community members through various professions (as nurses, preachers, teachers, social workers, agricultural development workers, etc.) One of them is Nor Too Hei, the protagonist of CEDAR’s picture book “小希的月亮 —— 戰火下的緬甸少女”, who returned to live with her mother and serve her village as a nurse.
Why are these young people in Myanmar willing to abandon their vibrant city life to serve in the countryside?
Although the Myanmar government signed several ceasefire agreements with ethnic armed groups, history has shown that such agreements may not last, the risk of war lingers in the hearts of villagers. These young people have experienced our partner’s care and the love of God. They wish to reciprocate this in their home villages.
CEDAR believes that serving the poor is not simply providing them with necessities; it is about transforming their lives. This transformation is highly dependent on long-term commitment. We encourage you to support our ministry; through development projects, more lives will be changed and better equip communities to withstand various challenges in the future.
Project area: Kachin State in the north, Karen State in the east, Mon State and Ayeyarwady Region in the south, and Greater Yangon
Project period: 2019-2022
Project partner: Fullmoon Family Foundation
Annual beneficiaries: Estimated 900 people
Project includes:
Educational support for children and young people (including enrollment and school uniforms fees), youth employment and development training, women’s vocational training (including sewing technology, bamboo weaving training)
Rural agriculture development (including agricultural training, income-generating activities, provision of poultry and agricultural machinery), hygiene and health education, renewable energy technology training, soil and land rehabilitation.
Empowerment of local churches to serve the communities
