Looking around the world, we can find that many people in developing countries have suffered from atrocities imposed by state authorities for power struggles. Every killing left all kinds of traumas on victims, making them impossible to look into the future. The ‘FOCUS’ of this issue shares how CEDAR’s partner in Rwanda healed the trauma left over from the genocide against the Tutsi and engaged in community reconciliation work based on cultural traditions. ‘BACK TO THE BIBLE’ explores the scriptural context of ‘Seventy-seven Times’, bringing out that forgiveness is the voluntary action of the victim, and seeking the truth is the basis for reconciliation. In addition, we share our children and youth development project that CEDAR has been supporting for many years in Zimbabwe.
Articles of this issue
Written by: Edward Lai (Senior Communications Officer) “I give you this calf as a mark of reconciliation” says Innocent, a survivor in the genocide in Rwanda. He scrubbed the calf’s body with grass, held the rope tied to the neck, and handed it to the “new master” – the one who had tried to kill him with a machete along with other mobs. There are still many clearly visible scars on his face. Among them, there are two cross-shaped scars on the left cheek, one extending from the forehead down to the nostril, and the other from the cheekbones to the right side of the nose. When he lowered his head, there were also many scars come from…
Written by: Bernard Wong (Assistant Professor (Theological Studies) and Associate Dean of China Graduate School of Theology, Board Member of CEDAR Fund) If a Christian has been wronged, other believers often encourage her to offer forgiveness immediately, for Jesus teaches us to “forgive a brother seventy-seven times.” We may think that a good Christian should endure unfair treatment, and ought to be forgiving under all circumstances. Did Jesus really mean that? “Seventy-seven times” is Jesus’ response to Peter’s question – “How many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?”(Matt 18:21-22) However, in the previous passage, Jesus had just discussed the situation of “if your brother sins against you”. Therefore, “seventy-seven times” must be…
Written by Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) In order to transform the society, we first have to give children a chance to grow up healthily so that they can become leaders of good character who obey God’s will. We provide basic life and human rights protection, learning opportunities and spiritual courses for poor children in many countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In the previous year, CEDAR supported 14 partners and carried out a total of 17 children and youth development projects. Among them, we have a 15-year-long project in Zimbabwe to empower children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in the suburbs of the local city of Mutare. In the first phase of the project…