God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

06/11/2010 • 9:38 am Comments Off on 11.06.2010 Let the games begin…

11.06.2010 Let the games begin…

Soccer World Cup 2010 – one can not escape the atmosphere of joy and excitement and it is good so. After all the preparation – paired with all the critical comments about the FIFA circus, the show begins. I hope and wish that there will be no major incident and that all is going smoothly. Let’s also hope that most people are able to forget their misery for a moment and join into the hype of celebrating these days.  The Soccer World Cup 2010 does not take away the problems, but can give people a moment of forgetting about it – a moment of joy, a moment of being proud of South Africa and its achievement. This is a value in itself.

What lays behind the 11.July 2010 – we will see, we will experience, we cannot run away from it. But for now I hope and wish that the games are giving some warmth in the cold Cape Town winter nights.

Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized,

06/10/2010 • 10:20 am Comments Off on POZ Magazine: AIDS Groups Allege Condom Distribution Blocked at World Cup

POZ Magazine: AIDS Groups Allege Condom Distribution Blocked at World Cup

A coalition of HIV/AIDS groups in South Africa alleges that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), or the International Federation of Association Football, is blocking the distribution of condoms at World Cup soccer events, The Guardian reports.
The coalition—which includes the AIDS Consortium, the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society and the Treatment Action Campaign—said FIFA’s tight restrictions on venues mean that only official sponsors are allowed in, which will effectively block the distribution of condoms and safer-sex information.
In a statement, the coalition noted: “FIFA has not permitted civil society organizations to distribute HIV or health related information…or provided confirmation that condoms may be distributed at stadia and within the fan-fests. This is despite the fact that commercial sponsors selling alcohol will have dedicated spaces available.”
According to the article, the AIDS groups said they have asked to meet with FIFA and local organizers to discuss their concerns. FIFA said it is unaware of any requests, but there is a meeting underway to address the issues. The World Cup starts June 11 in South Africa.
About one in five adults in South Africa has HIV, and statistics show 1,400 new HIV cases and 1,000 AIDS-related deaths every year.

Source: http://www.poz.com/rssredir/articles/WorldCup_condom_FIFA_1_18531.shtml

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, ,

06/09/2010 • 10:55 pm Comments Off on 09.06.2010 Pain & Pleasure….

09.06.2010 Pain & Pleasure….

I did not even remember how it is when a tooth must be extracted… but today was the day when in the morning all the old and cruel memories of a dentist visit became reality again – deja vu…

But I did not have enough time to pity myself as I directly have to drive to Blikkiesdorp near Delft for an interview for the “tagesthemen“. Duty instead of laying down and simply indulge in the pain of losing a tooth.. 🙂
Back to the office then to prepare the first draft for an input, I have to give next week during an economic gathering at the Bavarian House.

Then drive to the official opening to the Bavarian House at the Artscape – it is good to see Minister Schneider, Helen Zille and for me it is indeed a great joy to meet the son of Piet Meyers, previous Minister of Health WC, who is now the MEC for social affairs. A brief contact with Minister Botha and Minister Winde and the Bavarian Delegation. All the well-known faces again – it feels good and somehow home to be amongst them.

The music group “Haindling” shows that Bavaria is more than traditional music and it is a pity that the pain of the morning prevents me from indulging too much into the delicious offerings of the reception following the performance. The Bavarian House is open – now the Soccer World cup 2010 may begin… 🙂

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

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, , , , , , , ,

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