God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

06/08/2010 • 10:10 pm Comments Off on 08.06.2010 POZ and more…

08.06.2010 POZ and more…

An amazing day – already on the road shortly after 6 am this morning and somehow I manage not to get to the office until 4 pm in the afternoon. My cell is ringing constantly – even during meetings I hardly can handle it… 🙂

POZ meeting, we have to deal with the situation, that the SACBC is not in favor of our pastoral work. Somehow it seems that all the positive response we got before handing in the official proposal diluted within the closed meeting of the bishops. We are still awaiting the official response in writing, but it is indeed a setback that bishops are against pastoral care for their own fellow brothers and sisters working within the church. Well, “never give up” is one of my slogans and we will carefully try to more detail our offer and to get into a dialogue which at the end hopefully brings a benefit to the church. I am again and again amazed how difficult it is to bring initiatives serving the wider community of the church into the church. Only dialogue can bring a solution – we don’t want to work against any bishop, but we also know how necessary the work is we have begun.

Meeting with the DED in the middle of the day – discussion around the “weltwaerts” volunteers and the rules of engagement to get the right one who fit into HOPE Cape Town. In between and during the day several interview requests, lots of response on the “Beckmann” talk-show and a flood of emails to be tackled directly.

Only the failure of the internet provides a break – thanks to Telkom and MWEB which are more and more seem to fail their customers every given evening. The TELKOM lines are rotten and MWEB tries to squeeze so much internet traffic through a narrow bandwidth – it is amazing to see that they both sell services they cannot deliver on…

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Reflection, , , , , ,

06/07/2010 • 11:27 pm Comments Off on 07.06.2010 Website and more

07.06.2010 Website and more

At 9 am my first radio interview for the day with a broadcaster from Berlin about South Africa before the Soccer World Cup 2010.  Then meeting at HOPE Cape Town offices to discuss the layout for the new HOPE Cape Town website. We are living in a time where the internet presentation is of importance. The discussion goes around details in layout and how it will be maintained afterwards. It is a very intensive debate. From Tygerberg back to town for a meeting before heading back to be ready for the next interview – same topic plus additional information about HIV/AIDS and South Africa. In between emails and getting an overview over the weeks agenda.

In the evening then a house mass @ Resi’s place – a tradition of many years. 8 people around the table, a service and afterwards a meal and a lively discussion ranging from soccer to the state of affair of our church. It is one of the occasions where I feel what it means to be a priest, connecting to people in a way, which is becoming so rare with all the management duties, a priest of  our days has to perform.

When I come home I realise, that now the talk show is aired where I was participating last Monday – well, let’s see what the reactions are in the next days to come… AIDS prevention and the invention of “the pill” – topics where one as a priest has a difficult stand in our days…

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , ,

06/05/2010 • 12:22 am Comments Off on 04.06.2010 Back to normal…

04.06.2010 Back to normal…

Arriving yesterday evening home again and unpacking – the usual after a week away. Today the morning starts with office work – so many email still to be answered, preparation for the weekend and sorting out all the commitments for the next two weeks. Then off to Tygerberg Hospital to attend the HOPE Cape Town management meeting, which takes most of the afternoon. Lots of interesting topics to be discussed surround new ventures, new approaches but also the consolidation of the existing: always that small little red line between conservation and new adventure, the proven ones and the trial phases as a consequence of new challenges. HOPE Cape Town is developing further and we plan a workshop in July to determine medium and long-term goals for the next years to come.

In the evening then farewell party for diplomatic staff – and it is good to meet and greet a lot of people I have not seen for ages. It is something I will never get used to: to bid farewell people you learned to like and to know and to work with and after a couple of years they have to move on as part of their profession. After 13 years it feels sometimes a bit tiring to befriend new people but I guess, that’s part of working as a citizen of this world.

