Scroll Top

Tag: Thailand

‘SHARE’ 254 – Rural Development Model: ‘Relationship, Relationship, Relationship’

Written by Winnie Fung (Chief Executive) If you ask a real estate agent the three most important factors for buying a house and determining its value, the answer will be ‘location, location, location.’ If you ask a development worker the three most important factors for rural development, the answer will be ‘relationship, relationship, relationship.’ When doing rural development, everything is about relationship. There is deep interdependence with nature and climate, significant identity ties to the land, and a necessary reliance on informal networks. Interdependence with Nature Most rural communities rely on farming, animal husbandry, and/or fishing for livelihoods. What the land produces is what they can consume. As a result, soil, water, and natural resource management is a

Continue reading

‘SHARE’ 251 – ‘Seeing is Changing’ – an interview with the new Chief Executive of CEDAR Fund, Dr. Winnie Fung

The Inauguration Ceremony of the Chief Executive of the CEDAR Fund was held at Diamond Hill Baptist Church on 3 December last year, and we would like to thank our guests and friends for coming to ‘See and Change’. In this issue of SHARE, ‘Focus’ brings the interview of our new Chief Executive, Dr. Winnie Fung, to let readers know about her insights and changes on the road to poverty alleviation. With the title of ‘Come and See: Bring Transformation’, ‘Back to the Bible’ guides readers to take a closer look at the Lord’s work to achieve the transformation of life, and ‘Taking Action’ brings us trippers’ sharing from those who have visited the minority churches in northern

Continue reading

Sharing on the Exposure Trip of Ethnic Minorities Church Life Experience in Northern Thailand

Written by Gloria Cheung (Senior Communications Officer) Contact with life has the most transformative power to change hearts. Last October, two colleagues from CEDAR joined eight pastors and members from Light Church on a journey to Northern Thailand. They embarked on an eight-day, seven-night ‘Exposure Trip of Ethnic Minorities Church Life Experience in Northern Thailand’ and visited four partners from churches representing different minority ethnic groups. These partners, each in their unique way, demonstrate the love of Christ by being the salt and light in their communities. The first destination of the journey was a visit to CEDAR’s partner Immanuel Foundation (IMF). IMF is dedicated to combatting human trafficking, providing essentials such as shelter, food and legal support

Continue reading

Children Ministry: Beyond Food and Education

Written by Rebecca Lee (Programme Consultant) When we speak of ‘children’s ministry’, the provision of food and education have been typically and extensively identified as the primary needs of impoverished children. However, after years of implementing our programmes, CEDAR and its partners have realised that providing food and education alone is necessary yet insufficient for children’s growth and, subsequently, their ability to make a living in the future. While many countries are now providing primary education for school-age children, the need for ‘children’s ministry’ remained crucial: institutional deficiencies that are deeply entrenched in social structures meant that children still face immense challenges despite having better education and a stable food supply. For instance, the lack of educational support

Continue reading

‘SHARE’ 250 – Quality Education Transforms Lives

Editor’s note: Children are the future pillars of society. Although this statement may sound cliché, this has been the goal of our work. And children are indeed the foundation of all societal progress. By offering children an opportunity to thrive, we enable the emergence of future leaders of good character who are after the heart of our Lord and fulfil His will. In this issue of SHARE, ‘Focus’ brings us a retrospective glimpse of CEDAR’s recently concluded quality education programme and how it transformed the lives of many impoverished children. While ‘Blessing by Offering ‘has discussed our children’s ministry programme in breadth and depth, ‘Back to the Bible’ has inspired us to rethink how our Lord has envisioned and

Continue reading

THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | Jul 2022

Dear supporters,  The statistic shows that more than 6 million people in Hong Kong have a smartphone. With the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst, people of all ages are accustomed to addressing daily needs using online tools. With advanced technology, many activities have switched out of a physical form: classes, bill payment, meetings, trading, making reservations and more. Technology has indeed made life a lot easier! However, as the old saying goes, ‘the water that bears the boat is the same that swallows it’, the advancement of technology has exposed the world to more crimes – during the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in cybercrimes. Amongst all the criminal activities, human trafficking is known for low

Continue reading

When Human Lives are Sold Online

Written by: Ness Ma (Communications Officer) ‘I used to live with my grandparents, my father and my three younger sisters.’ At an interview with CEDAR, Banya (pseudonym) sat on a wooden chair. With a microphone in his hand, he told us about his family members with shyness and purity in his eyes. He did not look any different to other children of his age. However, this ordinary child recounted his extraordinary experience a few moments later. ‘A year after I came to Chiang Mai, I was betrayed by a friend and fell into the hands of human traffickers. I was locked in a room, forced to prostitute, and beaten.’ Every year, children in different corners of the world

Continue reading

‘Share’ 245 – When Human Lives are Sold Online

Editor’s Note: Human trafficking is a deep-rooted crime around the world. It involves pecuniary advantage and exploitation of other people’s lives. It is not easy to rescue the victims of human trafficking, and the road to recovery for the survivors is even more difficult. In this issue of SHARE, we will explain the anti-human trafficking efforts of CEDAR’s partners in different parts of the world. The section ‘Focus’ introduces CEDAR’s new anti-trafficking partner in Thailand. The ‘Learn a Little More’ section talks about the methods used by our partners in India in their fight against human trafficking. In ‘Join Hands Join Hearts’, several child survivors of human trafficking expressed their aspirations using pictures and words. The ‘Back to

Continue reading

Advocacy for Thailand Karen Minority Rights (Year 1 of Year 3)

Project Name Advocacy for Thailand Karen Minority Rights (Year 1 of Year 3) Project Location Thailand Project Natures Church and Community Mobilisation Creation Care Project Objectives Protect the rights of local people and communities by developing and strengthening the Karen Network for Human Rights (KNHR). Beneficiaries 36 leaders from the Thailand Karen Baptist Convention (TKBC) 900 KNHR members 11,123 community leaders No. of Beneficiaries 12,059 Key Activities Environmental awareness training: field visits and training related to environmental protection. Forums: organise small group discussions on Karen community rights. Leadership training on building peace and the role of churches. Collecting data on land management and usage. Project Period July 2023 to Jun 2026 Expenses Approx. HK$622,520 Donate Now PARTNER INFORMATION

Continue reading

Thai-Myanmar Border Development

Project Name Thai-Myanmar Border Development   Project Location Thailand Project Natures Urban and Rural Development Church and Community Mobilisation Project Objectives Facilitate the learning process of the Lahu community in anti-human trafficking, anti-drug abuse, health and hygiene, and livelihood development. Promote the physical and mental health of the Lahu community and build a healthy living environment for them (providing water and waste management, reducing chemical use, improving food security, protecting the natural environment, and eliminating drug addiction and domestic violence). Help the Lahu people understand their situation, protect themselves from becoming victims of human trafficking and enable the younger generation to enjoy their rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Promote Lahu’s strong faith

Continue reading