life Inside issue 8 In pursuit of justice – Viva regional team meetings
page 4
Pioneering holistic protection in HK
page 8
A turning point for Cambodian children
page 9
Reuniting families after conflict in Myanmar
page 10
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SAFE
AND SUPPORTED The Operation SAFE programme helps children to feel safe, secure and relieve stress and fear after a disaster by using five principles explained simply through cartoon animals. More than 400,000 people – including an estimated 160,000 children – were forced from their homes in Marawi City because of ongoing fighting between the Philippines’ army and militants from Islamic State and the local Maute group, who first launched an
More than 2,000 children displaced because of conflict on the Philippine island of Mindanao have received specialist psychosocial support from our partner network, PCMN, in the last six months. attack on the city in May. Although a ceasefire was called in October, children and families in the area continue to remain vulnerable. As well as Operation SAFE, PCMN’s local Mindanao network has also established Temporary Learning Centres and youth-friendly spaces, giving non-formal learning and life skills training for 800 out-ofschool young people. Additionally they have set up five Supervised Neighbourhood Play centres for 1,000 preschoolers.
We are an international Christian charity passionate about releasing children from poverty and abuse. We grow locally-led networks who are committed to working together so that children are safe, well and able to fulfil their God-given potential. Last year, Viva reached 2.2 million children by partnering with 38 networks and working in 26 countries. Find out more at viva.org 2
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EDITORIAL
A Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you all!
As we look back on 2017, we are incredibly blessed by your support – your prayers and contributions have made a difference in the lives of vulnerable children in Asia.
sharing of our network leaders is a reminder of the gripping reality that the consequences of war is very much real and traumatic for the children in Cambodia, Philippines and Myanmar.
In Hong Kong, we have partnered with over ten organisations in Hong Kong to build child safeguarding awareness and organisational policy (page 8). We are thankful for them taking the charge in advocating the importance of proactive child safeguarding through practice.
Could you help us reunite the displaced children of Myanmar by supporting our Chinese New Year Appeal? Go to the back page to find out more.
We also heard first-hand experiences from our Asia Network leaders working for children in Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal and the Philippines (pages 4-5). We have gained much from their sharing and are encouraged to see how collaborative action can lead to greater sustainable change in their local context. I am personally touched by Kib’s experience in his struggles in working in a volatile political situation in Cambodia (page 9) and Leah’s tearful sharing about the consequences of war in Marawi, Philippines where children are left scarred watching their homes being destroyed and being forced to flee for their lives (page 2). We watch too often on the news where political unrest and civil outbreak lead to growing deaths and refugees seeking asylum. We’ve learned to blank out that part of the world in our minds. However, listening to the
In the coming year of 2018, we strive to empower our partner networks to respond to the changing landscape in working with vulnerable children at their perspective countries and raise awareness for proactive child safeguarding in the local community here in Hong Kong. We thank you for your support and prayers – none of this could be achieved without the collaborative contribution from all of you, our networks and staff. We hope you will continue this journey with us in changing lives for children at risk in the coming year!
Rachael Ma Office and Fundraising Manager
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IN PURSUIT OF JUSTICE
Fe speaks at the Justice Conference Asia
In October, Viva’s Network Co-ordinators from across Asia gathered in Hong Kong for a week of team meetings and also attended the Justice Conference Asia. Rachael Ma reflects on the valuable time spent together. A Typhoon 8 warning wasn’t quite the welcome we had planned for! We give thanks though that, despite this rocky start, all of our visitors landed safely in Hong Kong on time.
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The week ahead combined the familiarity of old friends with newcomers too, with a team comprising leaders from Viva’s partner networks in Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal and the Philippines as well as Viva staff based in Hong Kong and the UK.
We saw how our new-found network in Myanmar was able to learn from a wellestablished network from the Philippines in areas of fundraising, programme structure and people management. Kib, from Cambodia was able to share how the network can still thrive in times of political unrest and encouraged other network leaders who are, at times, dealing with similar challenges.
For the following days, there were opportunities to share struggles in working in networks, their successes and, more importantly, the children they were able to bless through their faithfulness.
