God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

12/06/2013 • 10:39 am 1

Nelson Mandela – live in peace

Meeting Nelson MandelaAfter months of lingering between life and death, Nelson Mandela finally was able to move on and I hope for him, that his last hours were more dignified than what was seen on TV when Jacob Zuma visited him last year at home.
We are now tempted to declare him a saint immediately – even if he was not Catholic – but I think, that Nelson Mandela’s greatness was a result of him being a human being like everybody else: with errors, tempers and mistakes. But with a determination to be truthful to himself and the cause he was following. And this made him an extra-ordinary person: to stay an original and to refuse being made a copy or formed by all the high expectations or fears, others would put on him.
Being truthful to oneself creates an aura one can sense – I call myself lucky to be one of those having met him personally and being able to talk to him I could sense this aura: Here was somebody who knew exactly who he was and he lived his charisma and potential to the fullest. He impressed me and this feeling is continuing and part of my life. Sometimes a short encounter can have an imprint on your life.

Nelson Mandela stands for forgiveness, reconciliation, sacrifice, determination, tolerance remaining a humble human being. Let’s hope that the nation wakes up to his call for a common future of all in the new South Africa, and that the lip service our politicians pay today towards honesty and accountability on the way to reconciliation and a rainbow nation embedded in peace and justice for all will be transformed through his death into a real service.

As Catholics we believe in the community of the living and the death – so he will continue to watch over our nation. Let us make him proud.

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

12/02/2013 • 10:45 am Comments Off on 1.7 million

1.7 million

Death

Death (Photo credit: tanakawho)

The UN report on the situation of HIV and AIDS counts 1.7 million people who have died in 2012 as the result of the pandemic. We hear this figures especially on World AIDS Day and as the number is so big, emotions are normally quiet under control. Being in the situation of having just lost my dad I suddenly realize – not for the first time, but very powerful – what it means, this statistical figure: 1.7 million times a personal tragedy – most times the suffering of having lost somebody very close, very much-loved, surely in those cases very often young people or breadwinner of the family.
When death hits home – statistics suddenly transform into real life stories and every count becomes an emotional story of love and desperation, of the feeling of loss leaving behind those mourning and having to say farewell often to early in life.

Knowing, that early intervention of the Reagan administration would have saved millions of such tragedies show how devastating politics can be towards the individual lives, even thousands of miles away and for decades. And knowing, that Ronald Reagan refused to act because of his religious believe that gay people are not worth the effort shows that even in modern history faith and religion play a vital role in decisions made about life and death of people.

And this story continuous when countries scale down their contribution to the Global AIDS fund, when money for research is scrapped as the economic situation is driven by only financial gain maximization – when wars, weapon trade and the art of killing people is for most countries more important than saving lives. The story continues when religion still contributes to the hate and discrimination and persecution of those living a different lifestyle as the mainstream society.

Advent is time of preparation and reflection for those calling themselves Christians – and maybe it is time to have a hard look at how our action contributes to the well-being of all people not excluding anybody from the unconditional love of God, whom we expect to be born again on Christmas eve. And the higher somebody is in the hierarchy of the church or the political system of a country responsibility grows to act accordingly.

Filed under: Catholic Church, General, HIV and AIDS, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11/26/2013 • 6:19 pm Comments Off on Faith and Joy..

Faith and Joy..

I think I would never have considered in my keenest dreams that I one day would sort of advertise a papal writing. Anyhow nobody would expect that from me, but this Apostolic Exhortation is worth being read by a lot of people. This document cannot be labeled progressive or conservative, it does not introduce new teachings, but it paves the way to get back to the roots of our faith. Believing should bring joy to life, it should give meaning to life, it should protect life… It should serve the purpose of experiencing the unconditional love of God in our daily life. Evangelii Gaudium shows what it could mean if the church just does that: proclaiming the joy of the good news. And it also has a meaning for those working in the fields of social injustice or health challenges; those working on the ground, work on grass-roots level. Because this message has practical means – faith is practical and must express itself in doing good and caring for those around us and in need of a holding or supporting hand.
But read for yourself:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html

Read it as a caregiver, a patient, a believer, a person searching, even as a non-believer I am sure you get some heart warming thoughts from it. And for those within the church: exciting times are ahead – not in the sense that liberalism or left-wing attitude wins over the other side of the spectrum. Once again: old labels don’t work with this pope, and this is good so.

