Everyone’s Got a Role in Poverty Alleviation

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development)

At a morning assembly, we invited a climate expert to share. He mentioned the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ from the Bible and applied the characters in the parable to the context of climate change, prompting us to reflect. I was inspired, ‘What role do we play in the context of poverty alleviation? And what are our responsibilities?’

While reflecting on the ‘Good Samaritan,’ I associated the wounded person with people experiencing poverty. The wounded one was robbed, stripped of clothes, and beaten to near death, much like impoverished communities lacking resources. They not only struggle to get three meals a day but are also oppressed by unjust systems, suffering physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. The priests who passed by the wounded person without helping seem to me like those who, despite knowing the plight of the poor, do not offer help.

I was reminded of the story about a ‘wounded one’. A Syrian family fled to Lebanon as refugees more than a decade ago due to the country’s civil war. When one of their children was about three years old, he broke three fingers in an accident. Parents ran to hospitals for help, but they kept being rejected because they could not afford the fees. Three hours after the accident, a hospital agreed to operate on the child. However, due to the delay in treatment and unsuccessful surgery, the child’s hand was irreversibly damaged, necessitating reconstruction surgery.

There are indeed numerous real examples in the world like the wounded and the priests in Jesus’ parable.

Who does the Good Samaritan remind us of? That’s you, who are now reading this article, the supporters of CEDAR. You are willing to take the time to understand and care about the plight of people experiencing poverty and support them by donating. Just as the Samaritan had his affairs to deal with, you have your responsibilities and duties, and you cannot always be at the frontline to provide direct support. Therefore, the Samaritan entrusted the wounded to the innkeepers, and you entrust the work of helping the poor to CEDAR to transform lives.

It is, of course, that the inn would care for the overnight and sojourners. However, the overnight stayers would have to depart one day, and the wounded would have to move forward after recovery. This is just like CEDAR’s philosophy: we help poor communities transform their lives so they can see their role and talents in the Lord’s creation and provide resources for their establishment. The innkeeper (CEDAR) does not want the wounded (people experiencing poverty) to stay for the rest of their lives (relying on the support of others) but to help empower them to become self-sustaining.

Why do you want to take care of people experiencing poverty? ‘But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him’ (Luke 10:33). For you, like the Lord Jesus and the Samaritan, saw the needy and had compassion on them. And by working with us, through donations and entrustment, we have the resources to fulfil our command to love our neighbour.

The collaboration between the Samaritan and the inn created a beautiful picture. The inn needs resources to operate effectively: the cost of caring for the wounded, the utilities, staff salaries and benefits, etc. Without the compassionate Samaritan, the inn would struggle to sustain its support for those in need; without the inn’s willingness to respond to the Lord’s call, the Samaritan could not have set aside his work to care for the wounded for a long time. We sincerely thank you for your many years of working side by side on the road of poverty alleviation.

May everyone play their role and make everything beautiful. Glory to the Father in heaven.