Leah from Mindanao Children’s Ministries Network welled up with tears in sharing the sad reality of war in the Philippines against ISIS, and touched the hearts of not only her colleagues but also our donors at our
As a group, we were encouraged but also challenged to continue God’s calling to “learn to do right; seek justice [and] defend the oppressed and take up the cause of the fatherless and of the widow.” Isaiah 1: 17
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‘Meet the Asia Network Leaders’ event held that week. This was the same day that the conflict was declared over. She reminded us that these are not merely statistics but children are suffering and traumatised by death surrounding their daily lives and that the work is not yet complete. Bhabindra from Nepal shone light on the darkness of trafficking where young children are exploited and trafficked into Thailand and Cambodia. Many left inspired by the real life stories that are affected by the realities of war, poverty, exploitation and neglect. After several days of capacity building, the Viva Hong Kong team and the Asia network leaders had the privilege to attend the Justice Conference Asia and also host a booth at the expo. We built paper models to demonstrate how we work with local churches and form networks to reach more children at risk through collaborative action. It served as a great conversational piece that aided us in connecting with people who are unfamiliar with our work. Our Asia network leaders also took turns in running the booth to share about their work in the field with interested people. This year’s Justice Conference was themed around the topic of ‘Love thy neighbour’ and we as a team were encouraged by the work of many other NGOs pursuing justice for the helpless in areas of human trafficking, vulnerable children, poverty, abused victims and refugees.
Fe, our network leader from the PCMN in the Philippines, also shared in a session of more than 50 attendees about the rising frequencies of online child sexual exploitation where families are able to earn quick money by selling sexual images of their children to the high demand on the internet. They think that this is harmless as there is no touching involved but the network has worked with local authorities to rescue children from abusive families who care little to protect them. As a group, we were encouraged but also challenged to continue God’s calling to “learn to do right; seek justice [and] defend the oppressed and take up the cause of the fatherless and of the widow.” Isaiah 1: 17
Bhabindra from Nepal
Network Consultant, Justine
I’m thankful for the time together: the unity, the encouragements, the support of one another. It gave the Asia network leaders in particular refreshment and renewal, equipping them for the work they have ahead of them in challenging circumstances.
The team meet together 5
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FOR YOU WERE ONCE
DARKNESS BUT NOW YOU ARE
LIGHT IN THE LORD LIVE AS CHILDREN
OF LIGHT Ephesians 5:8
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PIONEERING
HOLISTIC PROTECTION
Kanice Ho talks about our partnership with Hong Kong Rugby Club
IN HK
Viva Hong Kong has been providing tailor-made child protection services to organisations such as churches, schools, and clubs for almost a year now. We are thankful for the partnership of organisations who have placed child safeguarding as a priority and are pioneering the concept of holistic protection for children in Hong Kong. Viva HK is currently
partnering with ten institutions including four churches, three schools, and three clubs. Our partners have begun to ensure children’s safety by implementing their child safeguarding policy. Staff and volunteers who have close contact with children are equipped with a better understanding of child protection and take appropriate action to aid and support to children at risk. Through our partnership with these ten institutions, we have an estimated reach of 10,000 children in Hong Kong.
