God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

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, , , , , , ,

02/15/2010 • 10:55 pm Comments Off on 15.02.2010 And another murder…

15.02.2010 And another murder…

I know it does not fit into all the hype about the soccer world cup, but with Joseph Dominic Giddy the third student has been murdered in Cape Town within 6 months.  Stabbed during a robbery while on his way home with friends, he is once again someone who was at the wrong place the wrong time. It is sometimes difficult to paint a fair picture of the situation in South Africa while one is thorn between the plight to encourage people to come to South Africa for the world cup and the knowledge, that things are also not in order here at the bottom of the continent.
But what is a fair picture? Telling only the official statistics which would be a disaster… Or just saying that most of the times only locals are killed? Are they less worth than tourists? I find it increasing difficult because now before the big event, there seems to be two camps: one painting a rosy picture and one painting a dark black one. Both are obviously wrong, but on the other hand: How can one do a balanced picture when press is only reporting in broadbrushed terms because that’s what the speed of news requires: quick and just touching it, no in dept information any more. It is a pity. The way modern press and news agency have developed makes it almost impossible to have the time for a journalist, to feel the pulse of the country for a while before giving a diagnose, the first heart peep, so to speak, is already the whole story.

I am living now for almost 13 years in the country and I think it is one of the greatest countries one can live in, no question about it, but at the same time I acknowledge that life is cheap here and that there is a long way to go for society to get a grip on this fact and change it.  And coming today from an extensive outing again into the lives of those less fortune I am convinced that it needs so much more efforts from politics and civil society to bring back this respect for life.

I still hope that the soccer world cup 2010, which was the nail for this country not to take a deeper dip in many regards, will also serve as a push to drive in that direction. And for that we need great games, a feeling, that we are good here in South Africa, that we are on the right track as the people of a wounded nation. A great future is ahead of us, when we don’t derail but move forward with reconciliation and respect and dignity.

Filed under: Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , ,

02/13/2010 • 10:45 pm 1

13.02.2010 Haiti…

4 weeks are gone in Haiti – and seeing some video clips and photos I am not sure we really understand what is going on there and how desperate people must feel having lost everything. All modern technology could not help to prevent this disaster and the first attempts of help, coordinated by the US has been – I almost would have said naturally – with lots of enthusiasm but also the typical sense of “we know it all”.  Haiti was a broken state and nature has proven to be able to add to the misery. I am not sure how so-called industrialised countries can coop with such a natural force, but hurricane “Katharina” has shown that they do not better, even worse as the expectations of the people are much higher.

Sometimes I ask myself how much compassion a person can show in our times or when the constant flood of misery through TV news, online news etc simply provokes a stop of such feelings because people are exhausted or getting used to it. I guess the same is to ask when one lives in a developing country and sees poverty and tragedy every day. It is in a certain sense true that one gets used to a situation – and when I go with visitors into a township, then I see rather the improvements since my last visit (if there are any) than the poverty. And it needs the art of a sort of balance of different feelings, being touched, but also accepting certain conditions for the time being as not changeable by oneself.

After almost 13 years South Africa, I am still sitting in the evenings after a day “out there” and reflect how I would feel living in a shack or without work or without mony depending on other people’s handout. I tell myself that this thoughts are useless because obviously alone the way I think is surely different as I would have thought if I would have been in that situation since birth. Sounds philosophically? Yes, I believe so, but in simple words: My realties would be a totally different ones grown up under different circumstances.

Nevertheless, alone that I am reflecting shows me, that I have not lost the sense of compassion and a sense that there is in front of my doorstep lots of injustice. I know that having founded HOPE Cape Town together with others helps people, but often I wish I could do so much more in less time. And then creeps in the feeling of being powerless.  Well, then there is only one thing to do: to believe my own sermons telling that nobody is powerless and that we are all called to change and better the world.  🙂

Filed under: General, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , ,

02/11/2010 • 11:15 pm Comments Off on 11.02.2010 What a mixed day…

11.02.2010 What a mixed day…

Sometimes one is sitting till late in the office until the mind is not able to take on more. And one feels so full and mixed up with the day that sleep will not come easy. In the morning an excellent meeting with the nuncio for South Africa and Sr. Margaret from Nazareth House. Topic was the POZ initiative caring for priests and clergy being HIV positive. And while I tried to prepare for the Sunday sermons for coming weekend and the joint councils meeting of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry tomorrow, again and again requests and problems popped up and filled every little gap between tasks I had to complete today. I would call it a crazy day.

It was also a day of realisation how different people take a situation, how different they experience realities, how difficult it can be to communicate and to make oneself understandable. how exhausting it is not to flip out confronted with the attitudes of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I am not sure how often I used the word “Ohm” today, observing my breath according to good old Buddhist teaching. 🙂

But today is also the day, Nelson Mandela walked free, it is a day to remember and to celebrate somehow.Without him, the miracle of a peaceful transformation would not have been possible; and seeing the old wise man sitting in parliament this eve, I thought how important it is to have him still around as the conscience of South Africa today. Lets hope for a long life…

Filed under: General, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

02/10/2010 • 10:49 pm Comments Off on 10.02.2010 traffic and township life

10.02.2010 traffic and township life

Rain in Cape Town this morning – and as usual the way the drivers of the various vehicles on the street try a great deal to proof, that they have never learned to drive a car in rain. It is one of these mornings where you ask yourself whether someone has a valid drivers licence. Crossings are blocked by cars which just took the dark yellow light to make sure that nobody else is able to cross when they have green light. And all that stop and go and change the lines and stop again… it would be amazing if one would have the time to observe it and is not due to be in time at a certain point.

Visiting of primary health care facilities was the major program point today and together with our compliance and trainings officer I visited 5 such so-called township clinics and spoke with our employee from HOPE Cape Town and with representatives of the clinic, assessing the work and trying to find out where we are with our outreach program. It is always an eye opener to be in these different communities, hearing the life stories of people, visiting also some sick people at home,  seeing the sometimes unbelievable circumstances, people have to live for years or even a lifetime.  I realise again how blessed my life is and how privileged I am.

And one comes home in the evening, full of impressions and with a whole bunch of requests and plea’s it takes time to digest the pictures in your head, but somehow I keep the people I met today in my heart for a while before it fades away to be refreshed the next time. I am grateful to touch township life. It helps me to re-define my life.

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

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