God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

02/20/2013 • 8:11 am Comments Off on

This story shows that Africa is moving sometimes in the right direction. And it is good news for those working in the fields of HIV, AIDS and human rights.

 

Gillian Felix's avatarPlain Talk Book Marketing

Congratulations Swaziland, for your courage in banning a tradition that has been in your culture for centuries. Now the real challenge begins… enforcing the law.

The marriage of an adult man to an underage girl is known as kwendizisa in Siswati.

Swazi pic“Swazi men marrying girls once the girls enter puberty is not a customary law. It is not mandatory. It is tolerated because it has always been done. But times are changing, and Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world. This practice has added to the spread of HIV. It is a great victory for public health and for the rights of girl children that this outmoded practice must now end,” AIDS activist Sandra Kunene told IRIN/PlusNews.

Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku announced the government’s intention to enforce the Child Protection and Welfare Act by prosecuting men who marry underage girls.

Sexual activity with underage girls…

View original post 573 more words

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , , , ,

02/04/2013 • 5:03 pm Comments Off on

Speaking up… that’s what we need in our work to combat the pandemic, and not to forget the blessings coming along with a fight like this one…

 

Speaking up's avatarSpeaking Up!

Dear HIV,

Today is 16 years I have learnt that I share my life with you. What a shock it was. At the time, it was difficult to imagine I would be alive today. Here we are in 2013 and it looks like we will have many more years together. It is pointless to think what would my life had been without you.I will never know.

I know that thanks to you I had to take a very good look at myself, and the world. I had to look straight in the eyes of death and illness. Thanks to you I stopped taking my life for granted. I had to ask difficult questions to myself. Recognise my fragilities, and my responsibilities. What was most painful: I had to question the possibility of love and intimacy. How difficult closeness becomes, when your body is a potential threat to your loved one…

View original post 477 more words

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

01/30/2013 • 7:45 am Comments Off on

Interesting read…

sbarns's avatarTuko Pamoja Mkyashi

the-wisdom-of-whores-bureaucrats-brothels-and-the-business-of-aids

Don’t be turned off by the name of this book. It’s meant to catch your attention, and it is clear in reading the book that Pisani has the utmost respect for the people she has spent her life working with. If she has any contempt, it is for the people who continue to propagate myths about AIDS based on personal beliefs and agendas.

The Wisdom of Whores is one of the most interesting and fast-reading nonfiction books I’ve ever read. It is very issue specific – talking solely about HIV/AIDS as opposed to “development” more generally – but the lessons it teaches more generally about how money flows in the development community relate to all major issues. Some of those lessons learned include:

–  When an issue becomes “hot” organizations will flock to it and compete for cash.

–  Aid workers often feel pressure to keep their issue “hot” and…

View original post 373 more words

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , ,

01/17/2013 • 4:51 am Comments Off on New Year Resolutions..

New Year Resolutions..

It is always the same at the end of the year to formulate resolutions for the new year, only to abolish them quicker than one can spell them out. For the last years I have done away with resolutions as they went the way into nirvana latest end of January.

This year is somehow different – it seems that the resolutions are more in depth -maybe also because being far away from home and experiencing Christmas and the New Year’s Eve with a crowd not familiar with on a cruise through the Caribbean Sea. So daily life and daily struggle was far away and despite being in demand by all the people trying to flee the Christmas sentiments there was time to reflect life and come to conclusions.
Realizing how much one is lived on a daily base, how much one is busy to run with all the expectations of people around oneself it is maybe time to be once again more “myself”.  Discovering yet again the one living with yourself since birth. Refusing to be bend according to protocol and demands of those around you. Feeling again the roots one has developed over times and not to be afraid to speak out – and let ago – depending what is called for.

Not being afraid to live the life one is called for – seeing the beauty and the beast in oneself and accepting that both are part of the deal. And being myself also means to be able to coop with all realities coming along the way – encountering those along the way in true fashion and honesty, embracing life to the fullest without getting lost in the process.

2013 will be a good year – and the resolutions may last for the whole year and open up new possibilities.. I am looking forward to this year and wish all readers the blessings needed to grow in love, faith and hope.

Related articles

Filed under: General, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

12/29/2012 • 11:19 pm Comments Off on Lucky I

Lucky I

End of the year is always a time to look back on one’s life, achievements and failures and the big question is whether with age also some more wisdom came to the surface.
Everybody must do this review for himself – for me, looking back I can only say: Lucky I or better I was blessed.
It was a tough year but I am still alive, lots of failures during the year, but I am still standing on two feet and feel growth, lots of great moments and still hungry for life, lots of love and I am very grateful for this.

The small moments made this year so valuable, the intimate moments with friends sharing life in a way one normally would not trust to do. The duties and services done and being able to touch the lives of other people. The sermons being not a one way road but begin of a meaningful discussion. HOPE Cape Town with all the great people working for and with the organization – even if there were tough moments to find a way forward serving those infected and affected by the pandemic. My contacts with sponsors and donors in South Africa and Germany, the HOPE Gala in Dresden, the Ball of HOPE in Cape Town and the invite to join the German AIDS Foundation in Berlin for the Festliche AIDS Gala.

Being able to speak to students, address groups, NGO’s , church communities and other entities – be it on land or on a cruise ship – it all made my life much more lively and beautiful. Meeting delegations, politicians, students, tourists – all interested in the work we are doing here in Cape Town – how good it is always being challenged by good questions and the interest in knowing it all.

Well, so at the end of the year I feel blessed with all the family, friends, supporters and even those struggling with me as they are needed to keep the boat of life going in the right direction. Thanks for all the good and the challenges and I am looking forward to a great 2013 with lots of all shades life has to offer. Knowing that at the end all comes together in what we Christians are calling God and who is named differently depending on each believe system – I am not afraid of what lies ahead.

How about u?

Related articles

 

Filed under: General, HOPE Cape Town Association, Networking, Reflection, , , , , , , , ,

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.