What our partners say “It is paramount that our staff understands how to safely work with children and how to protect them from any dangers that may arise from working in a sports development background. The workshop provided interesting materials and provoked a lot of interaction and discussion amongst our staff.” Paul Smith, Asia Pacific Soccer Schools
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“Whilst we relied heavily on Viva’s knowledge, we still retained ‘ownership’ of the final child
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safeguarding policy. We worked with Viva’s child safeguarding adviser to produce a robust set of procedures to back-up the policy, and also to educate and train our community on why and how to implement child safeguarding in their clubs.” Robbie McRobbie, Hong Kong Rugby Union “Implementing specific, clear, enforceable policies about what is and is not appropriate behavior while caring for children is a simple way of being good stewards of the children God has entrusted to us. Viva has been incredibly helpful throughout the process of writing and implementing our policy, with great instruction and feedback, and they have always been available to provide help.” Eric Scott, Watermark Community Church, HK
What you can do Viva HK needs your help to advocate the importance of proactive child protection in Hong Kong. It is our goal to see every child in the city to grow in a safe, happy and caring environment. For queries about Viva Hong Kong’s tailored child protection services, please email Kanice Ho at k.ho@viva.org
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I WANT TO HELP REUNITE THE DISPLACED CHILDREN OF MYANMAR
A TURNING POINT FOR
I would like to give a one-off donation (Please enclose a cheque payable to ‘Viva’) HK$ My details
CAMBODIAN
Name Address
CHILDREN One hundred children in north west Cambodia, who face neglect and abuse in their lives, are being given the opportunity to turn their lives around through a new mentoring programme. The Child Protection Mentorship initiative is being run by Viva’s partner network, PEACE Team Cambodia (PTC) in ten communities in Siem Reap, where poverty is widespread and child exploitation is embedded in cultural practices. The children who have been selected to benefit from the programme all experience difficult family situations and are vulnerable to being abused, physically, emotionally and sexually, or being trafficked to provide poor families with money. One 12 year-old boy being supported has a violent father. A ten year-old girl says she was raped in secret when she was younger. And another boy, aged 13, is unable to go to school, leaving him at a greater risk of being trafficked. Trained Christian mentors spend time gaining the children’s trust and allowing them to disclose, in confidence, what has happened to them. The children are empowered about how to protect themselves in future and taught a range of health and wellbeing topics including the dangers of alcohol and drugs, what happens during puberty, basic hygiene and disease prevention.
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Many children in Cambodia live on the margins of society, with their families unable to provide basic needs including shelter, healthcare and emotional support. Less than half of students complete their primary school education and the country has one of the highest rates of child labour in the region.
I am a HK taxpayer and I would like a tax exemption receipt for my enclosed donation Signature Date /
PTC is committed to giving marginalised and vulnerable children quality protection and education. It is a network comprising of 40 local churches and three child-focused NGOs who collaborate to reach children and families in Siem Reap. This year it has also hosted ten community-led, antitrafficking training sessions, using DVD material, for over 4,500 children and adults, which has increased knowledge of the subject.
/
I would like to give HK$ to Viva’s work across Asia
per month
Viva Network (Hong Kong) Ltd Bank no 004
Branch no 848
Account no 139408838
Name(s) of account holder(s)
Viva’s role is to support PTC with its proven consultancy and development tools, and to help train, advise, monitor, and support it through securing further funding.
Bank number Branch number Account number
A few children’s comments following the training:
I/We hereby authorize my/our above named Bank to effect transfers from my/ our account to that of the above named beneficiary in accordance with such instructions as my/our Bank may receive from the beneficiary and/or its banker and/ or its banker’s correspondent from time to time provided always that the amount of any one such transfer shall not exceed the limit indicated above.
“I have learned how to protect myself, and where people should and shouldn’t touch my body.”
Signature(s)
“My mentor always encourages me! I have learned that adults must listen to every child, and love and protect them.”
Date
“Normally I just drink any sort of water; I don’t know whether it’s clean or not. Now I know I need to be drinking clean water.”
/
/
Please return this form to Viva, Room TA07, 6/F, Woon Lee Commercial Building, 7-9 Austin Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui 1
Telephone: +852 3919 5867
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© KXStudio
The network is reuniting displaced children with their families and communities
A FRESH
START AFTER
WILL YOU HELP
FIGHTING
REUNITE THE
DISPLACED CHILDREN OF MYANMAR? 30060 Viva Life HK issue8 AW.indd 2-10
Following economic struggle and violent conflict, families in Myanmar are strained to breaking point. Justine Demmer visited the country to see how our new partner network cares for children and reunites families.
To a visitor like me, Myanmar has an untouched feel to it; there are no indications of international trends found in other Asian countries. As a newly ‘opened’ nation, tourism remains largely locallyfocused rather than foreign. For the last few years, the country has been transitioning from military rule to a system of democracy after decades of isolation and internal fighting. Due to politics and fighting, two-thirds of births have not officially been reported and consequently many children do not officially exist in the eyes of society. Even before the current Rohingya refugee crisis more than half a million people had fled their homes; over a third of these children. Witnesses to atrocity and sometimes victims of violence themselves, these children lead intensely stressful lives, deprived of shelter, protection, access to education and the most basic social services. Many of these children are orphans but more have been separated from their families and communities through outbreaks of violence, the burning of their villages, landslides or being sent away to safety. Vulnerable children have found their way into the city and are living on the streets or have been taken into care. In Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, it is estimated that more than 6,000 children live in unregistered institutions.