A full day, and, as most days, too much is still waiting to be prepared, finalised etc.. Why days not having 36 hours is sometimes a mystery to me…

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, , , , ,

06/02/2010 • 8:05 pm Comments Off on 02.06.2010 Doha…

02.06.2010 Doha…

Arriving in Doha after leaving Hamburg this very early morning to fly to Frankfurt and to Doha on my way back to Cape Town. In Frankfurt I speak once again with the Station manager to assure that the airline gives me a hotel room as my transfer time is 11 hours.  Arriving in Doha I experience that the 5 star service on board does not apply to the ground staff. No hotel at the airport and yes, the IATA rules say that if the transit time is more than 8 hours one is entitled to a hotel room, and yes, Qatar Airways is part of IATA, but no, the rules do not apply to Qatar Airways. No hotel room – they actually don’t even care at all..

Well, of course I can apply for a visa, pay for a visa and then go in search of a hotel in Doha – assistance, no assistance at all – that is my problem.. . I guess, that this is the last time I use Qatar Airways… So I will sit now for 11 hours waiting for my flight.. what a delight..  😦
I got a frequent flyer card from Qatar Airways and I tried now twice to give it back.. but somehow nobody wants to take it here. Well, I will sent it back – so much for flying with arab airlines..

Besides the inconvenienced of not being able to sleep at all, the trip is has been a good one so far. The talk show went well, even I am not sure that my previous employer will be happy about my analysis regarding my “no-show” the last time I was invited.

The deal with the Udo Lindenberg Foundation, the contribution to the small 1-minute-movie-teaser regarding the Safehouse project, the meetings with Viola & Hermjo and Joachim & Sandra – all went well and hopefully the results are fruitful for HOPE Cape Town and the people we are looking after in the Western Cape.

Now I will start counting the sheep or the minutes.. 11 hours times 60 minutes.. a lot to count… hopefully I am falling not at the end asleep and miss my flight..

Filed under: General, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , ,

06/01/2010 • 11:59 am Comments Off on 01.06.2010 Chaos Day…

01.06.2010 Chaos Day…

Monday, 31.05.2010 – somehow a very intense day: Waking up to the news that Israels attempt to stop some vessels trying to deliver food to Gaza are stopped the heavy way: deaths and injured people and cries from all corners of the world complaining what many call state sponsored terrorism. And I must admit that I agree: Attacking boats in international waters with such a result has to be condemned in the strongest terms.

Hours later declared our German President his immediate resignation – what a symbolic act of defeat: In a time, where politicians in Germany and in Europe are not able to come up with one meaningful solution to stop the derailing of capitalism, where politics struggles to re-gain its position to put a framework in place for economic development – where there is one crisis after the other and nobody dares to tackle them honest – at such a time the German President – as banker part of the derailing process in the earlier times and in the last years trying to speak against it – steps down because he feels that he is too much criticized. Wow – that is a real shock for Germany – and it showcases that there is no solution in reach for all the problems.. But this is also

All this has obviously consequences to the talk show I was invited to join – forward and backward and at the end the talk show is tapped and will be aired next Monday – so there is time yesterday eve to discuss the retreat of the German President.

The talk show is going well, obviously my previous “no-show” is part of the discussion and I am not willing to cover up again. Truth is spoken out – not sure the person responsible for the “no-show” will like it. But that’s only a brief visit in the past – the situation of South Africa, the impact of the Soccer World cup 2010, the HIV pandemic is the main focus, followed by the anniversary of 50 years “the pill”. The father of the pill is part of the discussion – and suddenly the situation gets very lively when it comes to question of creation and of ethics and what we are allowed to do and not to do..

After the show still some time for further discussion, the Minister of Health of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern invites me and I have to admit that this province is completely new to me.. I never have been there before. Well, a reason more to pay a visit at the end of the year.

A long day draws to an end – full of news, excitement, concentration, discussion, meeting new people – full of life in all facets. For those interested: The talk show will be aired on Monday, 7th of June at 22h45 ARD German Television (Bei Beckmann).

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Politics and Society, Society and living environment, , , , , , , ,

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