Tag: Humanitarian Relief and Disaster Risk Reduction

Keeping watch on the unquenchable fires of war

At the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, CEDAR responded immediately and allocated HK$240,000 to support an overseas partner in providing medical assistance to the refugees. CEDAR’s partner arrived at the Polish-Ukrainian border on 1 March 2022 to provide refugees with humanitarian aid, health services and psychological and emotional support. In Poland, our partner also provided support to local families hosting refugees, such as distributing daily necessities to them, setting up information stations in shelters and providing services and financial assistance for Ukrainians who had fled to the area. On the evening of 1 April, we invited friends who are concerned about this tragedy to join a prayer meeting online via Zoom. In the meeting, we explained the needs

Report on Emergency Response in Afghanistan

Ever since the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization both decided to withdraw forces from Afghanistan earlier in the year, Afghanistan has been in the spotlight for media and news reports worldwide. As the Taliban swept through Afghanistan and entered the capital Kabul, the world is shocked by the scenes of thousands of Afghans fleeing from the airport. It is heart-breaking to witness Afghanistan turning into a battlefield raining in bullets. As a response to the recent situation in Afghanistan, CEDAR began its rescue work in June to provide relief to the people of conflict-affected areas. Through our close-knit relationship with the local partner, we have efficiently delivered emergency food and hygiene items to 320 families,

MINISTRY REPORT OF WINTER ASSISTANCE TO VULNERABLE SYRIAN FAMILIES

Banner photo: Syrian children use electric heaters to keep warm. The ten-year war in Syria has caused nearly 500,000 deaths so far. Over the past ten years, more than half of the country’s population have fled their homes. There are also more than 6 million internal-displaced people who are unable to leave and have to live in refugee camps. Many of them live in crude makeshift tents, and when winter comes, they have to endure the harsh wind every night under such poor condition. Seriously damaged by the war, no one can foresee when peace will emerge in this ancient civilised country, since the war has already caused 80% of the population across the country into poverty. In

The Invisible Victims of COVID-19 In India

When people in Hong Kong think of the pandemic, several terms come to mind: the safety of vaccines, the economic downturn, restricted gatherings and travel bubbles. To religious people, there are the added “religious gatherings”. Such events are undoubtedly the concerns of many of us in Hong Kong. However, for the poor living overseas, their main concern is not contracting the virus, but surviving. The safety of vaccines and travel restrictions are the least of their concerns. Take India as an example. In late April, tens of thousands of confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported daily. The number even rose to more than 400,000 confirmed cases in a day. News reports show civilians crying out in anguish in the

Pray for Myanmar

From the beginning of February, people from different industries and backgrounds have continued to come onto the streets, a site that is familiar to many. In Myanmar, there has been bloodshed, countless have been arrested during the night and news outlets remain blocked. At the time of writing, at least 50 protestors killed since the military seized control on 1 February. Sorrow, anger and fear have filled the hearts of the people in Myanmar. We pray to our loving and righteous Lord to hear and see the people’s plight and those who are mourning. Coupled alongside danger and instability is the global pandemic. This will only cause the people of Myanmar to become even more impoverished. Alongside our

The Letter from CEDAR | Jan 2021

Dear supporters, The new year has started in a blink of an eye. I am still puzzled about what had happened last year like everyone else. It seems that there were only “anti-pandemic”, “restricted gathering” and “number of infected people”. Every day we monitored these indicators like the weather to arrange our lives. People on the other side do not fare any better than us. Instead of being controlled, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases continued to rise. Needless to say, the pandemic has severely hit the economy. Many of the infected people, especially the poor and the elderly, not only lack care from family, but also do not receive effective medicines. Some of them even died because

The Letter from CEDAR | Oct 2020

Dear supporters, The COVID-19 pandemic has been raging around the world for more than half a year. At first, everyone could not expect that the pandemic is still not under control until this day. It seems we no longer guess when this pandemic will finally disappear. The rising number of confirmed cases and outbreaks are global challenges that everyone in the world has to face. CEDAR has always been concerned about the issue of human trafficking. Since the beginning of the global outbreak of COVID-19, multiple reports and analyses have estimated that the pandemic will increase the risks of women and children being trafficked. Let me take the situation of migrant workers at the grass-roots level as an

From Sewing Sanitary Napkins to Three-Layer Face Masks

Banner image: Theit Theit Shwee sewing face masks made by cloth (Source: CEDAR’s partner) “Kacha…Kacha…” Theit Theit Shwee, a woman from the slum area of Myanmar, sat in front of a sewing machine and sewed the fabric. She carefully wrapped the two white bands and sewed them with the fabric and finished making a three-layer cloth mask. This has been her daily job, making cloth masks with other women in the community center of CEDAR’s partner. Due to the local outbreak of COVID-19, Theit Theit Shwee, who was already over 40, immediately lost her job. She had been working so hard to raise her child for many years, but the pandemic has made her lose all her income.