God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

03/29/2010 • 11:34 pm Comments Off on 29.03.2010 Holy Week

29.03.2010 Holy Week

For us Christian began the Holy Week, ending with Easter Sunday. But instead of having time of meditating the mysteries of the week, the time is packed with meetings, appointments and also liturgy. But the day started on a very sad note: Rainer H. from Switzerland died suddenly and unexpected, just returned home last week from Cape Town in his home country Switzerland. It is always a shock to learn about such news – he was a very special man. And my thoughts and prayers are with Sue and all the family.

And with such a death, the message of Easter becomes very actual as we believe that death is not the end but only a passing over to a new stage in life. Do we really believe it? And if we do so, what does that mean for our life here on earth?

For once I am sure: Rainer and Sues activities towards HOPE Cape Town meant hope and future for a lot of people – and I can pray that he will be rewarded for all he has done for our patients, but also for the sick participating in the pilgrimage to Lourdes over the years. R.I.P or better: Live in the joy of God.

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

03/25/2010 • 10:34 pm Comments Off on 25.03.2010 Safe House and Rome is calling

25.03.2010 Safe House and Rome is calling

Tomorrow, a representative of the “Romantic Hotel Group” is visiting HOPE Cape Town together with Joachim Franz and Sandra Wukowich. HOPE Cape Town will be presented with the first sign marking us as a recipient of the Safe House Fund of “be your own hero” e.V. I will go out and show the working of a primary health care facility, we will visit the family of one of our patience and lastly also seeing Tygerberg Children’s Hospital. It is good to have such networking and for the weekend, Joachim, Sandra and myself will stick our heads together for some exciting times in 2011.

Also on the POZ side, the initiative for HIV positive priests and religious there is some new development. Fr Wim and myself are granted a meeting in Rome with the secretary of the Papal Council for Justice and Peace. This is the second important meeting for Rome during our two days visit and I am looking forward to it. Things are developing in the right direction and it feels good to be part of this development.

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

03/24/2010 • 4:36 pm Comments Off on 24.03.2010 Ball of HOPE – 22.05.2010

24.03.2010 Ball of HOPE – 22.05.2010

This morning meeting with Anja from the Southern African – German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Adolf from the German Speaking Catholic Community as well as Petra from the Mediterranean Villa to discuss where we are with the Ball of HOPE 2010.
We discussed program, technicalities and the usual nitti-gritties connected with such an event. Since years the Ball of HOPE is one of the major social events in Cape Town with dinner, life music, dance, raffle and first class entertainment. Up to 300 guests can enjoy an evening of fun and laughter, but also of reflection on those less fortune than themselves. Having fun and doing good is the motto. So if you are living in and around Cape Town don’t forget to book to avoid disappointment. And if you leave abroad, there is always a reason to visit Cape Town as our mainly German visitors every year show.

The Ball of HOPE is a fundraiser, but the first objective is to remind people of their fellow neighbors, mainly poor and under siege with the HIV pandemic. For me personally it is an evening where we can be a like a bridge bringing people together who otherwise would never meet. Two worlds are meeting, living so much apart but at the end of the evening people go home with joy in their hearts and others have future and hope because of this event. We are blessed to do this now already for the 13th time in a row. Thanks to the fantastic people in Cape Town and where ever they come from to join us on this eve.

This years entertainment program will include the duet of a vocal star and a promising newcomer – performing together with the Brooklyn Holy Cross Primary School choir – a feast for those who will have the privilege to listen to them.

Welcome to the Ball of HOPE – tickets or more info via the SA – German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Cape Town or Petra @ the Mediterranean Villa 021 423 21 88. Or send me an email, also good  🙂 See you there.

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

03/22/2010 • 11:32 am Comments Off on 22.03.2010 Human Rights Day

22.03.2010 Human Rights Day

Yesterday we celebrated Human Rights Day – and today, thanks to South African law, we can enjoy a day off as this important day felt on a Sunday and consequently the Monday is a day-off. I like this law very much so.. 🙂

Human Rights Day is important, specially for a nation which must leave up to a constitution which is one of the most progressive in the world. But obviously the realities are in fact always different from the ideal of a constitution. Whether it is crime or HIV, whether we look onto our streets with all these horrible accidents killing hundreds of people every year – be it drunk-drive, driving without driver license or with a not roadworthy vehicle, the taxi industry like the Italian Mafia trying to enforce their might and power with strikes and AK 47’s – land reform or better the not even started land reform, the relationship between Xhosa’s and Zulu’s and others – our commitment to Human Rights are tested every day in South Africa and we fail too often.

I have the feeling that the Soccer World Cup 2010 has put at least a stop on it in the sense, that we haven’t fallen deeper in failing the Human Rights test. Alone for this fact, all efforts to support the World Cup have been a great success. But we have also now to look what will come after the 11.07.2010 when the political gloves are gone again and we specially in the Western Cape will experience the sort of political wrangle which influences the lives of the ordinary people and does not bring any good for the inhabitants.

Let’s hope that the positive push, we will experience from now on till the end of the tournament will produce a positive energy.

When I read the new national plan regarding HIV and AIDS; there is a turnaround which is magnificent. It shows that an energy was created to face the realities and to find ways to overcome it. It would be another South African miracle if we could follow through in the years to come and so transform South Africa from the champion of new infections to the champion in defeating the pandemic. A great dream, lets live it and work for it. HOPE Cape Town will definitely assist where ever we can.

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

03/20/2010 • 9:33 am Comments Off on 20.03.2010 What has child abuse…

20.03.2010 What has child abuse…

… to do with a blog on HIV and AIDS? This is one of the question I was asked yesterday reflecting on the internet presence of HOPE Cape Town. Should such a blog be linked to a NGO website? I am not sure what you think, but I guess, my answer is a clear yes:

First of all, all work is done in a certain environment, and even HOPE Cape Town is no purely Catholic entity, we are founded in the Catholic and Christian spirit and the German-speaking Catholic Community Cape Town takes pride in this fact and supports the project in many ways. I am as the co-founder and chair for the first 6 years – I am a Catholic priest and of course my environment contributes to my way of working with HOPE Cape Town.

And there is more to it – when I have groups from overseas, they are all shocked by the high number of rapes happening here in South Africa – especially with under aged and within families. If you look into the child abuse case scenario of Germany, you will find that 95% of child abuse takes place within a family and closed friends environment. What does this tell us?

I think, the complexity of life and living it deserves a view beyond the tea-cup I am having in front of me – we have to see major trends, we have to look into the working environment and we have to consider factors which may put to rest a lot of  prejudices. Only if we look at the full picture we can judge a situation.
That is the reason why I once in a while strain into other territories – commenting on development besides HIV and AIDS.

A last example: I commented on the economic crisis. Why? Because the economic crises, as also the war in Afghanistan in Iraq by the way, contributes to the fact, that money especially from the USA for research and development of new drugs combatting the pandemic is fading. Once again, we have to look onto the greater picture, otherwise we are losing it. Nobody is living on an island anymore, and what happens in USA or Thailand or Israel or Iraq has an impact on our work here in South Africa. Like it or not – it is a matter of fact.

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

Blog Categories

Follow God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE on WordPress.com

You can share this blog in many ways..

Bookmark and Share

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,711 other subscribers

Translation – Deutsch? Française? Espanol? …

The translation button is located on each single blog page, Copy the text, click the button and paste it for instant translation:
Website Translation Widget

or for the translation of the front page:

* Click for Translation

Copyright

© Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

This not withstanding the following applies:
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.