 

Filed under: Catholic Church, General, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

11/24/2013 • 6:54 pm Comments Off on Desmond Tutu pleads with Obama…

Desmond Tutu pleads with Obama…

Desmond Tutu 2007 at the Deutscher Evangelisch...

Desmond Tutu 2007 at the Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag in Cologne 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Nobel Peace Prize winner urges the U.S. president to increase global access to antiretrovirals:
“We are making historic progress against HIV/AIDS: The global rate of new HIV infections has levelled, and the number of annual AIDS deaths has decreased by nearly a third since 2005. Antiretroviral drugs are driving these gains by stopping progression of the disease and, we now know, preventing the spread of HIV infections. Yet AIDS remains the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty limits access to lifesaving treatments and 25 million people are living with HIV—representing 70 percent of cases worldwide. President Barack Obama should be commended for uniting the world behind the goal of creating an AIDS-free generation. I share his passion and believe we can achieve this in the next decade—but only if we accelerate the provision of antiretrovirals to the poorest and most vulnerable people. The opportunity has never been clearer. New data published in the New England Journal of Medicine project that early treatment with antiretrovirals in South Africa, my home country, would prove very cost-effective over a lifetime (costing $590 per life-year saved) and generate both public health and economic benefits. The World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends early and preventive treatment with antiretrovirals, including administration to children and uninfected partners of people living with the disease. The WHO estimates that this could save an additional 3 million lives and prevent at least as many new HIV infections through 2025…”

Read the complete plea of Desmond Tutu on politico.com: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/11/keys-to-defeating-hivaids-100006.html
or POZ.com
http://www.poz.com/articles/desmond_tutu_2676_24819.shtml

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Politics and Society, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11/18/2013 • 4:45 pm 1

Networking and the role of NGO’s

Ending my visit to the USA and returning back to South Africa, there is time to reflect on what I take home from my trip besides  good new contacts and lots of goodwill and support.

Well, the first is that the USA and South Africa have lots of common ground – socially and politically.
Visiting the food bank and having an open mind while traveling there is undeniable the common ground of high poverty rates. And in both countries the system produces those who never have a chance to get up – despite the myth of the “American dream”. In the USA it is the system of less governmental assistance and a brutal battle about coming up which produces either winners or losers, in South Africa it is the other way around: government handouts to keep the masses at peace and dependent and after some time there is the culture of entitlement. Add corruption in a big way in South Africa, which paired with the abuse of BB BEE creates a thin layer of very rich people while the rest has to continue to live around the official poverty line. In both countries this creates a gap which widens every day and civil society has to step in with NGO’s and other organizations to bridge the gaps – on one hand a blessing for those who lost out, although every NGO faces the dilemma to somehow also “support” the non-function of governmental involvement and cement the status quo.

Another mutuality is in both countries state organs are used to settle political scores – and with the instrument of non-public run Grant Juries in the USA and the coming secrecy law in South Africa we are in both countries in danger to lose out more civil rights and freedoms our ancestors have fought very hard for. Listening during my stay in the US to people fighting pro-life issues being subjected to prison and year-long fights through the juridical system to clear their names, being observed, wire-taped and somehow threatened it feels in essence not that far away from South Africa, considering what happens to those falling out with the ruling party.

I guess it is this treat to civil rights and freedom of speech which makes it at the end of the day so important to have NGO’s and PBO’s function in both countries – and independent in which field of expertise they are working, they have also to add to a healthy culture of check and balances in politics and society of their respective country. Voluntary engagement can only grow and make a proper impact if done in a society which respects the basic rights of it citizen and ensures their well-being on a level above the poverty line. Maybe one can go so far saying that besides the separation of powers  the culture of voluntary work within civil society organizations is essential for the functioning of a state or country. Therefore the work of NGO’s is always also a political one – even if one tries to keep out of daily politics.

Networking, exchange of ideas between non governmental organizations adds  so to  the “people power” to counter the again and again emerging imbalance within a country created by an over-demand of power and influence by those in government. As even most democracies have created a group of professionals who run the country a lifelong in changing roles  there is the necessity of a strong civil society representation.

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

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