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These homes are often called orphanages, but it is likely that 75 per cent of these children have a living relative. Although these institutions have been started through a genuine desire to assist displaced children, carers are mostly untrained and ill-equipped for the task, and, for fear of government interference, institutions remain unregistered. I’m here in Myanmar to meet with the team at the Children’s Development Family Network, which comprises 20 Christian NGOs and children’s projects in Yangon. Its primary aim is to care for displaced children while working to reunite them with their families and communities. The network’s co-ordinator Ni Sat Thloo has a great deal of experience building strong relationships of trust between different players involved. Over the last two years, the network has offered information sessions and substantial training to displaced families and their children to assist them in restarting their lives. Viva connected with the network for the first time last year. I very much enjoyed our latest training day that gathered leaders from 14 orphanages together to discuss the value of family, working together and assessing issues facing children. It was not surprising to hear that they rated family breakdown as the single biggest crisis affecting children in Myanmar. Under such dire conflict situations, it is the family that suffers most: homes are destroyed, breadwinners killed and children traumatised and unsettled. Families often break apart as a means of survival, or the result of the emotional strain. Ni Sat herself has become mother to her two nephews after her sister and brother-in-law were killed for suspected political intrigue – while in fact they were gathering displaced and lost children living in the forest regions where conflict was still rife. There are many distinct ethnic communities in Myanmar, and original families need to be located for children or a child needs to be reintegrated as a member of their own ethnic community. Various engagements allow the child and the family to become reacquainted, and to establish strong, trusting relationships and connections between the village leaders, village community, parents and children.
Leaders of orphanages talk about the way forward
“IT BREAKS MY HEART TO SEE WHAT THE CHILDREN OF MYANMAR ARE ENDURING.” Young people are empowered to serve their own community in some way, which requires skills training in areas such as farming, and mentorship. It is key to develop the children to become confident and capable, which reduces their vulnerability from falling victim again to exploitation. The situation of children living in refugee camps has also motivated the network to begin response activities with them, and we hope they too can be reunited with family and helped to cope with trauma no child should have to endure. To address a lack of basic childcare and organisational skills, the network will implement Viva’s Quality Improvement System (QIS) programme. This will increase members’ capability in the areas of finance, governance, programme design, people care, child protection and child wellbeing. During the two-year QIS course, participants will identify two areas for improvement in each category and implement changes. I’ve seen the network’s passion, drive and Godly vision and, talking with Ni Sat, she says she’s excited by the prospect of greater working together. Please pray for the Children’s Development Family Network’s valuable Kingdom ministry. Justine Demmer is Viva’s Network Consultant for Asia 11
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REUNITING
THE DISPLACED CHILDREN OF
MYANMAR
As the weather becomes cooler in Hong Kong, the season of hot pots and poon choi (big bowl feast) has arrived which are all hallmarks of family gatherings for Chinese families leading up to Chinese New Year. As you gather with your families to celebrate the coming of a new year, we want to invite you to remember and consider contributing a portion of lai see/red packet money to help Viva reunite displaced children affected by the military rule in Myanmar with their families and their ethnic groups. Many as young as 14 are kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers for the military and when the military disbanded in 2011, many are left to survive on the streets of Yangon.
You can support Viva’s work in Myanmar by using the response form in this Life magazine or at viva.org/CNYAppeal2018 Viva, Room TA07, 6/F, Woon Lee Commercial Building, 7-9 Austin Avenue,Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong t: +852 3919 5867
FACEBOOK.COM/VIVATOGETHERHK Mixed Sources Product group from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fibre. www.fsc.org Cert No. SA-COC-09174
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Front cover: Indigo Skies Photography Front cover (inset): KXStudio
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HK@VIVA.ORG
VIVA.ORG
Viva is an operating name of Viva Network (Hong Kong) Limited. Viva Network (Hong Kong) Limited is a company limited by guarantee and registered charity with company no.1657942, and registered in Hong Kong SAR at 22/F Siu On Building, 243-245 Des Vouex Road West, Hong Kong Any children referred to have had their names and photos changed in accordance with our Child Protection Policy.
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